Review of yellow cards (1986): report to the Committee on the Safety of Medicines.

1. In 1986 the CSM received 15,527 yellow cards. This was the highest number received in any one year since the scheme started in 1964. Much of the increase was due to the use by doctors of the yellow cards now included in the British National Formulary and NHS prescription pads. 2. The overall profile of reports of serious reaction, in 1986, was broadly similar to that of the previous years. The most commonly reported serious suspected adverse reactions involved the gastro-intestinal tract (801 reports), the skin (539 reports), the central nervous system (535 reports), and the blood (505 reports). 3. Of the drugs introduced between 1984 and 1986 appreciable numbers of reports of serious reactions were received in association with the use of diltiazem (33 reports), mitozantrone (30 reports), enalapril (173 reports) and etodolac (27 reports).