Anvisa alerts Parkinson's patients to vitamin B6 deficiency risk

Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) has issued a sanitary alert regarding the risk of vitamin B6 deficiency in patients using medications containing carbidopa and levodopa to treat Parkinson’s disease. The agency warned that such a deficiency may be associated with the occurrence of seizures.

The preventive measure follows international monitoring by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which identified clinical cases of seizures linked to vitamin B6 depletion in patients on this therapy. Anvisa noted that, as of the alert, no similar cases have been reported in Brazil.

As a safety precaution, Anvisa has ordered the immediate update of the package insert for the medication Carbidol to include information about the risk of B6 deficiency. Health professionals and patients are recommended to evaluate vitamin levels before starting treatment and to perform periodic monitoring during use.