The Food and Drug Administration said it is investigating whether medications like Dilantin, Phenytek and Cerebyx, which are used to control epileptic seizures, can lead to severe skin blisters and bleeding for some Asian patients.
Patients who test positive for a gene known as HLA-B.1502 appear to be at increased risk of developing the skin problems, preliminary data indicate. About 10 percent to 15 percent of patients from parts of China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines may carry the gene, as do 2 percent