Clinical medicine profile
Chloramphenicol eye drops or ointment
Therapeutic agent (verify pharmacological class)
- Route
- See product SmPC
- Schedule
- POM
- ATC
- Not assigned
- PPB status
- registered
This profile needs source confirmation
Some sections contain general class guidance rather than medicine-specific evidence. Confirm prescribing decisions against the current SmPC and Kenya STG/EML.
Safety essentials
The information most likely to change a prescribing or dispensing decision.
Contraindications
- Prophylaxis of bacterial infections, for minor infections, active immunization, newborn infants, pregnancy and lactation, patients on bone marrow depressant drugs
Precautions
- Obtain allergy and medication history.
- Adjust for renal/hepatic impairment, pregnancy, lactation, extremes of age and interacting drugs.
- Use the lowest effective dose for the shortest appropriate duration.
- Monitor for expected class adverse effects.
Dosing matrix
Population and organ-function guidance, shown together for faster comparison.
Drops: Apply two drops applied to the affected eye(s) every three hours or more frequently if required. Ointment: a strip of ointment (about 1cm in length )is applied TID to QID. Continue treatment at least 48 hours after the eye appears normal. Use in children (maximum duration of treatment:10-14 days)
See label paediatric section if present; otherwise use paediatric formulary — do not extrapolate adult doses.
Review renal impairment dosing; many agents need CrCl/eGFR adjustment.
- CrCl 0–120: Confirm renal dosing in product SmPC / primary label.
Review hepatic impairment dosing; monitor LFTs if agent is hepatically cleared or hepatotoxic.
Use, effects & interactions
Indications
- Therapeutic use is agent- and indication-specific within the class (Therapeutic agent (verify pharmacological class)).
- Use according to culture results, national guidelines (Kenya STG/EML where applicable) and the current product SmPC.
- Susceptible eye infections
Adverse effects
- Bone marrow depression, haemolytic anaemia in G6PD deficiency, hypersensitivity reactions, optic atrophy, optic and peripheral neuritis, blindness, gray syndrome
Drug interactions
Open multi-drug checker ↗- Professional use: confirm indication, dose, duration, monitoring and patient counselling points against current Kenya STG / EML and the product SmPC.
- Document allergy status and key interactions.
Mechanism & disposition
Binds to 50s sub-unit of the bacterial ribosome and inhibits bacterial protein synthesis by preventing attachment of aminoacyl transfer RNA to its acceptor site on the ribosome.
Read complete mechanism
Binds to 50s sub-unit of the bacterial ribosome and inhibits bacterial protein synthesis by preventing attachment of aminoacyl transfer RNA to its acceptor site on the ribosome. This prevents peptide bond formation by peptidyl transferase.
Product-specific
Product-specific
See product SmPC
are product-specific. Consider food effects, protein binding, hepatic CYP/UGT
when adjusting for organ impairment, age and drug interactions. Verify parameters in the current SmPC.
Pregnancy, lactation & diet
Use only if potential benefit justifies potential risk; prefer agents with better reproductive data when alternatives exist.
Assess infant risk vs benefit of maternal therapy; prefer agents with lactation data.
Brands & loaded prices
| Brand | Manufacturer | Pack | Observed price |
|---|---|---|---|
| No reviewed brand listings are linked yet. | |||
Sources & review state
Decision support only. Confirm patient-specific decisions against the current product SmPC, Kenya STG/EML, and professional judgement.