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# FDA Updates Med Guides for Gadolinium-based Contrast Agents
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/fda-updates-med-guides-for-gadolinium-based-contrast-agents/
- Published: 2018-05-16T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T00:05:31.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5141460

FDA has updated a [safety alert ](https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm589213.htm?ref=fdaweb.com)for all gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) for MRIs to include an agency-approved new patient Medication Guide. Late last year, FDA required a new class Warning and other safety measures for all GBCAs for MRIs. The Warning concerns retention of gadolinium in patients’ bodies, including the brain, for months to years after receiving the drugs. “Gadolinium retention has not been directly linked to adverse health effects in patients with normal kidney function, and we have concluded that the benefit of all approved GBCAs continues to outweigh any potential risks,” the agency says in the updated [safety communication](https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm589213.htm?ref=fdaweb.com).

FDA says health care professionals and patients can access the patient Medication Guides according to the GBCA drug name on the [Medication Guides webpage](https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm085729.htm?ref=fdaweb.com), or the latest prescribing information by searching in [Drugs@FDA](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/index.cfm?ref=fdaweb.com). “All MRI centers should provide a Medication Guide the first time an outpatient receives a GBCA injection or when the information is substantially changed,” it says.