SINGAPORE -- A record number of people suffered side-effects from approved drugs in Singapore last year, with 84 cases bad enough to land patients in hospitals and even cause death, DPA quoted health officials as saying on Saturday.

There were 561 cases in all, the highest in five years, the health sciences authority (HSA) reported.

Most reactions were mild, such as swollen eyelids and itching, the HSA said, but liver damage was among the severe responses.

The number of adverse reactions is a fraction of the number of drugs approved for sale or prescription here, which stands at more than 7,000, the HSA noted.

Chan Cheng Leng, the HSA's head of pharmacovigilance, said there was no cause for alarm in the rise in reports.

"It's due to doctors and pharmacists being more aware of HSA's program to promote the reporting of adverse drug reactions," she told **** The Straits Times ****.

In 1997, only 185 reports were received.

Medication such as aspirin and antibiotics like amoxicillin and Ceftriaxone, are among those that have caused adverse reactions, the data showed.

Pharmacists and doctors are warned by the HSA of possible side-effects when it receives two or three reports of serious reactions as well as reports from overseas regulatory agencies, Chan said.

Before any drug is sold to the public, manufacturers must submit test results and other information proving the items are safe, she added.