What is an example of a Type A ADR?

• A. Bleeding risk with the use of anticoagulants
• B. Anaphylaxis to penicillin
• C. Adrenal suppression with corticosteroids
• D. Carcinogenesis and teratogenesis

Answer: (A)

Type A ADRs are augmented, predictable effects that scale with the drug’s pharmacologic action and dose. Bleeding risk with anticoagulants is a classic example because anticoagulants directly enhance the normal process of coagulation; as the dose or intensity of anticoagulation increases, the tendency to bleed rises in a dose-dependent, predictable manner.

Anaphylaxis to penicillin is an unpredictable immune reaction, not tied to the dose, so it’s not Type A. Adrenal suppression with corticosteroids is dose-related but represents a downstream endocrine effect rather than a direct augmentation of the primary action in a straightforward dose-dependent way. Carcinogenesis and teratogenesis are long-term toxicities not typically categorized as Type A.