October 31st, 2007 amy
Prevacid and other stomach distress drugs commonly used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and ulcers in adults are becoming more commonly used by children, but do children really need these medications? According to Medco, the number of children ages 5 to 11 on stomach distress medications has risen 31 percent. Pediatricians say the rise […]
October 30th, 2007 amy
Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, maker of Dimetapp and Robitussin, is voluntarily removing certain infant cough and cold products from the market in effort to help reduce overdoses in children under age 2. This age group is the most vulnerable to overdoses, though this may not be the fault of parents or caregivers. The dosage […]
October 26th, 2007 admin
The Ketek clinical trail that resulted in one doctor going to jail for fraud has earned Sanofi-Aventis a warning letter from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Ketek, an antibiotic used to treat sinus infections was approved by the FDA in 2004 even though it already knew of widespread fraud and other problems […]
October 26th, 2007 admin
A Trasylol clinical trial has been halted because patients in the study who were treated with Trasylol had a much higher risk of death from bleeding than patients taking other drugs. This is just the latest bad news on this defective drug, and is sure to increase calls for Trasylol to be pulled […]
October 25th, 2007 admin
Provigil, a drug that treats excessive sleepiness, got new warnings yesterday about some pretty frightening side effects, including serious skin rashes and psychiatric problems. The skin rashes include Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a sometimes life-threatening hypersensitivity complex affecting the skin and the mucous membrane. Some of the skin disorders associated with Provigil can actually cause […]
October 24th, 2007 admin
A black box warning could soon be showing up on the Avandia label. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has been pressuring GlaxoSmithKline to include a black box warning of heart attack risks on the Avandia label for months now, and the drug maker says it is working with the FDA on the wording.
Avandia […]
October 24th, 2007 admin
Another study has confirmed the link between gadolinium based MRI contrast agents and Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis/ Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (NSF/NFD). This time, researchers in Scotland have shown that gadolinium based contrast agents used in MRI’s are strongly associated with the onset of this often fatal disorder in people suffering from pre-existing kidney disease. This […]
October 24th, 2007 admin
The popular antibiotic Zithromax can cause liver failure. It’s a side effect that’s been reported since 1996, but Pfizer, the manufacturer of Zithromax, waited more than 4 years to warn the public of this dangerous side effect.
Zithromax delivers continual levels of the antibiotic to infected areas, so patients can take just one […]
October 24th, 2007 admin
No over-the-counter cold medicines for kids under six, says a Food & Drug Administration (FDA) panel. According to the FDA, these defective over-the-counter drugs have been linked to dozens of child fatalities in the last 30 years. Most of the danger comes from a high dosage or a combination of medicines given in […]
October 24th, 2007 admin
Viagra, Cialis and Levitra have been given new warnings about sudden hearing loss. Apparently, the Food & Drug Administration has reports that the erectile dysfunction drugs have caused sudden hearing loss in 29 patients. The hearing loss is often accompanied by tinnitus and dizziness, and two-thirds of the time, it’s permanent. […]
