February 29th, 2008 amy
The FDA issued an advisory to healthcare practitioners this morning that patients should be warned not to swallow Spiriva and Foradil capsules, designed to be inhaled through inhalation devices. Used to treat chronic obstructive lung disease, bronchitis and asthma, the drug won’t work properly if ingested rather than inhaled.
The National Poison Control Center and the […]
February 29th, 2008 joshua
Eli Lilly lost a fight with the Food and Drug Administration after the agency rejected its bid to release an injectable version of its schizophrenia drug, Zyprexa.
The patent for the daily, pill form of the profitable drug expires in three years, opening it up to generic competition. The move to create a monthly injection of […]
February 29th, 2008 amy
Baxter announced yesterday that it will be going ahead with its full Heparin recall now that FDA concerns over a shortage of the widely used blood thinner have subsided. Four deaths and nearly 400 adverse reactions have already been attributed to the recalled Heparin.
Nine lots of Baxter’s Heparin were recalled in January after adverse […]
February 28th, 2008 amy
Doctors treating Multiple Sclerosis and Crohn’s patients with Tysabri may be dosing out liver failure. According to the FDA, the drug may damage the liver within six days of the first dose.
A warning letter sent this month to physicians treating MS patients stated that some patients developed unusually high levels of liver enzymes in the […]
February 28th, 2008 joshua
At least one doctor in New York says side effects from statin drugs, specifically Lipitor, could be hurting minds of women.
Dr. Orli Etingin recently told a luncheon crowd that “these drugs make women stupid.” The doctor used an example of a woman in her 40s who is having difficulty remembering words and is unable to […]
February 28th, 2008 joshua
A Northwestern University study finds that Amgen Inc. and Johnson & Johnson’s anemia drugs are associated with an increased risk of blood clots and death, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The study looked at 51 Phase III clinical trials of the drugs Aranesp, Epogen and Procrit in patients with cancer. Previous studies found these drugs […]
February 27th, 2008 amy
Yet another study has found antidepressants ineffective for the majority of people prescribed pills like Prozac, Paxil, Effexor and Serzone. As previous studies have shown, although 1 in 6 people will experience some varying degree of depression in his/her lifetime, most folks simply don’t need to be medicated.
Research headed up by the University of Hull […]
February 27th, 2008 amy
Fueled by congressional action spotlighting the agency’s oversight in 2007, the Food and Drug Administration’s new drug safety program is up for hearing at the White House today. In the wake of so many deaths due to off-label use and the massive drug recalls of recent months, many say it’s a step long overdue.
The FDA’s […]
February 26th, 2008 joshua
Side effects from a bleaching agent in denture cleaner is blamed for the death of one person and sickening 72 other people, according to a warning from the Food and Drug Administration, reported by The Los Angeles Times.
The bleach is known as persulfate, and is an allergen found in most denture cleaners. The FDA says […]
February 25th, 2008 joshua
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Avastin to treat breast cancer Friday. The decision is an apparent shift in policy for the FDA, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Avastin is currently used to treat lung and colon cancer because it was found to shrink tumors. But the FDA went against the recommendations of a panel […]
