June 30th, 2008 amy
According to a letter sent to healthcare providers, cases of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML), sometimes fatal, have been reported in patients treated with CellCept. PML is a disease of the central nervous system which usually leads to death or severe disability.
The letter states that on July 8, 2007, Roche searched its global safety database […]
June 30th, 2008 amy
Considering the deaths by heart attack caused by diabetes drug Avandia, the FDA may change its standards for approving new diabetes drugs, according the to the Wall Street Journal.
The WSJ reports that the FDA is considering benchmarks that would require pharmaceutical companies to prove the drugs reduce the risk of heart attack or increase […]
June 27th, 2008 amy
The E.U. backed stronger warnings for anti-anemia drugs used in cancer patients Thursday, following similar efforts from the U.S. health authority to curb their use, Dow Jones reports. An E.U. panel recommended blood transfusions over drugs such as Aranesp or Epogen or Procrit, saying the risk of tumors progressing and death outweighs the drugs’ benefits […]
June 27th, 2008 joshua
Major pharmaceutical companies spent a record $168 million toward lobbying efforts in 2007, according to a report released by the Center for Public Integrity.
Drug companies and politicians are required to report how much money they contribute to campaigns and to political efforts.
In analyzing these disclosure reports, the Center for Public Integrity reports the topics which […]
June 26th, 2008 joshua
The Canadian-named version of the quit smoking drug Chantix, manufactured by Pfizer Inc. has drawn the attentive eye of the country’s Health Department.
Officials north said the drug Champix (here as Chantix) is causing its patients to have unusual feelings of agitation, depression, hostility and behavioral changes and suicidal thoughts.
Champix has been available in Canada since […]
June 25th, 2008 amy
Larger studies of heart imagine agents such as Definity and Optison will be necessary to better evaluate the heart risks seen in some patients, the FDA’s advisory panel recommended yesterday. Late last year the FDA imposed warnings on Definity and Optison after receiving 200 reports of complications, including seven deaths.
Various physicians speaking to the panel […]
June 24th, 2008 joshua
The consumer advocacy group Public Citizen is again urging the Food and Drug Administration to remove painkiller drugs going by the names of Darvon and Darvocet from the market.
Two years ago, Public Citizen petitioned the FDA to remove the drugs from the market, but got no response. Recently, frustrated with regulatory inaction, Public Citizen sued […]
June 23rd, 2008 amy
Definity and Optison, ultrasound contrast agents used to improve medical images of the heart are still causing death and serious side effects despite warnings to physicians, the FDA said Friday.
Since October, the FDA has received four reports of patients dying after receiving injections of the drug Definity, the Associated Press reports. One patient with […]
June 20th, 2008 amy
More than a hundred suicides connected to epilepsy drug Neurontin are represented in various lawsuits consolidated in federal court. In court, it’s coming out that these suicides could have been avoided if only the drugmaker had listened to one neurologist’s warning about serious potential side effects.
University of London neurologist Michael R. Trimble testified Thursday at […]
June 20th, 2008 amy
The Veterans Administration is finally planning to inform 32,000 veterans of the dangerous smoking cessation drug Chantix that the drug has been linked to suicidal and violent behavior, ABC News reports.
A recent ABC News/Washington Times investigation revealed that the VA waited three months to notify veterans in a VA experiment of the possible side effects […]
