August 29th, 2008 laurie
Potentially deadly Chantix side effects aren’t mentioned in Pfizer’s new sneaky ads, because the drug giant has found a way to encourage the use of its smoking cessation drug through a commercial that doesn’t mention Chantix at all.
The Wall Street Journal reports that during NBC’s coverage of the Beijing Olympics this month, Pfizer aired a […]
August 28th, 2008 laurie
In July, a study came out linking the cholesterol drug Vytorin to cancer, but the link wasn’t taken seriously enough. A 1,873-patient study called SEAS found there were 50% more cancers among patients who took Vytorin than those who received placebo. Researchers involved in the study put together a hastily organized, company-funded press conference on […]
August 27th, 2008 joshua
A popular treatment for patients presenting sepsis could be dangerous, and not helpful, as has been traditionally believed.
The use of tight glucose control is often used in hospitals and is done by monitoring a patient’s blood sugar levels every hour. The IV insulin drip the patient is relying upon is then adjusted based on these […]
August 27th, 2008 laurie
Amylin Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday reported an additional four deaths among patients taking its diabetes drug, Byetta, although the deaths could be attributed to other causes, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Two of the patients died after complications from gallbladder surgery, while a third died after a relapse of leukemia, company officials said. The San Diego […]
August 26th, 2008 laurie
Safety warnings slowed the use of antipsychotic drugs in seniors with dementia, HealthDay News. But the overall use of the drugs in the elderly increased, a finding which suggests that warnings may not be sufficient to protect patients, Canadian researchers say. The study was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Between late 2002 and […]
August 26th, 2008 laurie
The FDA said Monday that the prescribing instructions for Tysabri should be revised to note cases of a serious brain disorder in patients who were using it as their sole treatment for multiple sclerosis.
While the two patients who developed PML were on monotherapy, the FDA still believes that Tysabri monotherapy may confer a lower […]
August 26th, 2008 joshua
Cough and cold medicines specifically marketed to children could face being pulled from the market as cases of adverse and sometimes deadly reactions occur.
Pulling them from the market is as much a sign of how dangerous the drugs are, but also a statement on federal confidence in parents to properly administer doses to their ill […]
August 25th, 2008 laurie
Viagra and Cialis are joining erectile dysfunction drug Levitra in updating their labels to add transient global amnesia as a side effect. According to an article from WebMD Health News, those label changes don’t amount to warnings or precautions. Instead, they’ll be listed in the “Post-Marketing” section of the drugs’ labels.
Transient global amnesia is temporary […]
August 21st, 2008 joshua
Plaintiffs who charged Merck’s painkiller Vioxx caused them heart attacks will begin receiving partial payments by the end of the month.
Merck reached a $4.85 billion settlement earlier this year with thousands of patients claiming they were seriously injured or died as a result of taking Vioxx as a painkiller some time between 1999 and 2004.
The […]
August 21st, 2008 joshua
A clinical trial of the controversial painkiller Vioxx, which employed more than 600 physicians, was for no other reason than to increase sales, research into court records has uncovered.
According to a report from Bloomberg News, Merck began a trial of more than 5,500 patients soon after Vioxx gained Food and Drug Administration clearance in 1999.
The […]
