November 28th, 2008 joshua
The reports of adverse reactions to Pfizer’s stop-smoking drug Chantix (sold in Canada and Europe as Champix) are piling up in the U.K.
A BBC report states at least 3,000 people currently taking Champix have reported severe depression, and the article details the suicidal efforts of at least two of those reports - one which ended […]
November 26th, 2008 laurie
The FDA has announced two supplement recalls in which undeclared ingredients could cause a serious, or even fatal, reaction.
Fashion Sanctuary is recalling all lot codes of Zhen De Shou Fat Loss Capsules sold in 10 count blister cards. The recall was initiated after an FDA lab analysis of Zhen De Shou samples found the […]
November 26th, 2008 laurie
The FDA is considering requiring TV promotions to carry a toll-free number where patients can report serious drug side effects, the Associated Press reports. Some critics aren’t too happy with the idea; they say the toll-free number could distract viewers from other important safety information about the drugs.
Print advertisements already include contact information for the […]
November 26th, 2008 joshua
Asian patients on any of several types of epilepsy drugs are at a risk for developing severe skin reactions.
The Food and Drug Administration warned that it’s investigating whether the drugs Dilantin, Phenytek and Cerebyx lead to severe blisters and bleeding for some Asian patients.
The drugs are used to treat and calm epileptic seizures.
According to the […]
November 25th, 2008 laurie
An published in the November issue of The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology links antidepressants Paxil and Prozac with heart-related birth defects.
“After we excluded genetic and cytogenic anomalies, we found a higher rate of major heart anomalies in the women who had been taking the antidepressants” says lead author Professor Asher Ornoy from the […]
November 25th, 2008 laurie
A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that older diabetics who took GlaxoSmithKline’s Avandia to control their blood sugar had a higher risk of death and heart failure while on the drug than those who took Takeda Pharmaceutical’s Actos, a drug in the same class.
“We hypothesize that many of the deaths […]
November 24th, 2008 joshua
Bayer HealthCare and Genzyme have announced a warning regarding the use of its drug, Mabcampath (alemtuzumab), in combination with other anti-leukemia drugs.
In a joint statement with Health Canada, that nation’s health regulatory agency, Bayer and Genzyme reported that the risk of infection-related death greatly increased when Mabcampath was initially combined with the other leukemia drugs. […]
November 24th, 2008 laurie
Millions of private patients are taking unapproved medications — ones that have never been reviewed by the government for safety and effectiveness — an Associated Press investigation found. The medications date back decades, before the Food and Drug Administration tightened its review of drugs in the early 1960s. The FDA says it is trying to […]
November 21st, 2008 laurie
Bloomberg News reports on the verdict in Florida Accutane Lawsuits over Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
Roche Holding must pay $12.9 million to plaintiffs who blamed the Accutane acne medicine for their inflammatory bowel disease, a New Jersey jury ruled, handing the company its fourth trial loss in the case. Roche didn’t give proper warnings to […]
November 21st, 2008 laurie
The FDA is pondering how to weigh possible side effects as more drugs used to treat diabetes, pain and other conditions also appear linked to heart attacks. The rise of serious heart risks in drugs that treat chronic conditions has become one of the FDA’s top worries and is changing how the agency weighs new […]
