FDA & Prescription Drugs

• Study to Analyze ADHD Medications and Heart Attack Risks

  Chrissie Cole | September 17, 2007 7:06 PM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  A comprehensive new study is underway by two U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agencies, to determine if prescription medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increases the risk of heart attack, cardiovascular problems or stroke.Research supported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)...

• Reports of Adverse Drug Effects on the Rise

  Chrissie Cole | September 15, 2007 1:57 PM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  According to a new study, reports of adverse drug affects reported to the Food and Drug Administration has doubled over the past decade. Deaths associated with serious adverse drug effects also doubled."A change of this magnitude ought to be cause for alarm," says Thomas J. Moore, senior scientist, drug safety and policy, for the Institute for Safe Medication Practices in Huntingdon Valley, Pa.,...

• Study Reveals High Levels of Lead In Lipstick

  Chrissie Cole | September 01, 2009 12:19 AM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  Lead levels in lipstick are higher than previously reported according to a new study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The agency tested 20 (unidentified brands) lipsticks and...

• Blood Thinning Medicine Tied To Brain Bleeds

  IB Contributor | January 11, 2007 10:44 PM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  Elderly people, especially those over 80, who take the blood-thinning medicine warfarin to prevent heart attacks or strokes, may be at a greater risk for serious brain hemorrhage, according to a new study released this week in the Journal of Neurology.According to a Jan. 9 article written by Jamie Talan in Newsday, scientists at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine found that use of...

• 11 Million Bottles of Acetamenophen Recalled

  Staff Writer | November 09, 2006 6:40 AM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  The FDA announced today that there is a nationwide acetamenophen recall which affects 11 million bottles of the drug. The recall covers store-brand acetamenophen, not brand-name Tylenol products, is voluntary, and is being conducted by Michigan-based Perrigo Company due to metal fragments being found in a small number of the pills.FDA is currently investigating the cause of the metal particles...

• FDA Proposes Suicide Warnings on Antidepressants

  Christina Cole | May 02, 2007 8:52 PM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  The FDA has requested that the makers of antidepressant drugs expand their warning labels to include adults age 18-24. The labels currently have similar warnings for adolescents and children.The maker of Prozac - Eli Lily Co and Pfizer Inc - Zoloft manufacturer and many other drug companies, said they will comply with the FDA's request."We believe this step will help ensure that the millions of...

• Merck scores another victory

  IB Contributor | March 31, 2007 11:03 PM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  A jury in the Midwest this week cleared drugmaker Merck of liability in a case involving its once-blockbuster painkiller Vioxx saying that a 52-year-old obese woman didn't die because she took Vioxx, but from several other health complications.A Madison County court jury found that Merck & Co. adequately warned doctors and consumers about possible complications from using Vioxx. After...

• Merck's Cervical Cancer Vaccine Under Investigation

  IB Contributor | February 20, 2007 12:42 AM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  Should we trust Merck after Vioxx?Is mandating innoculations the way to go? The National Vaccine Information Center has asked state officials to investigate the safety of a Merck-produced "breakthrough cancer vaccine," which is said to prevent the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, the Washington Times reported.According to the Feb. 3 article, negative side effects are being...

• Certain Diabetes Drug Manufacturers to Heighten Label Warnings on Heart Failure Risk

  Chrissie Cole | August 15, 2007 9:13 PM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  Manufacturers of certain drugs approved for treating Type 2 diabetes have agreed to add stronger warnings on the risk of heart failure, announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The information will be included in a "boxed" warning - the FDA's strongest warning. The updated warning label will highlight that certain drugs may cause or worsen heart failure in some patients.The FDA...

• FDA Says No to Vioxx Successor

  IB Contributor | May 05, 2007 7:31 PM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week turned down pharmaceutical giant, Merck & Co.'s request to market Arcoxia, a successor to its banned arthritis drug Vioxx, according to an article posted on HealthDay's Web site. The decision came as little surprise, since an FDA advisory panel of medical experts had already voted 20-1 on April 12 against the approval of Arcoxia, a drug very...