In its letters sent to 14 pharmaceutical companies in March 2009, FDA required risk information to be included in the Internet search advertisements of drugs – a move welcomed by consumer advocates, reports Stephanie Clifford in a New York Times story. The short text ads that appear to the right of Google search results are….
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FDA Issues Warnings for Weight-Loss Diet Supplements
On May 1, 2009, the FDA issued a warning for consumers to immediately stop using dietary supplements containing Hydroxycut, which has been linked to dozens of serious health problems including jaundice and liver damage. The dietary supplement is also responsible for one death from liver failure. Other reported health problems include seizures, muscle damage and….
Continue ReadingPistachio May Be Linked to Salmonella Contamination
Salmonella, which causes serious gastrointestinal illnesses that can be life-threatening, was found in pistachios last week, according to the Los Angeles Times. The FDA has issued warnings for consumers to stop eating all foods containing pistachios, while investigations are underway. Although salmonella contamination in pistachios is yet to be confirmed, Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella….
Continue ReadingPatients Win, Drug Industry Loses, in Safety Case before Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a strong push by the pharmaceutical industry to win immunity from lawsuits filed by injured plaintiffs. In a 6-3 decision in the case of Wyeth v. Levine, the Supreme Court ruled that the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of a drug’s label does not mean that the manufacturer has….
Continue ReadingBeware of “Natural” Weight-Loss Supplements Tainted with Potent Drugs
In a recent initiative against contaminated weight-loss products, the FDA finds 69 drugs to be contaminated with prescription drugs and chemicals, and expects the list of brands to grow even longer in the next few weeks, reports Natasha Singer of the New York Times. A complete list of the tainted drugs found so far is….
Continue ReadingSeroquel’s Manufacturer Knew Drug Could Cause Diabetes
Seroquel is an atypical antipsychotic drug used to treat mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. But patients who take Seroquel are 70% more likely to become diabetic than those who don’t take this drug, a risk that the drug manufacturer AstraZeneca was aware of as early as 2000. Joe Schneider and Margaret C…..
Continue ReadingDeaths and Injuries from Prescription Drugs Reach Record Levels
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices, a watchdog group, points out that the number of deaths (4,825) and injuries (21,000) from prescription drugs have reached record levels in the first quarter of this year, representing nearly triple the number of deaths in the last quarter. The blood thinner heparin and the anti-smoking drug varenicline are….
Continue ReadingCDC Declares Salmonella Outbreak Finished
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have declared that the damaging and costly salmonella outbreak, which started in April and resulted in 1,442 reported illnesses across the country, is now over. From the article: Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and….
Continue ReadingTomatoes Are Safe, Say the FDA and CDC
Officials with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that the all types of fresh tomato associated with the recent salmonella warnings are now safe to eat. From the article: The FDA had been gradually clearing tomato-growing regions in the United States and Mexico since it….
Continue ReadingFDA Identifies Heparin Contaminant
Federal officials have identified the contaminant that was found in the blood-thinning medication heparin in 11 countries. Chinese officials have denied that this contaminant has caused any deaths. As for U.S. officials, here is what one of them says: Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s drug center, said that German regulators….
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