Posts tagged defective drugs

• More information about Lybrel

  Staff Writer | May 29, 2007 8:11 AM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  In the news this past week, you may have heard about a new birth control pill called Lybrel, which frees women from the nuisance of having a menstrual period. Lybrel was approved by the FDA and should be in pharmacies sometime this summer. The new drug is a low-dose version of the traditional birth control pill, and it contains 90 micrograms levonorgestrel and 20 micrograms ethinyl estradiol. It...

• Diseases caused by drugs

  Staff Writer | December 05, 2006 12:52 PM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  Many consumers are unaware of the many disturbing statistics about diseases caused by drugs. Worstpills.org offers an article detailing some of the statistics and drug-induced diseases. They say that more than 9.6 million adverse drug reactions in older Americans happen each year, and many are unreported to doctors.The following national estimates are based on well-conducted studies, mainly in...

• Diabetes Drug Byetta Linked to Pancreatitis

  Courtney Mills | 2007-10-17T09:42:50 | 0 Comments Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  The FDA has reviewed 30 cases of acute pancreatitis in patients taking Byetta, a drug used to treat type II diabetes. The agency suspects a link between Byetta and pancreatitis in some of these cases.Amylin Pharmaceuticals will be updating the information about acute pancreatitis in the PRECAUTIONS section of the Byetta label. Patients on Byetta should be alert for any signs of pancreatitis,...

• Alli Side-Effects May Outweigh Benefits

  Staff Writer | 2007-06-18T09:32:16 | 0 Comments Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  A new diet drug has hit the shelves with the FDA's approval, but users may want to be wary of the side effects. Alli, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, is supposed to help people lose 50% more weight than other dietary supplements.Alli blocks enzymes that digest fat, preventing the body from absorbing about a quarter of the fat eaten. The undigested fat is then excreted. One study of Alli showed...

• Do ADHD drugs have heart risks?

  Staff Writer | 2007-09-17T12:12:30 | 0 Comments Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  Forbes magazine and the Associated Press report that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality announced today that it will take a closer look at data from children who have been using ADHD drugs to determine whether these medications can cause heart problems. Apparently there have been a number of reports of deaths, heart attacks and strokes among...

• Dangerous Avandia side effects reported

  Staff Writer | 2007-07-03T11:29:55 | 0 Comments Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  The May 2007 New England Journal of Medicine published a sudy on the possible risks of using Avandia, a popular type 2 diabetes drug. Widely prescribed by physicians, Avandia (generic name rosiglitazone) has been linked with heart attack and heart failure, according to the study. An article from WorstPills.org (http://www.worstpills.org/member/newsletter.cfm?n_id=538) details the findings:"These...

• GlaxoSmithKline to settle over Paxil lawsuits

  Staff Writer | 2007-04-27T16:50:40 | 0 Comments Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  A judge said this week he plans to approve a $64 million settlement between GlaxoSmithKline and parents of minors who took the defective drug without knowing the possible side effects, including suicidal thoughts and withdrawal symptoms, among others. The plaintiffs of the class action lawsuit against the second largest drug maker in the world claim that the company did not adequately warn...

• Merck's 18-Month Myth Is Now Totally Deflated

  Tom Methvin | 2006-10-24T20:28:53 | 0 Comments Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  Merck & Co. has been playing fast and loose with the truth for years relating to its testing and marketing of Vioxx. Finally, in an admission that undermines its core defense in Vioxx-related lawsuits, Merck has finally decided to tell the truth. Merck now says it erred when it reported in early 2005 that a crucial statistical test showed that Vioxx caused heart problems only after 18 months of...

• Lipitor Ads with Dr. Jarvik Pulled

  Shannon Weidemann | 2008-02-25T09:37:52 | 0 Comments Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  Pfizer made the decision today to pull drug ads for Lipitor with Dr. Robert Jarvik. Dr. Jarvik does not hold a medical license and there was some controversy over his use in the Lipitor drug ad. The ads have appeared on tv and in print since 2006. Dr. Jarvik invented the artificial heart. He does have a medical degree but is not licensed to practice medicine. But House Democrats said the...

• Ultrasound Contrast Agents To Get FDA Warnings

  Courtney Mills | 2007-10-09T12:37:38 | 0 Comments Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  The federal government is planning on requiring warnings for certain contrast agents used with ultrasound technology. These contrast agents are used to improve diagnoses of heart problems in patients evaluated with ultrasound imaging equipment.The contrast agents are sold under the brand name Definity, by Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Optison, of General Electric. Physicians inject the imaging...