Posts tagged defective drugs

• 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...

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

  Tom Methvin | October 24, 2006 8:28 PM | 0 CommentsMobile, AL 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...

• FDA Issues Warnings on Schizophrenia Drug Haldol

  Courtney Mills | 2007-09-18T10:34:24 | 0 Comments Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  The FDA issued serious new warnings about Johnson and Johnson's schizophrenia drug Haldol, generically known as haloperidol. The drug was reported to have caused several life-threatening heart conditions in patients using the medication at higher than recommended dosages or taking the drug intravenously, which is not an FDA recommended use for haloperidol.Haldol is reported to have caused...

• 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,...

• MRI Gadolinium Contrast Agents Get Black Box Warning

  Courtney Mills | 2007-10-02T09:45:03 | 0 Comments Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  The U.S. FDA indicated that it would start adding its strongest 'black box' warnings to gadolinium based contrast agents used in MRIs by May of next year. There are five different types of gadolinium based contrast agents, and the FDA has evidence enough to suggest a causal connection between the agents and a skin condition called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in patients with impaired...

• Study Suggests Actos Protects Heart, But Avandia Does Not

  Jenny Albano | 2007-09-11T23:37:37 | 0 Comments Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  A study published on Tuesday, September 11, found that Actos, a type 2 diabetes drug, reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke and death, but may raise the risk of heart failure. According to another study, Avandia, another diabetes drug, increases the risk of heart attack and heart failure significantly.Actos lowered the risk of heart attack, stroke and overall death by 18 percent, while...

• FDA Issues Warnings on Warfarin

  Courtney Mills | 2007-08-17T13:50:22 | 0 Comments Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  The FDA has issued health warnings on the use of blood thinners in certain individuals. Warfarin, an anticoagulant agent, is prescribed by doctors in the United States to patients who have heart trouble or irregular heartbeats.Warfarin is popularly marketed under the prescription brand name Coumadin, and has demonstrated severe complications in patients of certain genetic make-up. These...

• 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...

• Group petitions to FDA to ban some oral contraceptives

  Staff Writer | 2007-02-23T15:45:04 | 0 Comments Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  Public Citizen, a nonprofit national public interest organization, sent a petition to the FDA earlier this month urging them to ban third generation oral contraceptives that increase the risk of blood clots (venous thrombosis) and death.The petition specifically requests the following:Public Citizen, representing more than 100,000 consumers nationwide, hereby petitions the Food and Drug...

• Statins Work As Well As Vytorin

  Shannon Weidemann | 2008-03-30T19:22:49 | 0 Comments Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs
  

  A new study just released has confirmed that Vytorin does not lower the risk of heart disease. Vytorin is a combination of a statin and a cholesterol lowering drug. The Enhance study showed that while Vytorin lowered cholesterol, it did not reduce plaque in arteries.Doctors had embraced the drug because it does such a great job of lowering low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, the so-called bad...