FDA & Prescription Drugs

• Canadian Web Sites Selling Fake Drugs

  Staff Writer | September 19, 2006 4:16 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  The FDA is warning people not to buy prescription drugs from certain Canadian web sites that have reportedly sold counterfeit prescription drugs to U.S. consumers. The FDA recommends that people who have bought drugs from the disclosed web sites not use them because they may be unsafe. The FDA reports that lab tests have found counterfeits of the following prescription drugs: Lipitor -- for...

• Study Shows Higher Risk of Fatal Strokes with Lilly's Evista

  Staff Writer | August 23, 2006 11:40 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  A study involving over 10,000 post-menopausal women over five years has concluded that, although Eli Lilly's osteoporosis treatment Evista reduces the risk of breast cancer, it also brings a 49% higher chance of a fatal stroke. Evista has been associated with an increased risk of blood clots for some time, and the drug maker's label warns of that. But the increased risk of fatal stroke was...

• Ephedra Decision Overturned

  Staff Writer | August 22, 2006 12:27 AM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  Nutraceutical Corp. v. Eschenbach, August 17, 2006In this case, the 10th Circuit overturned an order entered in favor of manufacturers of dietary supplements containing ephedra. The 10th Circuit held that the FDA properly carried out its statutory function by determining that there was no safe level of ephedra. What is particularly interesting is that the 10th Circuit commented that the FDA's...

• 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver Rules on Ephedra

  Staff Writer | August 21, 2006 8:12 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  On August 17, 2006, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled the U.S. Food and Drug Administration correctly followed a mandate from Congress to analyze the risks and benefits of a product; the agency determined that there is no acceptable dosage level of ephedrine-alkaloid dietary supplements. The FDA banned ephedrine-based supplements as of April 12, 2004, after finding that...

• New Legal Setbacks for Merck in Vioxx Trials

  Staff Writer | August 17, 2006 11:15 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  A federal jury has awarded $51 million to 62-year old Gerald Barnett, a former FBI agent who suffered a heart attack in 2002. Jurors in New Orleans found that Merck & Co. "knowingly misrepresented or failed to disclose" information about Vioxx to Barnett's doctor, who said that if Merck had disclosed the risks associated with Vioxx earlier, he would not have prescribed it for his patient. Mr....

• Drug Companies' Secret Marketing Strategies

  Staff Writer | August 15, 2006 4:20 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  Documents produced in a 1996 lawsuit have revealed some hitherto little known secrets about how drug companies influence doctors to prescribe their drugs. In addition to mainstream marketing and the very common free lunches provided by drug representatives, MSNBC.com draws on a recent article in the Annals of Internal Medicine to detail insidious, though apparently legal, techniques used to...

• Jury Awards $5 Million in Death of Infant

  Staff Writer | August 11, 2006 11:31 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  A jury in Philadelphia ruled against McNeil Pharmaceuticals as they awarded $5 million USD to parents whose 1 year-old boy died when he was given Infants' Tylenol. The parents gave their boy a Children's Tylenol dose of Infant's Tylenol, unaware that Infant's Tylenol has three times the concentration of acetaminophen. The family's attorney said that McNeil should not only add an additional...

• WellPatch Cough & Cold Soothing Vapor Pads

  Staff Writer | August 10, 2006 11:27 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  In an urgent announcement, WebMD reports that the Mentholatum Company has recalled the WellPatch Cough & Cold Soothing Vapor Pads because children who take off the pad and chew on it could get seriously ill and may even experience seizures. The FDA advises anyone in possession of the pads to discard or return them to the purchase place and receive a full refund. The label on the Vapor Pads...

• FDA Bans Lindane from Pesticides

  Staff Writer | August 09, 2006 11:23 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  The Los Angeles Times reported that the EPA, in a long anticipated move, has banned Lindane for use in pesticides. Lindane is a pesticide similar to DDT and over 52 different countries have limited its use. Lindane can cause significant damage to the environment as it does not break down naturally and can contaminate food chains and oceans. In addition, Lindanes can cause severe damage to humans...

• Painkillers Could Increase Heart Attack Risk

  Staff Writer | August 07, 2006 11:35 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  According to a report by Reuters Health, certain types of painkillers could increase the risk of heart attack. A study in Finland not only examined the effects of painkillers such as Celebrex, but also other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and aspirin. The study concluded that the use of any type of NSAIDs, may increase risk of heart attacks by 40%. This...