FDA & Prescription Drugs

• Trasylol Pulled from Market

  Shannon Weidemann | November 11, 2007 4:25 PM | 0 CommentsWaterbury, CT

  An antibleeding drug used during heart surgery has been pulled from the market amidst concerns it may harm more than it helps. Bayer is the maker of recalled Trasylol. The drug may be responsible for a higher risk of kidney failure, heart attack and stroke. Trasylol is supposed to reduce blood loss and allow patients undergoing heart-bypass surgery to avoid transfusions. The FDA and...

• Vioxx Lawsuit Settled for $4.8 Billion

  Shannon Weidemann | November 11, 2007 3:11 PM | 0 CommentsNew Haven , CT

  The pain reliever Vioxx has been linked to a greater risk of heart attack and stroke in patients that have taken the drug. A number of lawsuits were filed against the drug manufacturer Merck. The company this week agreed to settle the cases with $4.8 Billion to be split by those affected. The company reached an agreement with lawyers representing many of the 47,000 plaintiffs with claims...

• J&J'S Damage Control Over Birth Control Patch

  James Sabatini | May 06, 2007 10:34 PM | 0 CommentsHartford, CT

  The maker of the widely used Ortho Evra birth control patch, Johnson & Johnson, is trying to prevent negative attention over its dangerous contraceptive by purchasing the rights to domain names like Orthoevrakills.com and Deathbypatch.com. In late 2005 when the Food and Drug Administration urged that a heightened warning alerting users to the risk of potentially fatal blood clot and stroke be...

• Valeant Withdraws Permax

  James Sabatini | March 31, 2007 12:52 PM | 0 CommentsHartford, CT

  The FDA announced that the maker of the Parkinson's disease drug Permax was voluntarily withdrawing the medication because of the risk of serious damage to patients' heart valves. Permax increases the chance of regurgitation of the tricuspid, mitral and aortic valves of the heart.

• Zelnorm Pulled From Market

  James Sabatini | March 30, 2007 1:28 PM | 0 CommentsHartford, CT

  Swiss pharmaceutical maker Novartis AG will stop selling a drug to relieve constipation after it was linked to higher chance of heart attack, stroke and worsening heart chest pain that can become a heart attack, U.S. government health officials said Friday. Novartis agreed to withdraw Zelnorm at the FDA's requestZelnorm, also called tegaserod maleate, is a prescription medication approved for...

• Protopic & Elidel Linked to Cancer?

  James Sabatini | February 28, 2007 2:26 PM | 0 CommentsHartford, CT

  Last January the FDA issued a block box warning for the topical ointments Protopic and Elidel. The warning was issued due to long-term use of the drugs possibly being linked to cancer.

• Ortho Evra Patch Causing Injuries and Death

  James Sabatini | February 26, 2007 9:19 PM | 0 CommentsHartford, CT

  A personal injury lawsuit has been filed in Santa Clara County Court against a Mountain View company and others involved in developing the Ortho Evra patch, a widely used contraceptive that has been the source of thousands of adverse reaction complaints around the country. The latest lawsuit names 46 plaintiffs -- the majority of them young women in their teens and 20s -- who suffered blood...

• BAYER FAILED TO REVEAL TRASYLOL RISK STUDY

  James Sabatini | September 30, 2006 10:11 PM | 0 CommentsHartford, CT

  The F.D.A. announced that Bayer A.G., failed to reveal to federal drug officials the results of a large study suggesting that Trasylol might increase the risks of death and stroke. The F.D.A. recently announced that Trasylol may increase the chance for death, serious kidney damage, congestive heart failure and strokes.The F.D.A. only found out about the Trasylol study after getting a tip from a...

• AP Investigation of Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch

  James Sabatini | September 27, 2006 10:31 PM | 0 CommentsHartford, CT

  An investigation by the Associated Press revealed birth control patch users die and suffer blood clots at a rate three times higher than women taking the pill. It is believe that this serious increase risk is connected to the fact that the birth control patch delivers about 60% more estrogen than the pill.

• Study Cites Increased Death Risk From Asthma Drugs

  James Sabatini | June 12, 2006 5:10 PM | 0 CommentsHartford, CT

  Accoring to a new analysis of 19 studies, popular asthma medicines such as Advair and Serevent pose a substantially increased risk of hospitalization and death to users compared with placebos. This new analysis raises the possibility that the drug should be taken off the market if it continues to be so widely used.The Washington Post quoted the lead author of the new analysis, Shelley Salpeter...