FDA & Prescription Drugs

• Merck Takes Responsibility For Vioxx Through $4.85 Billion Settlement(2)

  Linda Snyder | November 14, 2007 12:17 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  It's been since 2004 that Merck & Co., one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, has taken the pain medication Vioxx off of the shelves. Finally, on November 9th, Merck settled the numerous Vioxx lawsuits with agreeing to pay $4.85 billion. It appears that the Vioxx manufacturer finally recognized, after obtaining mixed results in the early Vioxx cases it forced to trial, that a...

• Adverse Events Continue with Chantix

  Scott Kappes | November 14, 2007 9:56 AM | 0 CommentsGalveston Bay, TX

  Just over a year ago pharmaceutical giant Pfizer introduced a revolutionary smoking cessasation drug to the market. This drug, called Chantix, work differently than stop smoking aids in the past. Chantix actually blocks nicotine receptors in the brain, eliminating the satisfaction induced by nicotine consumption therefore eliminating the urge to smoke. Over 4 million people have tried Chantix...

• Did HPV Vaccine Cause 12-Yr-olds Paralysis?

  Eddie Farah | November 14, 2007 9:51 AM | 0 CommentsJacksonville, FL

  Christina Bell says she had seen ads for a vaccine called Gardasil. The "One Less.." campaign by drugmaker Merck has been very effective and aggressively placed to reach all adolecent girls and their families encouraging them to be injected against Human Papillomavirus or HPV with Gardasil, the drug approved by the FDA in June 2006.So after consulting with her doctor, her 12-year-old, Brittany...

• St. Jude Lead May Puncture Heart

  Scott Kappes | November 13, 2007 4:36 PM | 0 CommentsGalveston Bay, TX

  Monday a medical journal published findings suggesting that St. Jude's defibrillator leads may puncture the heart on rare occasions. Four cases were highlighted Monday's PACE Journal publication. The cases in question involve St. Jude's Riata leads; two cases were reported in the Czech Republic and two more in the United States. A 71-year-old New York woman's Riata lead came within a quarter of...

• Cephalon Pays $425 Million For Off-Label Marketing Dispute

  Scott Kappes | November 13, 2007 10:49 AM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  On Monday it was announced that Cephalon has agreed to pay some $425 million to the U.S. Justice Department resolve Medicaid claims alleging that they promoted the powerful painkillers Actiq and Fentora for off-label use. Off-label use pertains to when doctors prescribe medications for uses they are not approved by the FDA to treat. Physicians are allowed prescribe medications as they see fit,...

• Senate Bill Would Allow FDA Monitoring of Over the Counter Drug Ads

  Joe Saunders | November 13, 2007 8:18 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  A bill introduced by Senators Henry Waxman of California and Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts would give the FDA regulatory authority concerning ads for over the counter drugs. The bill comes in the wake of an FDA advisory about banning cold medicines for children under the age of 6. The new bill would give the federal agency power to impose monetary fines on advertisers. Presently, over the...

• Drug Companies Sue Each Other Over Pricing

  Joe Saunders | November 13, 2007 8:08 AM | 0 CommentsPinellas, FL

  Glaxo Smith Kline has sued Abbott Laboratories for increasing its AIDS drug Norvir, five-fold. Norvir, approved by the FDA in 1996, is known as a protease inhibitor. Abbott is also being sued by 2 AIDS patients as well as the SEIU Health and Welfare Fund. This suit has been classified as a class action. According to Glaxo, the quintuple increase in drug price undercut Glaxo's Lexiva, another...

• 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...

• Major Drug Settlement To Help Vioxx Victims

  Eddie Farah | November 10, 2007 7:39 PM | 0 CommentsJacksonville, FL

  Janis Roberts is only 56-years old but already she's had several heart attacks, heart by-pass surgery, a dozen stents inserted in her arteries and a stroke. She's on oxygen and disability living with her sister in St. Nicholas. For her the news Friday morning that drug maker, Merck had agreed to a $4.85 billion settlement over Vioxx meant, "I can finally see some light at the end of the...