FDA & Prescription Drugs

• Wyeth Must Pay for their Defective Drugs

  Greg Owen | October 19, 2007 6:21 PM | 0 CommentsGlendale, CA

  On October 12, Reno jurors decided that Wyeth, the largest maker of hormone-replacement medicines, must pay $134.1 million, including $99 million in punitive damages. This suit was filed due to the mishandling of menopause drugs that helped cause cancer in three women. The punitive damages were levied on Wyeth for concealing the breast-cancer risks of its Prempro and Premarin drugs. Some six...

• Diabetes Drug Linked to Acute Pancreatitis

  Eddie Farah | October 19, 2007 12:41 AM | 0 CommentsJacksonville, FL

  Doctors are being warned that a drug to treat Type-2 diabetes may be causing acute pancreatitis.So far, 30 cases have been reviewed. In six cases, patient's symptoms got worse when they doubled their dose of the drug, Byetta. Doctors received a letter from the FDA asking them to tell patients on exenatide (Byetta) to seek treatment immediately if that have any unexplained abdominal pains and...

• Viagra, Levitra, Cialis, Revatio Patients Warned of Risk of Hearing Loss

  RLF Staff | October 18, 2007 3:30 PM | 0 CommentsDallas, TX

  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) informed healthcare professionals of reports of sudden decreases or loss of hearing following the use of PDE5 inhibitors, Viagra, Levitra, Cialis for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and Revatio for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. In some cases, the sudden hearing loss was accompanied by tinnitus and dizziness. Medical follow-up on...

• Medtronic Defibrillator Leads Recalled

  Scott Kappes | October 18, 2007 1:54 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  On Monday Medtronic issued a warning about the possible fracture danger associated with a small percentage of defibrillator leads. This warning was accompanied by a voluntary stop in distribution of these allegedly defective leads. Yesterday the company updated the warning and issued a Class I Recall. The recall covers Medtronic Inc Sprint Fidelis Defibrillator Leads manufactured September of...

• Deadly staph infections on the rise

  Kimberly French | October 18, 2007 10:41 AM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  It's all over the news lately, and yesterday there was a staph infection death in Kern County, Virginia, prompting the entire school district to close. A student reportedly died from a staph infection that proved resistant to antibiotic treatments. The story on MSNBC.com reports that more than a third of the population may carry staphylococcus infection. MRSA is the deadliest variety of staph...

• Diabetes Drug Byetta Linked to Pancreatitis

  Courtney Mills | 2007-10-17T09:42:50 | 0 Comments

  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,...

• Micro-bubble Contrast Agents Linked to 11 Deaths

  Scott Kappes | 2007-10-16T09:13:23 | 0 Comments

  Friday the FDA announced increased warnings for ultrasound micro-bubble contrast agents after receiving several reports of serious cardiopulmonary reactions and 11 deaths related to the contrast agents. These contrast agents are used in conjunction with an echocardiograph to enhance the image, allowing doctors greater ability to see potentially dangerous cardiovascular conditions. There have...

• Gadolinium Contrast Dye and Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis

  Joe Saunders | 2007-10-15T05:04:49 | 0 Comments

  Gadolinium, a contrast dye drug used to enhance MRIs, has been linked to a serious and sometimes fatal disease called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. The skin disease affecting the kidneys is particularly dangerous for those with severe or acute kidney insufficiencies. The threat is serious enough that the FDA required a boxed warning for the drug and warned healthcare officials to screen...

• Jury Awards $7 Million in Accutane Trial

  Gerry McGill | 2007-10-12T14:00:53 | 0 Comments

  A Pensacola, Florida jury yesterday awarded $7 million to a Pensacola man who said that the manufacturer of Accutane failed to warn him that the use of the controversial acne drug could cause a gastrointestinal disease. The Pensacola jury deliberated for two days before finding that Swiss drug-maker Hoffman-La Roche failed to warn that use of Accutane could potentially lead to a condition known...

• Cough and Cold Products May Injure Infants

  Amy Schauers | 2007-10-12T11:09:58 | 0 Comments

  Makers of cough and cold medication for infants announced Thursday that they are pulling their drugs off the self. According to the F.D.A from 1969 to 2006, at least 45 children died in the United States after taking decongestants, and 69 children died after taking antihistamines. The reason these medications can be deadly to infants is due to the risk of overdosing. Many of these drugs come...