All Topics

• Doctor Links Fusarium Keratitis to Bausch & Lomb Solution

  Joe Saunders | May 19, 2006 2:10 PM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Dr. Deepinder Dhaliwal, Director of Refractive Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, has tested the ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution and found the fusarium keratitis fungus growing within it. The results were turned over to the CDC. This is a significant discovery since, in all likelihood, Bausch & Lomb officials will blame contact lens solution users for the...

• The West Nile Virus Transplanted Along With Donated Organs

  Bob Carroll | May 17, 2006 6:40 AM | 1 CommentTampa Bay, FL

  It is a medical miracle that organ transplantation has progressed so far. The New York Times reports on two transplants that transmitted the West Nile virus. The article raises difficult questions of screening and testing that deserve serious study and discussion.In the antiseptic prose of medical journals, he was "the lung recipient," she "the liver recipient." In real life, they were two...

• Bausch & Lomb Silence Is Not Golden For ReNu Users In U.S.

  Bob Carroll | May 17, 2006 6:17 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  The FDA has discovered 35 ReNu-related fungal infections in Singapore in mid 2005. But, the lips of Bausch & Lomb were sealed. See no evil is not a good drug company motto.FEDS FOCUS ON EYE-FUNGUS FIRM'S SILENCEMay 17, 2006 -- Bausch & Lomb Inc. failed to promptly notify federal regulators about 35 cases of a potentially blinding fungal infection among contact-lens wearers in Singapore who...

• American Medical Association Missed Vioxx Warnings 5 Years Ago

  Joe Saunders | May 16, 2006 10:35 PM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  In 2001, the American Medical Association missed an opportunity to warn the public about the potential danger of Merck's drug Vioxx, according to a front page story in the Wall St. Journal. According to the Journal article, "Dr. Hrachovec had been reviewing data on a Food and Drug Administration Web site indicating that patients in a Vioxx clinical trial had suffered more heart attacks than the...

• Heart Device Recalls - More Concerns Reported

  Robert Blanchard | May 16, 2006 9:24 AM | 0 CommentsPensacola, FL

  Boston Scientific Corp. reports that it has alerted doctors that another 996 Guidant defibrillators may quit unexpectedly, leaving heart patients at risk of sudden cardiac death.No deaths or injuries have been reported as related to the battery failures, the company said Monday. The defect, a faulty low-voltage capacitor, was fouund in 30 defibrillators removed from patients as of May 8, and is...

• Lock Your Medicine Cabinet

  Bob Carroll | May 16, 2006 7:56 AM | 0 CommentsTampa Bay, FL

  Today may be a good day to put a lock on your medicine cabinet if you have a teenager in your home.Teens seek 'safer' high, get hooked on pain pillsStudy finds drop in smoking, drinking as more kids abuse prescription drugsTeen smoking and drinking continued to drop, but teenage abuse of prescription drugs has become "an entrenched behavior" that many parents fail to recognize, a survey released...

• Alexidine Implicated in ReNu Recall

  Robert Blanchard | May 15, 2006 11:43 AM | 0 CommentsPensacola, FL

  I just read the following AP report regarding the recall of the ReNu Contact Lens solution thatSome eye specialists theorized last week that MoistureLoc's new disinfectant, Alexidine, in combination with novel moisturizing agents, could have played a role in the outbreak. "The general thinking now is we're seeing a loss of disinfecting capability as this solution absorbs into the lens," said...

• Bausch & Lomb Recalls ReNu with MoistureLoc Worldwide

  Joe Saunders | May 15, 2006 9:41 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Facing intense pressure due to the fusarium keratitis outbreak, Bausch & Lomb has made a worldwide recall of its eye contact solution product ReNu with MoistureLoc. The crisis began more than 6 weeks ago and initially Bausch & Lomb told stores to stop selling the product. Eventually, the product was removed from store shelves.

• Vioxx Risks Continue Even After Its Use is Discontinued

  Joe Saunders | May 12, 2006 6:45 AM | 0 CommentsOrlando, FL

  A new Merck & Co. study reveals that risk for heart attacks and strokes continues even when its use is discontinued. This risk continues for a year after use. In spite of the new study, Merck says it won't change its litigation strategy. Oh well, why be confused with the facts.

• Beijing Bausch & Lomb Stops Selling ReNu Products

  Joe Saunders | May 12, 2006 6:28 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Bausch & Lomb has decided to withdraw its ReNu contact lens solution from the Chinese markets. ReNu has come under intense scrutiny as well as several lawsuits for its link to a severe fungal infection called fusarium keratitis. Though rare, the fungus can cause blindness if not detected and treated promptly.