FDA & Prescription Drugs

• Children's Cold Medicine Recalled Over Dosage Cup

  Shannon Weidemann | October 30, 2007 2:32 PM | 0 CommentsLong Beach, CA

  Over the counter cough and cold medicine has been recalled by Wyeth due to a faulty dosage cup that came with the medicine. The recalled drugs include several Robitussin and Dimetapp brands. The recall comes after an advisory board advised the FDA that cold medications had not been tested on children under the age of six and may not be safe. The products are being removed because they come...

• Avandia Increases Risk of Heart Attack

  Shannon Weidemann | September 12, 2007 7:52 AM | 0 CommentsLong Beach, CA

  A new study being published by the Journal of American Medical Association has found the a patients risks of heart failure and heart attack is increased when taking the diabetes drug Avandia. The stude was done by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Avandia was required by the FDA in August to begin carrying a strict "black box" warning label. "The risk of heart...

• Zyprexa Class Action Lawsuit to Proceed

  Shannon Weidemann | July 01, 2007 12:15 PM | 0 CommentsLong Beach, CA

  A class action lawsuit was brought against Eli Lilly for marketing the drug Zyprexa for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A judge has ruled that the case is allowed to proceed. The plantiffs claim that the drug company was allowed to charge more for Zyprexa because of the marketing. The lawsuit, brought by the New York-based Sergeants Benevolent Association Health...

• Vaccines on Trial for Causing Autism

  Shannon Weidemann | June 14, 2007 12:30 PM | 0 CommentsLong Beach, CA

  The U.S. Court of Federal Claims is now hearing a case trying to prove that routine vaccinations caused autism in a child. The family of a 12-year-old girl with autism is asking the court to rule in their favor so that they may receive compensation from a federal vaccine injury fund. Theresa Cedillo and husband Michael allege thimerosal-containing vaccines weakened their daughter's immune...

• Recalled Contact Lens Solution May Cause Blindness

  Shannon Weidemann | May 30, 2007 10:13 AM | 0 CommentsLong Beach, CA

  A contact lens solution has been recalled that may cause an infection that can lead to blindness. The recalled product is AMO Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose Solution and is manufactured by Advanced Medical Optics. The solution may be infected with a parasite that causes Acanthamoeba keratitis. Acanthamoeba keratitis may lead to vision loss with some patients requiring a corneal...

• FDA Wants Warning Label Strengthened on Anemia Drugs

  Shannon Weidemann | May 10, 2007 2:03 PM | 0 CommentsLong Beach, CA

  Amgen Inc. and Johnson & Johnson sell and market two very popular injectible anemia medicines. The FDA advisory panel has voted that Aranesp and Epogen, also known as Procrit, should have stronger warning labels. ESAs are approved to treat chemotherapy-induced anemia and chronic kidney disease-related anemia. The agency committee was meeting to reassess the risks of using of ESAs in the cancer...

• FDA Promises Improved Drug Safety

  IB Contributor | February 05, 2007 9:26 PM | 0 CommentsLong Beach, CA

  After years of criticism of its drug safety standards and the much-publicized Vioxx scandal, the Food and Drug Administration is now proposing steps to improve the safety of prescription medication. According to an article on www.consumeraffairs.org, the new steps are designed to make sure concerns about potential drug safety are widely circulated within the agency before a drug is given the...

• Paxil and the Risk of Birth Defects

  Christina Cole | February 03, 2007 11:59 PM | 0 CommentsLong Beach, CA

  Early study results for Paxil (paroxetine) suggest the drug increases the risk of birth defects, in particular heart defects, when women take it during the first trimester of pregnancy. Paxil is approved to treat depression and several other various psychiatric conditions. The FDA is currently gathering additional data and waiting for the final results of the studies to understand further the...