FDA & Prescription Drugs

• Just In Time For Valentine's Day--Drug Eluting Stents and The Risk Of Heart Attack

  John Ghezzi | February 14, 2007 5:02 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  The New England Journal of Medicine recently published several original articles, an editorial and two perspectives pertaining to the risk of stent thrombosis and heart attacks in patients who have drug-eluting and bare-metal stents. Heart patients who have been advised by their cardiologists that they should have a drug-eluting stent implanted should review this research and professional...

• FDA Adds Black Box Label for Ketek

  Allison Snoddy | February 12, 2007 5:20 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  Monday the FDA announced that it was changing the label for the popular antibiotic drug Ketek. It has striped away two previously approved indications and added a black box warning. A black box warning is the FDA's strongest warning. The drug can no longer be used for treatment of acute bacterial sinusitis and acute bacterial exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. The FDA determined that the...

• FDA Weighs In on Diet Pill Industry

  John Ghezzi | February 07, 2007 4:00 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  Just in time for summer 2007, the FDA has approved the first diet pill for sale without a prescription. Until now, the diet pill market has been dominated by companies selling unregulated over-the-counter supplements. The effectiveness of diet supplements is unproven and their use can be dangerous. The FDA's stamp of approval for GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare's product, which will be sold...

• Broken bones could be side effect of antidepressants in people over fifty

  Christen Wiese | February 05, 2007 5:36 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  A study conducted in Canada has found that people over fifty who take antidepressants could have an increased risk of broken bones. The study concluded that people who take antidepressants over fifty faced double the risk of a broken bone compared to those who did not use the drugs. One of the researchers stated that more research needed to be done to link the two components but the study...

• Merck Victory as Judge Reduces Next Vioxx Trial

  Allison Snoddy | January 15, 2007 5:02 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  Merck has persuaded New Jersey Judge Carol Higbee to reduce the number of cases a jury will hear next from four (4) to two (2) in a victory for Merck. Merck is being sued over the painkiller Vioxx due to claims that it caused heart attacks and strokes. Opening arguments are scheduled to begin January 22, 2006. Merck has vowed that they will try each and every case individually. There are...

• ZYPREXA PAYMENTS ARE ON THE WAY

  Dian Rosier | January 12, 2007 10:54 AM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  The antipsychotic drug, Zyprexa, is commonly used in the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. Though patients and physicians recognize the drug is highly effective for it's intended purpose, Zyprexa has been found to have a nasty side effect of causing diabetic related injuries in a substantial number of those ingesting the drug.These patients are now facing a life of...

• Expansion of FDA Drug Safety System

  Tracy Beard | January 11, 2007 2:11 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  Separately, the FDA is proposing assessing drug companies a fee to review direct-to-consumer television advertisements before they air. The FDA currently has only a limited ability to curb distribution of drug ads that violate federal rules, according to a recent report by government auditors. The FDA expects to collect about $6 million in such fees, which would underwrite the salaries of 27...

• Higher risk of hip fractures in users of heartburn reducers over age fifty

  Christen Wiese | January 08, 2007 5:11 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  A large study in Britain has found that using heartburn reducers , such as Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid, for over a year can increase the risk of hip fractures of people over 50. The researchers theorized that the acid reducing agents make it more difficult to absorb calcium in the body. Therefore weakening bones and making risk of bone fractures higher.Nexiun, Prilosec and Prevacid are in a...

• Drug-coated Stents Receive Approval from FDA Panel

  Tiffany Farr | December 15, 2006 10:33 AM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  Despite recent findings regarding the safety of new drug-coated stents, an FDA panel has given the thumbs up for their use in the some 3 million people who currently already have them implanted. This panel concluded that while there is "unequivocal evidence" that these drug-eluting stents may cause blood clots in patients, the benefits outweigh any safety concerns. More than 60 percent of the...

• But Quinine Makes My Leg Cramps Disappear

  John Ghezzi | December 14, 2006 9:48 AM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  Many unscrupulous companies are taking advantage of our belief that herbal and natural drugs can supplement or fill in the blanks when traditional medicine and science do not have all the answers. Firms are raking in profits through the illegal marketing of dangerous drugs whose safety and effectiveness has not been approved by the FDA.This week the FDA took aggressive action against multiple...