FDA & Prescription Drugs

• Chantix Makers Use “Unbranded” Ads to Reduce Side-Effect Talk

  Scott Kappes | September 02, 2008 6:19 PM | 1 CommentHouston, TX

  As many may have heard over the past several months Pfizer’s anti-smoking drug Chantix has been linked to serious side effects including suicidal thought and suicidal behavior. When evidence...

• FDA Warns of Possible Vytorin Cancer Link

  Scott Kappes | August 26, 2008 5:33 PM | 1 CommentHouston, TX

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an “Early Communication” about a possible link between the blockbuster cholesterol medication Vytorin and an increased risk of cancer. The...

• Chinese Imports to be More Closely Monitored

  Scott Kappes | August 25, 2008 5:17 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  Over the past year problems with Chinese products being imported to the United States have been well documented. Whether it was the seemingly never-ending recalls of Chinese-made toys...

• Levine Gets Backing of NEJM in Preemption Case

  Scott Kappes | August 21, 2008 5:36 PM | 1 CommentHouston, TX

  Last week 10 former and current editors and authors of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine showed exactly how they feel about the issue of preemption by filing a brief in the Supreme...

• New Treatment Shows Promise for NSF Patients

  Scott Kappes | August 12, 2008 12:29 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis is a rare fibrosing disorder that develops in the context of renal insufficiency. This extremely debilitating and painful disease has been strongly linked to the...

• Actavis Totowa Issues Recall for All Products Made at NJ Plant

  Scott Kappes | August 07, 2008 2:57 PM | 1 CommentHouston, TX

  Late last week generic drug maker, Actavis Totowa, announced a voluntary recall of all medications produced at their Little Falls, New Jersey facility. The recall was issued after an FDA...

• Severe Injuries Linked to Levaquin

  Scott Kappes | July 28, 2008 4:08 PM | 23 CommentsHouston, TX

  Levaquin is and antibiotic medication that was recently given a “black box” warning from the FDA. Levaquin is in a class of antibiotic medications known as fluoroquinolones that are used to...

• Paxil Preemption Ruling Overturned

  Scott Kappes | July 24, 2008 4:17 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  A federal judge in Indiana has vacated his previous ruling that wrongful death claims brought against the makers of Paxil were preempted by federal regulations. This reversal will now allow...

• “Black Box” Warning Issued for Levaquin and Cipro

  Scott Kappes | July 14, 2008 5:11 PM | 5 CommentsHouston, TX

  Last week the FDA announced that fluoroquinolone antimicrobial drugs, like Levaquin and Cipro, would now carry the agency’s strictest warning. Antimicrobial drugs are used to treat or prevent...

• Widow Sues Chantix Maker Over Husband's Suicide

  Scott Kappes | July 10, 2008 11:56 AM | 1 CommentHouston, TX

  Yesterday as the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs was holding a hearing on why veterans were being given the “suicide-inducing drug” Chantix, an Alabama attorney was busy filing the first...