FDA & Prescription Drugs

• Lawyer For Alaska Says Eli Lilly Hid Zyprexa Risks

  Scott Kappes | March 07, 2008 11:23 AM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  In an ongoing trial between the State of Alaska and Eli Lilly a lawyer for the State, Scott Allen, said Wednesday that Eli Lilly systematically hid the risks associated with the popular anti-psychotic Zyprexa. The drug has been linked to an elevated risk of developing diabetes. The state is asking Lilly to pay for the medical expenses of Medicaid patients that developed diabetes and other...

• Trasylol Contributed to 1,000 Deaths a Month

  Scott Kappes | February 27, 2008 4:29 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  A couple of weeks ago the popular news program "60 Minutes" aired a story on Bayer's Trasylol. The broadcast told the tragic story of Joseph Randone and his experiences following heart surgery where Trasylol was used to reduce bleeding during the surgery. Physicians told the Randone family that the risk associated with the surgery was around five percent and that Joe would likely be able to...

• Supreme Court Rules to Limit Medical Device Suits

  Scott Kappes | February 21, 2008 2:00 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  Yesterday the United States Supreme Court delivered a catastrophic blow to plaintiffs seeking to recover damages associated with FDA approved medical devices. The 8-1 decision bars attorneys from filing lawsuits against medical device makers in cases where the device received FDA approval before being introduced into the market. Most of the more complex and more risky devices such as heart...

• Warning Issued About Bed-Wetting Drug

  Scott Kappes | December 04, 2007 5:47 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  Today the FDA said the drug, desmopressin, should no longer be used to treat bed-wetting in both children and adults. Reports of seizures and even death have been associated with the drug. Several different companies sell Desmopressin in several different combinations from oral to injectable. Sanofi-Aventis sell several versions under the name DDAVP. The drug limits the amount of water that's...

• Birth Control Pill Linked to Clogged Arteries

  Scott Kappes | November 07, 2007 12:45 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  A report from USA Today claims that a new study has suggested a link between birth control pills and increased risk of artery clogging plaque. The study of just over 1300 women suggest that the likelihood of finding plaques in key arteries is increased between 20 and 30 percent when taking birth control pills. This risk is thought to increase over time. The study also ties this risk to women who...

• Fentora Deaths Prompt "Dear Doctor" Letters

  Scott Kappes | September 20, 2007 3:48 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  Cephalon, the makers of the powerful painkiller Fentora issued letters last week reinforcing prescription and dosage information. The so-called "Dear Doctor" letters were sent out in response to the news that four deaths had been linked to the extremely powerful painkilling lozenge. Cephalon could be in store for further labeling revisions in the near future if more cases of this sort are...

• Pain Medication Tied to Four Deaths

  Scott Kappes | September 17, 2007 10:26 AM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  Four deaths this summer have been linked to the cancer pain medication Fentora. Cephalon Inc., the drug's maker, has sent letters to doctors warning of these deaths. Fentora is an extremely powerful and addictive opiate approved by the FDA to treat pain in cancer patients. Doctors, however, are prescribing the drug for "off-label" uses, like headaches and back pain. The company is accused of...

• Avandia Warning

  Robert Binstock | June 20, 2007 9:54 AM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  The FDA has been criticizing the handling of Avandia for the past three weeks now. Avandia was the subject of a meta-analysis, which is an overview of the results of many smaller studies. In the study, it was found that those taking Avandia had a 43% greater chance of death or heart attack than those not taking the drug. The data was being reviewed and the reputations of Glaxo and the FDA was...

• FDA Issues Recall for Hydroxycut Products

  Scott Kappes | May 01, 2009 4:48 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have issued a warning to consumers to immediately stop using Hydroxycut products over concerns of serious liver injuries associated with some Hydroxycut...

• Connecticut Sues Zyprexa Maker

  Scott Kappes | March 11, 2008 3:31 PM | 0 CommentsHouston, TX

  Today the state of Connecticut filed a lawsuit against Eli Lilly and Co. The lawsuit accuses the company of illegally marketing and obscuring negative side effects of the best selling drug Zyprexa. The lawsuit seeks to recover money spent on treating patients that have developed conditions as a result of taking Zyprexa and millions more spent on the drug as a result of illegal marketing...