Newer isn’t always better. A new study links the drug metformin, prescribed for diabetes, to fewer cases of pancreatic cancer, at least in women, but finds other diabetes medications are associated with a higher risk of the disease. According to Dr. Peter Butler, a diabetes researcher at UCLA “the oldest drug we have for diabetes,…
DetailsThe Journal of Pediatrics recently published a study showing thtat over the past decade increasing numbers of young children have been hospitalized or injured due to accidental poisoning from prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The majority of the cases involved unintentional self-ingestion for example where a child finds pills from an open container prescrived to…
DetailsThe Food and Drug Administration has ordered medical device manufacturers to study safety complications with surgical mesh used in women’s pelvic surgeries. In April an FDA report found that women who have the surgical mesh implanted are at greater risk of pain , bleeding and infection than women who have traditional surgery with stitches. For…
DetailsThe FDA has issued a warning that Percocet and eight other opiod products packaged by Novartis may have been mixed up. Patients should be wary of any pills that are different in size, shape, color or markings from their standard medication. A full list of the effected medications can be viewed on the FDA website…
Detailshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1HRXYkHE2c The first Yaz trial which was set to begin next week has been postponed in an effort to reach a settlement of the claims. Judge David Herndon has appointed a mediator to work with the parties to reach a settlement. There have been more than 10,000 suites filed in the Multidistrict Litigation.
DetailsOn December 29, 2011 the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) established MDL No. 2299 for all federal claims alleging injury caused by the diabetes drug Actos. Actos, manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceuticals America Inc., is the tenth best-selling medication in the U.S. and has been found to increase the risk of developing bladder cancer in…
DetailsOver 700,000 hip and knee replacements are performed each year in the United States. As the population ages this number will increase significantly. There is concern that newer implants are being approved with insufficient testing resulting in increased failure rates. A recent study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint surgery indicates that not…
DetailsThe FDA has renewed a warning about the potential for dosing errors with liquid acetaminophen products for infants. FDA advisory committees made recommendations in 2009 that all liquid acetaminophen be produced in a single concentration: 160mg/5mL. The recommendation was voluntary and not all manufacturers have followed it so there are still products with strengths of…
DetailsA recent study showed Multaq doubled the risk of heart-related complications in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation. The study, conducted bythe drugmaker, Sanofi, showed higher rates of heart attack, stroke and death in certain patients. While the FDA did not remove Multaq from the market, they recommended restricting the use of the drug to patients…
DetailsThe Food and Drug Administration last week posted a warning on its website against homeopathic products containing the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) that are used for weight loss with severe 500-calories-per-day dieting. The agency also notes that a 500-calorie-a-day diet poses a variety of health risks, including malnutrition, gallstones, electrolyte imbalance and irregular heartbeat.…
Details