- Staff Writer | December 28, 2006 5:35 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsAn FDA Advisory Committee has recommended that Pfizer be allowed to market Celebrex to children ages 2 and older who suffer from Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA). The panel voted 15-1 that the drug was an effective treatment and that its benefits outweighed its risks. The panel members split on the issue of safety, voting 8-7 (with one abstention) that available data does not demonstrate...
- Staff Writer | December 27, 2006 5:33 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsTwo FDA advisory committees agreed on December 15, 2006, that the antibiotic Ketek (telithromycin) should have new black box warnings added to its label about several serious side effects which have been associated with it. "Black box" is the strongest warning the FDA can mandate. Further, the committees recommended that Ketek be limited to second-line therapy for community-acquired pneumonia...
- Staff Writer | December 26, 2006 5:29 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsAlthough alcohol consumption is the cause of over 30% of traumatic brain injuries (TBI's), a new study indicates that low to moderate blood alcohol levels may decrease the chance of death after a head trauma. The study published today in the Archives of Surgery show results that link low to moderate levels of alcohol to TBI recovery. TBI patients with high levels of alcohol are more likely to...
- Staff Writer | December 26, 2006 5:26 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsTraumatic brain injuries (TBI's) are among the most common brain disorders in the US. TBI's occur when a sudden force makes contact with the head and causes damage to the brain. Every year, nearly 1.5 million Americans suffer from a TBI. Memory loss is the most common injury sustained after a TBI and currently over 5 million Americans are living with some sort of memory loss linked to a TBI....
- Staff Writer | December 18, 2006 2:02 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsVioxx manufacturer Merck & Co. experienced a courtroom victory last week in Alabama. The jury in the product liability trial found that the Vioxx makers did not hide the serious risks associated with the drug in the case of a man who accused the company of causing his heart attack. CNNMoney.com reports on the verdict:"This plaintiff did have many pre-existing risk factors" and the heart attack...
- Staff Writer | December 17, 2006 11:15 AM |
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MiscellaneousThursday, December 14th, two people pleaded guilty to federal arson charges for their role in the 1998 Vail ski resort fire. The blaze did $12 million worth of damage and gained national attention to the activities of radical environmentalists. The Two Elk Lodge, a restaurant, ski patrol office, and operators' shack of four ski lifts were all burned in the fire. Chelsea Gerlach and Stanislas...
- Staff Writer | December 17, 2006 10:56 AM |
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MiscellaneousOn Tuesday, December 12th, Authorities began deporting workers rounded up in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on the Swift & Co. meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colorado. The raids took place at meatpacking plants in Colorado and 5 other states, Texas, Utah, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. At the Greeley plant Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents seized 261 workers. About a month...
- Staff Writer | December 16, 2006 10:54 AM |
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Wrongful DeathA 17-month-old girl was found unconscious and not breathing at a home day care center in Aurora on Tuesday, December 12th. She was later pronounced dead after she was taken by ambulance to The Children's Hospital. According to family members, the girl was not ill and did not have any special medical conditions. Both a neighbor and the husband of the day-care provider attempted to give the...
- Staff Writer | December 15, 2006 10:59 AM |
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MiscellaneousIn early November, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of a plaintiff class and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless alleging that the "two document rule" was both illegal and unconstitutional. The "two document rule" states that a passport must be accompanied by another identification document in order to acquire a license or ID card. The law is intended to stop illegal immigrants...
- Staff Writer | December 15, 2006 10:37 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeDefibrillator manufacturer Medtronic asked the US District Court of Minnesota to consider a motion for summary judgement. Their request was based on the claim that federal preemption barred the plaintiffs' claims. The plaintiffs' main complaint sites state law product liability claims sounding in negligence and strict liability. Other claims include violations of state Consumer Protection...
- Staff Writer | December 15, 2006 10:30 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeAccording to Medtronic's website, "Medtronic is the global leader in medical technology - alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world." Medtronic manufactures cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-D's) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD's). These devices are used on patients with heart conditions and are surgically...
- Staff Writer | December 15, 2006 10:30 AM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsOn January 19, 2006 the FDA approved an updated label for Elidel and Protopic. Elidel and Protopic are drugs used to treat atopic dermatitis. Both drugs are calcineurin inhibitor drugs that are used topically to target cells that cause atopic dermatitis in patients. More commonly known as eczema, atopic dermatitis is a non-life-threatening skin condition that causes dry, scaly skin and severe...
- Staff Writer | December 11, 2006 6:24 PM |
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MiscellaneousThe medical director of polytrauma at McGuire Veterans Medical Center said, "Traumatic brain injury is the signature injury of [the Iraq] war." Roughly 62% of the troops injured in Iraq suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI's occur when the head is unexpectedly and forcibly hit with an object. In severe cases, the object pierces the skull and enters the brain tissue. Depending the...
- Staff Writer | December 11, 2006 2:32 PM |
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Workplace InjuriesA contract gas worker was blown out of a fijve-foot-deep hole and killed by head injuries from the accident, says a report on ABC 7 News TheDenverChannel.com. The victim was a man working with Schneider Energy Services, contracted by EnCana Oil and Gas. Apparently the gas line he was working on ruptured and blew him out of the hole, instantly killing him. The federal government's OSHA group is...
- Staff Writer | December 08, 2006 6:06 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsThree anemia drugs were the subject of a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine which concluded that there was a higher chance of death, heart attack, hospitalizations for heart failure and stroke in patients with chronic kidney disease who are not on dialysis and were treated with Procrit to raise their hemoglobin levels higher than what the labeling for the product...
- Staff Writer | December 05, 2006 1:04 PM |
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FDA & Prescription DrugsThe American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has recently published an opinion regarding the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors for treatment of depression during pregnancy. ACOG warns that a particular SSRI known as Paxil (generic: paroxetine) should be avoided when possible by pregnant women or women who...
- Staff Writer | December 01, 2006 10:48 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsThe University of Colorado's student newspaper published a story today about bicycle accidents with motorists, and how cyclists can avoid them. TheCampusPress.com reports that, because of the broad popularity of cycling as transportation in Boulder, the city has more than its share of bicycle accidents.The Boulder Police Department says that many of these accidents happen because motorists don't...