FDA & Prescription Drugs

• Bristol-Myers Warms Diabetics About Tequin

  Staff Writer | May 02, 2006 10:39 AM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  Bristol-Myers Squibb is warning against the use of the antibiotic drug Tequin in diabetic patients after reports of several fatalities, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said recently.According to the FDA, the company is adding a contraindication warning for diabetics to the drug's label as well as strengthening its warning that Tequin can cause both low and high blood sugar levels in...

• Drug Maker Won't Tout AIDS Pill As Preventive

  Staff Writer | May 01, 2006 8:35 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  A drug currently used for the treatment of AIDS patients is showing promise in animal studies as a preventive, but the drug's maker, Gilead, is keeping a low profile, based partly on fears that Truvada will be seen as a biomedical condom that might promote unsafe sex and lead to a backlash against a company that has become a Wall Street darling.

• Plaintiff wins millions in New Jersey Vioxx suit

  Staff Writer | April 30, 2006 10:32 AM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  Vioxx Litigation Update: A New Jersey jury recently awarded Plaintiff John McDarby and his wife $4.5 million, blaming his heart attack on four years of Vioxx use, despite several risk factors, such as diabetes, clogged arteries, and being a former smoker.

• Wyeth Seeks to Stifle Custom Hormones

  Staff Writer | April 29, 2006 10:30 AM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  According to a recent Associated Press article, drug maker Wyeth wants the FDA to crack down on compounding pharmacies which create custom-mixed, bio-identical hormone replacement products to help alleviate the symptoms of menopause. Wyeth claims public safety as its motive, but pharmacists and consumers are questioning whether Wyeth's concern may have more to do with its own bottom line. ...

• Ambien Users Report Binge Eating, Memory Loss

  Staff Writer | April 28, 2006 8:26 PM | 1 CommentDenver, CO

  More and more, we're hearing stories about people who are engaging in unusual behaviors while on Ambien, an anti-insomnia medication made by Sanofi-Aventis. Many people are reporting short-term memory loss as well. Both MSNBC.com and the New York Times have reported behaviors that are even more bizarre and disturbing, involving Ambien users who drank and drove in their sleep and remembered...

• FDA Warns of Child Deaths Linked to Phenergan

  Staff Writer | April 27, 2006 10:17 AM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  The FDA issued a Safety Alert notifying doctors and patients that cases of breathing problems, some of which were fatal, have been reported when the drug promethazine hydrochloride (HCI), marketed as Phenergan and generic products, was used in children less than two years old. Parents should also get a doctor's advice before giving the drug to children ages two and older, the FDA said. The...

• Seroquel Linked to Dangerous Side Effects

  Staff Writer | April 26, 2006 9:07 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  Injuries are being reported by users of AstraZeneca's Seroquel, a popular schizophrenia drug approved by the FDA in 1997. Seroquel has also been known to be prescribed for "off label" purposes. Research recently released showed that patients taking Seroquel had as much as a 3.34 times higher risk of developing dangerous side effects, including diabetes and diabetic-related injuries. Burg...

• Study Finds Financial Ties Between Drug Makers And Psychiatrists

  Staff Writer | April 24, 2006 5:19 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  The New York Times ran an article citing research that found that "95 - or 56 percent - of 170 experts who worked on the 1994 edition of the manual, called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, or D.S.M, had at least one monetary relationship with a drug maker in the years from 1989 to 2004. . . . The percentage was higher - 100 percent in some cases - for experts who worked on sections of...

• Benzene in Soft Drinks

  Staff Writer | April 22, 2006 8:31 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  It has been reported that the FDA has not been very forthcoming about the issue of Benzene in soda. Benzene is a carcinogen that has been linked to cancer such as leukemia. The current means of evaluating the effects of benzene is in terms of life-time exposure but it is unclear what precise amounts of Benzene and what type of exposure will cause health complications. Many experts do not feel...

• Fungal Keratitis

  Staff Writer | April 20, 2006 4:35 PM | 0 CommentsDenver, CO

  There has been a recent increase in eye infections in soft contact lens wearers using Bausch & Lomb's ReNu with MoistureLoc brand contact lens solution or a generic brand manufactured by them. These rare but serious eye infections are being caused by the fungus Fusarium and can result in permanent loss of vision requiring corneal transplant. In early April the U.S. Food and Drug Administration...