- Scott Kappes | September 28, 2007 4:06 PM |
Category:
FDA & Prescription DrugsYesterday President Bush signed a new bill into law that will give the FDA a much greater ability to police drug companies' actions and drug reactions. This is good news for everyone (maybe not the drug companies), as it will hopefully allow the FDA to solve some of the problems that have been very apparent in recent months and years. The new law will create a registry to allow the FDA to better...
- Scott Kappes | September 27, 2007 2:57 PM |
Category:
Defective & Dangerous ProductsJust when you thought the toy recalls had finally passed, today comes news of a seven new recalls. The recalls all have been issued in association of unsafe levels of lead paint. Over 600,000 new toys and children's jewelry are affected by the recall. About 200,000 units of Thomas & Friends railway toys are involved in the most recent recall. The Chicago based company, RC2 Corp., that...
- Scott Kappes | September 25, 2007 4:54 PM |
Category:
FDA & Prescription DrugsResearchers from Wake Forest University have suggested a reason why some people with advanced renal failure develop Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF). Before now there has been no explanation for the rare skin condition characterized by tightening and swelling of skin and in some cases internal tissue and organs. There has been a previous link established between gadolinium based contrast...
- Scott Kappes | September 24, 2007 4:39 PM |
Category:
Wrongful DeathThe family of Miguel Angel Ramirez has filed a wrongful death case against Nueces County Sheriff's Department and the deputy that shot and killed Ramirez. Ramirez, 32, was shot 10 times by Deputy Burl Smith on June 7th of this year. Ramirez was along the side of Interstate 37 with an 18-inch machete. The sheriffs department says that Ramirez would not heed the warnings of the officers and...
- Scott Kappes | September 21, 2007 1:54 PM |
Category:
FDA & Prescription DrugsToday the FDA issued a nationwide recall of the dietary supplements Axcil and Desirin. These drugs are marketed as dietary supplements but they definitely focus on sexual performance. They were recalled because an FDA laboratory analysis showed that supplements contain potentially dangerous ingredients that are unlisted. The supplements contain sildenafil, the active ingredient in many erectile...
- Scott Kappes | September 20, 2007 4:42 PM |
Category:
FDA & Prescription DrugsThe prescription drug Chantix was approved by the FDA last year and has had a great first year for pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer. However, I am sure that the recent attention that Chantix has been getting is not welcomed to say the least. Over the past couple of weeks I have been hearing more and more about Chantix and the implication that it was responsible for Dallas musician Carter Albretch's...
- Scott Kappes | September 18, 2007 2:42 PM |
Category:
FDA & Prescription DrugsThe pharmaceutical company Cephalon is under investigation in three separate probes for promoting their drugs for off-label prescription by doctors. Off-label prescribing occurs when a drug is prescribed for a condition that the drug is not intended to treat. This occurs quite often as doctors are allowed to prescribe drugs at their own discretion, but it is illegal for a drug company to promote...
- Scott Kappes | September 17, 2007 12:10 PM |
Category:
FDA & Prescription DrugsThe prescription medication Fentora has been implicated in four deaths this summer. The drug is intended for use in cancer patients suffering from intense pain and who are already tolerant of opioid drugs. Some doctors, however, are prescribing the drug for off-label uses, such as headaches and back pain. Fentora maker, Cephalon, responded to the deaths by issuing letters to doctors warning of...
- Scott Kappes | September 13, 2007 2:24 PM |
Category:
MiscellaneousThe retail giant for unmentionables, Victoria's Secret, has had a lawsuit filed against them as result of an incident that happened at the Parkdale Mall location in Beaumont. Tamma Douglas has filed a personal injury claim against the company alleging that she was injured by a fragrance bottle that an employee knocked off the top shelf while trying to get something else down. Douglas says that a...
- Scott Kappes | September 12, 2007 11:35 AM |
Category:
FDA & Prescription DrugsWith people still perplexed by the actions and eventual shooting death of Carter Albrecht, the FDA has announced that it will be looking into the Albrecht case to see what role Chantix may have played in his violent behavior. Chantix is a stop smoking aid that was approved by the FDA in 2006, that many claim to be the best stop smoking aid they have ever tried. The label released by the Food and...
- Scott Kappes | September 10, 2007 11:09 AM |
Category:
FDA & Prescription DrugsIn the wake of the shooting death of Sorta keyboardist, Carter Albrecht, last Monday, more attention has been given to the stop smoking aid Chantix. Chantix is a prescription medication that was approved last year to assist people in quitting smoking. Users almost always describe changes in their dreams, which they have nicknamed "Chantix dreams." While some only report crazy dreams, others have...
- Scott Kappes | September 07, 2007 10:28 AM |
Category:
FDA & Prescription DrugsVioxx manufacturer Merck & Co. scored a major legal victory yesterday as the New Jersey Supreme Court rejected a potential class-action lawsuit against the company. Class-action litigation would have probably resulted in Merck paying out around $20 billion before all was said and done. The court overruled two lower court decisions, deciding that a nationwide class-action suit was not the proper...
- Scott Kappes | September 06, 2007 9:13 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousHealth officials are now warning physicians of a rare skin disease that has been linked to a certain type of metallic dye. The dangerous condition causes burning and inching and can lead to stiffening of the skin. Over the past few years dozens of cases have been reported but many doctors think that the disease is under recognized. The skin disease, nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, seems to effect...
- Scott Kappes | September 05, 2007 10:34 AM |
Category:
Defective & Dangerous ProductsMattel has issued yet another toy recall due to unsafe amounts of lead. This most recent of the three recalls that have been issued over the past five weeks includes about 848,000 toys worldwide. It covers 11 toys in all, eight from the Barbie name and the other three were sold under the Fisher-Price name. The company has now recalled almost 21 million toys since August 1st. Many were recalled...
- Scott Kappes | September 04, 2007 10:35 AM |
Category:
MiscellaneousThis morning some Chinese factories opened their doors to foreign media. The factory workers were seen scraping paint off plastic toys. The workers, wearing white lab coats, are twisting and turning the toys in the testing lab. This openness is in response to the recent recalls of almost 19 million Chinese-made toys due to the use of lead based paint and small magnets that could cuase serious...