FDA & Prescription Drugs

• Lilly Gives Zyprexa Stronger Warnings for Weight Gain, Hyperglycemia

  Courtney Mills | October 09, 2007 2:25 PM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  Eli Lilly & Company, at long last, has stepped up the Zyprexa warning label on its flagship treatment for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The warning label for olanzapine, the generic name for Zyprexa, now will read that Zyprexa has a greater propensity to cause weight gain and high blood sugar than other atypical antipsychotics.Physicians have noticed for several years the alarming side...

• China Announces Recall of Cancer Drugs

  Courtney Mills | September 17, 2007 1:13 PM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  Chinese regulatory agencies recalled two drugs used in the fight against leukemia, a blood-borne cancer, out of safety concerns over the weekend. This medical recall is the latest in a series of recalls to plague China and has stirred heated controversy within the country and abroad over what to do about the poor state of quality control of all varieties of consumer goods in China.The Xinhua...

• Should drug makers disclose doctors on payroll?

  Staff Writer | July 20, 2007 11:19 AM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  An article from WorstPills.org's press room (http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=2467) details the testimony of a physician before a Senate Commitee. Dr. Peter Lurie argued that Federal Law should mandate pharmaceutical companies to make their payments to doctors public knowledge. "Current state laws that require the disclosure of pharmaceutical company payments to physicians are...

• Avandia scare worries diabetes patients

  Staff Writer | May 25, 2007 9:41 AM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  A story from Savannah/Hilton Head's channel 3 WSAV says a man who has been taking Avandia for four years fears the drug has worsened his heart condition and risk for heart attack.The recent report published in medical journal detailing the increased heart attack risks associated with use of Avandia, a popular medication for patients with Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease.The...

• Therapy better than pills to treat insomnia

  Staff Writer | February 01, 2007 10:33 AM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  An article in the January 2007 Worst Pills Best Pills Newsletter addresses new research showing that cognitive behavioral therapy may be more effective in treating insomnia than sleeping pills like Lunesta.Eszopiclone (Lunesta) is an extremely popular drug in the U.S. to treat insomnia, with more than three million prescriptions dispensed and sales exceeding $250 million in 2005. In Europe, a...

• Hernia repair patch maker sued over defects

  Staff Writer | December 28, 2006 1:46 PM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  Davol, Inc. of Rhode Island is being sued over claimed defects and severe bowel problems a patient experienced as a result of the manufacturer's Composix Kugel Mesh Patch. The plaintiff claims that the patch failed and adhered to his bowels, resulting in severe abdominal pain and bowel dissection surgery. Kugel Mesh Patches, a medical device employed in many hernia repair surgeries, was recalled...

• Dangerous Avandia side effects reported

  Staff Writer | July 03, 2007 11:29 AM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  The May 2007 New England Journal of Medicine published a sudy on the possible risks of using Avandia, a popular type 2 diabetes drug. Widely prescribed by physicians, Avandia (generic name rosiglitazone) has been linked with heart attack and heart failure, according to the study. An article from WorstPills.org (http://www.worstpills.org/member/newsletter.cfm?n_id=538) details the findings:"These...

• More information about Lybrel

  Staff Writer | May 29, 2007 8:11 AM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  In the news this past week, you may have heard about a new birth control pill called Lybrel, which frees women from the nuisance of having a menstrual period. Lybrel was approved by the FDA and should be in pharmacies sometime this summer. The new drug is a low-dose version of the traditional birth control pill, and it contains 90 micrograms levonorgestrel and 20 micrograms ethinyl estradiol. It...

• Consumers beware of TV drug ads

  Staff Writer | May 27, 2007 11:06 AM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  An article from the WorstPills.org newsletter (http://www.worstpills.org/member/newsletter_pdf.cfm?n_id=528) this month warns consumers to be wary of television drug ads funded by big pharmaceutical companies. Many of these ads introduce new drugs to consumers and ask them to speak to their physicians about the benefits of using them. The ads for these medications mean big money to...

• GlaxoSmithKline to settle over Paxil lawsuits

  Staff Writer | April 27, 2007 4:50 PM | 0 CommentsMontgomery, AL

  A judge said this week he plans to approve a $64 million settlement between GlaxoSmithKline and parents of minors who took the defective drug without knowing the possible side effects, including suicidal thoughts and withdrawal symptoms, among others. The plaintiffs of the class action lawsuit against the second largest drug maker in the world claim that the company did not adequately warn...