Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on June 19, 2013

The Food and Drug Administration released a safety announcement on Tuesday about two deaths linked to Zyprexa. The agency reports that two patients died 3-4 days after being injected with Zyprexa Relprevv (olanzapine pamoate), an atypical antipsychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia. At this time, the deaths are considered “unexplained.” An investigation is pending...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on June 19, 2013

We often blog about the dangers of prescription and over-the-counter drugs; citing regulatory concerns as well as skepticism of manufacturer-supplied testing data. Therefore it comes as no great surprise that many people have turned to alternative medicine. Unfortunately, what many people perceive as natural alternatives to big pharma may also put consumers at risk....

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on June 13, 2013

  Possible link to cancer The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has called for an independent safety review of drugs used to control blood sugar for patients with Type 2 Diabetes.  The ADA issued a statement this week asking pharmaceutical companies to “make patient-level data on their products available for an independent review that could...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on June 7, 2013

Once the world’s best-selling treatment for type 2 diabetes, GlaxoSmithKline’s Avandia is currently banned in Europe and severely restricted in the U.S – due to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. But new recommendations from federal health advisors may change things. The New York Times reports, “A panel of experts voted Thursday...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on May 29, 2013

One in nine women will undergo a hysterectomy during her lifetime, making it one of the most common surgical procedures for women. With more and more women opting for robotic hysterectomies, the president of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG), James T. Breeden, issued a strongly worded statement. “Many women today are...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on May 24, 2013

May 24, 2013 A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that statins may block some of the benefits of exercise.  Statins are drugs used to lower cholesterol and include brand names such as Lipitor, Crestor, and Zocor. According to a New York Times blog, “[R]esearchers from the...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on May 23, 2013

5/23/2013  The U.S. Senate has approved legislation aimed at increasing federal oversight for companies that prepare and sell compound drugs.  One such company, the New England Compounding Center (NECC) was found to have shipped contaminated steroids that killed 55 people and sickened 686 others last fall. According to The Washington Post, the new bill,...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on May 20, 2013

Pfizer announces partnership with Merck to develop a new drug to treat Type 2 Diabetes… the very disease that their blockbuster medication, LIPITOR® is accused of causing. A number of recent studies have revealed an increased risk for LIPITOR users to develop Type 2 Diabetes.  Lawsuits are mounting against Pfizer, the drug’s creator; alleging...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on May 16, 2013

Pfizer’s blockbuster cholesterol-lowering medication LIPITOR® (atorvastatin) has recently been associated with an increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes in women.  Lawsuits have been filed in courts around the country claiming that Pfizer failed to warn doctors and patients about the potential risks involved with using the drug. South Carolina – Evalina Smalls thought she...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on May 13, 2013

Intuitive Surgical, maker of the daVinci Surgical Robot System, has released an “urgent medical device notification” alerting hospitals that the device could potentially cause internal burns to patients during surgical procedures. The notification, sent on May 8, warns that micro-cracks may develop in the da Vinci’s Monopolar Curved Scissors, creating links that may “create...