FDA & Prescription Drugs

• Ortho Evra Information

  Jeremy Thurman | April 12, 2006 2:39 PM | 0 CommentsNew York City, NY

  The warning from Johnson and Johnson, makers of Ortho Evra patch, states that the patch exposes women to 60 percent more estrogen than daily birth control pills. Interestingly, Ortho Evra is the first and only skin patch approved for birth control, and more than 4 million women have used the patch since it came on the market three years ago. Johnson and Johnson have reaped huge profits off of...

• Prescription Painkiller Causes Many Fatalities; Petition Filed Today with FDA

  Jeremy Thurman | March 03, 2006 2:13 PM | 0 CommentsNew York City, NY

  The Public Citizen has petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to immediately begin to phase out the widely prescribed pain reliever propoxyphene (Darvon, Darvocet and generic versions) from the market because the drug has been associated with more than 2,000 accidental deaths, is physically addictive and is no more effective than safer alternatives.

• Bristol-Myers warns diabetics about Tequin

  Jeremy Thurman | March 03, 2006 2:09 PM | 0 CommentsNew York City, NY

  Bristol-Myers Squibb is warning against the use of the antibiotic drug Tequin in diabetic patients after reports of several fatalities per the FDA. The company has also said its 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 patients. Bristol-Myers spokesman Eric Miller said...

• ORTHO EVRA BIRTH CONTROL PATCH

  Jeremy Thurman | February 07, 2006 11:22 AM | 0 CommentsNew York City, NY

  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on November 11, 2005 that the Ortho Evra contraceptive patch exposes millions of women who use the patch to levels of estrogen far higher than most daily birth control pills, putting them at higher risk for blood clots than previously disclosed. The FDA also approved updated labeling for the Ortho Evra contraceptive patch to warn healthcare...

• Blood thinner may cause Osteoporosis

  Jeremy Thurman | January 26, 2006 3:51 PM | 0 CommentsNew York City, NY

  The long-term use of warfarin, a drug commonly prescribed to reduce the risk of blood clots, appears to increase the risk of fractures associated with osteoporosis, a bone-thinning condition that usually increased with age, according to a report. As the study authors note, warfarin prevents coagulation by blocking vitamin K, which is needed to activate certain clotting factors. Because vitamin K...

• E-mails Shed Light on Vioxx Study

  Denise A. Rubin | January 26, 2006 2:24 PM | 0 CommentsNew York City, NY

  Letters from the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine were introduced as evidence in a federal trial against painkiller Vioxx. The e-mail messages written to another scientist express concern with a study that may have left out crucial data on the harmful effects associated with the drug. The dispute is over VIGOR, a study which has been faulted by plaintiffs for failing to disclose...

• Surgeons Urge Ending the Use of Heart Drug

  Denise A. Rubin | January 26, 2006 2:18 PM | 0 CommentsNew York City, NY

  A report being published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that the heart surgery drug aprotinin, sold as Trasyol, poses unnecessary risks to patients and should be replaced by safer alternatives. Doctors found that the blood-clotting medication can cause kidney failure and increase the prevalence of heart attacks and strokes. Bayer disputes the finding, which will be reviewed by the...

• Judge Rules Drug Companies Must Face Suit Over Pricing

  Denise A. Rubin | January 26, 2006 2:16 PM | 0 CommentsNew York City, NY

  A federal judge decided that top drug manufacturers must face a class-action lawsuit from consumers who claim they were overcharged for prescription medication. Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., AstraZeneca Plc and GlaxoSmithKline Plc have all been named as defendants. Drug companies set prices based on the Average Wholesale Price formula, which is used to reimburse federal health...

• FDA Warns of Cancer Risk with Elidel and Protopic

  Staff Writer | January 23, 2006 8:53 PM | 1 CommentNew York City, NY

  Last week, the FDA approved two new warnings on the labeling for two skin care drugs, Elidel and Protopic. Although a causal link between these two topical drugs and certain cancers has not yet been established, patients receiving these drugs have reported a higher incidence of cancers, namely skin cancer and lymphoma. Patients taking these drugs are encouraged to consult with their doctor to...

• Drug pricing

  Jeremy Thurman | January 20, 2006 3:18 PM | 0 CommentsNew York City, NY

  Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., AstraZeneca PLC and GlaxoSmithKline PLC must face a class-action lawsuit from consumers who say they were harmed by the way the companies charged for their drugs, a judge said Thursday. Federal Judge Patti B. Saris in Boston said she will certify a nationwide class action for people who paid even a small portion of the cost of the companies'...