As if the recent Colorado floods that claimed eight innocent lives, forced thousands from their homes, and caused over $2 billion in property damage had not been sufficiently catastrophic, the New York Times now reports that 37,000 gallons of oil have spilled due to “swamped wells, broken pipes and [flood waters sweeping] huge oil tanks
Public Health
FDA Recall Safety Alert: Siemens MicroScan Synergies plus® and MicroScan® rapID/S plus Negative Panels
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Posted in Recalls, Safety Alerts
On August 21st, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a Class-1 recall for Siemens MicroScan Synergies plus® and MicroScan® rapID/S plus Negative Panels, affecting “78,020 panels distributed in the US between 07/11/2011 and 08/02/2013.” (FDA)
These panels come as part of kits used by medical professionals to test a patient’s saliva or tissue…
FDA: “Fluoroquinolone Antibacterial Drugs: Drug Safety Communication- Risk for possibly permanent nerve damage”
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Posted in Cipro, Safety Alerts
Cipro (ciprofloxacin), an antibiotic that has recently been linked to retinal detachment and other nerve disorders, came under fire last week as the US Food and Drug Administration rules that new warnings and usage guidelines be included on its packaging “to better describe the serious side effect of peripheral neuropathy”[1] or, nerve…
Olympia Pharmacy (FL) recalls “all sterile drug products”
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Posted in Recalls
Citing concerns about sterility, Lowlite Investments (d/b/a Olympia Pharmacy) in Orlando, FL has recently recalled “all sterile drug products compounded by the pharmacy that have not reached the expiration date listed on the product,” according to a recent FDA report.
With respect to the present concern over the safety of products sold as sterile…
ER visits from illegal ADD drug use quadruples in recent years
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Posted in Public Health
A recent New York times article has reported that “The number of young adults who end up in the emergency room after taking Adderall, Ritalin or other such stimulants has quadrupled in recent years,” according to “federal health officials.”
This data comes from a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA),…
Nationwide FDA Recall: ‘All sterile products’ from Specialty Compounding
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Posted in Recalls
On August 11th of this year, the United States Food and Drug Administration issued a “nationwide recall of all products produced and distributed for sterile use by Specialty Compounding, LLC, Cedar Park, TX. There have been recent reports of bacterial bloodstream infections potentially related to the company’s calcium gluconate infusions.”[1]
So far,…
FDA: Tylenol linked to rare, dangerous skin condition
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Posted in Safety Alerts
On August 1st, the FDA issued a safety alert for acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol and other painkillers, based on new data that has shown exposure to the drug can trigger several rare but dangerous skin reactions.
An excerpt from the FDA report:
“These skin reactions [associated with acetaminophen], known as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome…
FDA: Victoza Investigated for Possible Cancer Link
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Posted in Safety Alerts
WARNING: FDA TO INVESTIGATE VICTOZA-CANCER LINK
Recently, the FDA has moved to evaluate whether or not Victoza (liraglutide), a drug used in GLP-1 therapy for the treatment of type II diabetes is associated with an increased rate for cancer.
Victoza and other GLP-1 therapy drugs have been previously linked to asymptomatic pancreatitis, and…
SynchroMed Infusion Pumps Recalled by FDA
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In a current announcement recorded in the Star Tribune, Medtronic, Inc. reported that 14 total patient deaths have occurred in connection to their SynchroMed infusion pumps. The deaths have been reported as occurring between spring of 1996 and spring of 2013. The article reports that just one day prior to the public announcement from…
Record Seizure of Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals
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Posted in Misc. Drugs, Public Health
A recent international online pharmacy crackdown has led to over $41 million in illegal drugs confiscated. These counterfeit drugs were part of a wave of over 1,600 websites that were shut down during the series of busts conducted by U.S. and international regulators. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) claimed that it used…