Red Flags - Drugs

Chinese Hospitals Over-Prescribe Antibiotics To Generate Income

Fri, 30 Jun 2006 23:46:36 -0400

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Chinese Hospitals Over-Prescribe Antibiotics To Generate Income

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“Health experts have called for more attention to be paid to the proper prescription of medicines, in particular the use of antibiotics.

‘China has a very serious problem of antibiotics abuse, especially antibacterial injection,’ said Professor Yang Yonghong of Beijing Children’s Hospital, during the International Pediatric Pharmacology Symposium currently being held in Shanghai.”

Medical Journal Issues Correction On Vioxx Paper

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 23:54:26 -0400

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Medical Journal Issues Correction On Vioxx Paper

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“The New England Journal of Medicine on Monday issued a rare correction on a influential 2005 study on the now-withdrawn painkiller Vioxx.

The correction involves a crucial point that was first reported a month ago: That cardiovascular risks linked to the controversial cox-2 inhibitor kick in at 4 months to 6 months of use, not after 18 months as was previously asserted in last year's article.”

FDA To Centralize Safety-Data Collection

Fri, 23 Jun 2006 20:55:34 -0400

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FDA To Centralize Safety-Data Collection

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“The Food and Drug Administration plans to consolidate the systems it uses to collect safety reports about drugs and medical devices, an official said Wednesday.”

Gut Bacteria In Most Healthy People Resistant To Multiple Drugs

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 19:29:37 -0400

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Gut Bacteria In Most Healthy People Resistant To Multiple Drugs

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“Healthy people could be the source of many of the antibiotic-resistance genes that have led to the rise of superbugs in hospitals.”

Prozac Doesn’t Cure Anorexia: Study

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 20:35:41 -0400

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Prozac Doesn’t Cure Anorexia: Study

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“Prozac is one of the antidepressants often used to treat anorexia, but researchers found it didn't stop young women from resuming their self-starving ways.”

Tell Your Dentist If You’re On Drugs Containing Bisphosphonates

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 20:34:56 -0400

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Tell Your Dentist If You’re On Drugs Containing Bisphosphonates

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“Breast cancer patients, individuals at risk for osteoporosis, and individuals undergoing certain types of bone cancer therapies often take drugs that contain bisphosphonates. Bisphosphonates may place patients at risk for developing osteonecrosis of the jaws (a rotting of the jaw bones), according to a case report and literature review that appeared in the May/June 2006 issue of General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry's clinical, peer-reviewed journal.”

Clinical Trials Show Experimental Drug Cuts Diabetic Vision Loss

Mon, 12 Jun 2006 19:54:44 -0400

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Clinical Trials Show Experimental Drug Cuts Diabetic Vision Loss

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“Clinical trials on an experimental drug have showed that ruboxistaurin may have the effects of reducing the risk of moderate vision loss by 41 percent, compared with a placebo.”

Ketek For Kids Gets Kibosh Amid FDA Concerns About Liver Toxicity

Fri, 09 Jun 2006 20:39:54 -0400

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Ketek For Kids Gets Kibosh Amid FDA Concerns About Liver Toxicity

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“French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis SA (SNY) said Thursday it has suspended enrollment in studies of its antibiotic Ketek in children, amid reports the drug can cause liver failure in adults. The company denied the studies were halted because of safety concerns and said it was only trying to ensure the trials' design complied with FDA requirements.”

Top Five Drug Makers Sponsored 48 Congressional Field Trips

Wed, 07 Jun 2006 20:38:13 -0400

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Top Five Drug Makers Sponsored 48 Congressional Field Trips

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“Members of Congress and their staffs took at least 48 trips worth $84,000 paid for individually by the top five drug companies between Jan. 1, 2000, and June 30, 2005, with GlaxoSmithKline leading the list.”

Ibuprofen Increases Threat Of Heart Attack

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 18:44:24 -0400

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Ibuprofen Increases Threat Of Heart Attack

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“High doses of the common painkiller ibuprofen, which is available without prescription, doubles the risk of a heart attack if taken in high doses for a long time, a study has found.”

Reporting Error Undermines Merck’s Defence In Vioxx Lawsuits

Wed, 31 May 2006 20:03:52 -0400

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Reporting Error Undermines Merck’s Defence In Vioxx Lawsuits

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“In an admission that could undermine one of its core defenses in Vioxx-related lawsuits, Merck said yesterday that it had erred when it reported in early 2005 that a crucial statistical test showed that Vioxx caused heart problems only after 18 months of continuous use.”

Health Canada Warns Heart Patients Not To Take ADHD Drugs

Mon, 29 May 2006 19:40:30 -0400

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Health Canada Warns Heart Patients Not To Take ADHD Drugs

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“Canada's health ministry on Friday warned people with high blood pressure, heart disease and a number of other medical ailments not to take drugs used to manage Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.”

FDA Approves Thalidomide Drug For Bone Marrow Cancer

Fri, 26 May 2006 21:55:00 -0400

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FDA Approves Thalidomide Drug For Bone Marrow Cancer

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“Thalidomide received federal approval Thursday for treatment of bone marrow cancer, marking the further rehabilitation of a drug originally banned more than 40 years ago after it caused thousands of birth defects.”

Post Mortem on London Drug Trial Disaster

Fri, 26 May 2006 21:53:42 -0400

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Post Mortem on London Drug Trial Disaster

Description:

“TGN1412 is not the only drug to have caused serious problems in Phase I trials, and Phase I is not the only stage at which there have been serious problems. In cases such as Vioxx, the harmful side effects were not observed until after the drug was on the market, i.e. in Phase IV, and the many law suits hinge on the question of how fast the producer, Merck, was to accept that there was a problem. What is needed is an investigation into the whole process of drug development and testing, from preclinical trials to monitoring after it is being sold.”

Prescribing Drugs ‘Off Label’ Grounded More In Anecdote Than Science

Wed, 24 May 2006 18:10:21 -0400

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Prescribing Drugs ‘Off Label’ Grounded More In Anecdote Than Science

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“Every day in medical offices around the country, physicians hand patients prescriptions for drugs to treat conditions for which the medicines haven't been approved. Once a drug is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a doctor can, with rare exceptions, legally prescribe it "off label" for use as he or she sees fit.”