FDA Warns of Desmopressin Acetate Side Effects

The Food and Drug Administration has asked for a label update for all formulations of desmopressin acetate. This includes the intranasal formulation and tablet form of the drug, both of which have been linked with serious side effects. Read more

FDA Permits Restricted Use of Zelnorm for Qualifying Patients

Originally suspended for being linked to increased risks of heart attack, stroke, and angina, Zelnorm (tegaserod malete) has been approved by the FDA to be used to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) and chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in women younger than 55. Read more

Avandia Should be Removed from the Market, Experts Say

The diabetes drug Avandia should be pulled from the market due to increased risks of heart attack, according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientist Dr. David Graham. Read more

Shelhigh Medical Device Seizure

On April 17th, 2007, investigators from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized medical devices from Shelhigh, Inc. Read more

Renu FDA Recall

ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution has been recalled by Bausch & Lomb because of its causative relationship with the serious eye fungus called Fusarium Keratitis. Read more

Panacryl Suture FDA Recall

Ethicon Inc. issued a voluntary recall of its Panacryl Sutures on March 27th, 2006, in conjunction with the FDA. Full Story

Boston Scientific Recalls Defective Pacemakers

Medical device manufacturers Boston Scientific Corp. issued a recall for certain Guidant pacemakers and defibrillators on Monday June 26th, 2006. Read more

Remicade Side Effects

Remicade use linked with the development of cancer and serious infections. Read more

Tequin Side Effects

Serious diabetes risks associated with use of Tequin related to instances of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. Read more

Guidant Pacemaker Recall

Guidant Corporation issues a recall of certain Guidant defibrillators because of manufacturing defects. Read more

Medtronic Pacemaker Recall

Medtronic Inc., issues a recall of certain Medtronic pacemakers because of manufacturing defects. Read more

12/18/07
A deadly blast rocked the T2 Laboratories Inc. chemical plant in Jacksonville, Fla, killing three people and injuring many more.
Full story...

07/30/07
The diabetes drug Avandia should be pulled from the market due to increased risks of heart attack, according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientist Dr. David Graham.
Full story...

06/07/07
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach has revealed that the FDA will require GlaxoSmithKline include a “black box” warning on their under-fire diabetes drug Avandia, specifically alerting consumers to the potential development of a serious condition in which the heart does not pump enough blood. In addition to Avandia, the FDA will also require that Takeda Pharmaceuticals’ Actos include the same “black box” warning.
Full story...

05/31/07
Troubles continue to mount for Novartis AG as the Swiss pharmaceutical regulatory agency, Swissmedic, ordered a withdrawal of Zelmac, another drug used for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. This request comes on the heels of a Zelnorm recall expected to yield a significant number of injury claims against Novartis AG.
Full story...

05/30/07
The Food and Drug Administration has issued a request for a new boxed-warning for all gadolinium-based products following information related to the potential development of NSF and NFD. The FDA reports that a single dose of gadolinium-based products could result in Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis.
Full story...

05/26/07
Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. issued a voluntary recall of its Complete MoisturePlus Multi-Purpose Solution on May 26th, 2007. The voluntary recall comes on the heels of an advisory issued by the CDC and FDA regarding a significant link between use of the AMO product and the development a serious eye infection called Acanthamoeba Keratitis.
Full story...

05/23/07
Analysts are estimating that legal claims associated with serious side effects caused by use of the diabetes drug Avandia could cost GlaxoSmithKline $5 Billion or more. A recent report published in the New England Journal of Medicine detailing a link between Avandia and cardiovascular death is expected to add to an estimated 16,000 separate American claims against GlaxoSmithKline.
Full story...

05/21/07
Meta-analysis results published in the New England Journal of Medicine link GlaxoSmithKline’s widely-used diabetes drug Avandia with an increased risk of heart attack (+43%) and cardiovascular death (+64%), further alerting consumers of a heart death risk that was initially noted by the FDA as early as 2005.
Full story...

05/17/07
The Boston Globe is reporting that medical device manufacturers Boston Scientific Corp. is engaged in talks regarding the possibility of a Guidant settlement related to the approximate 1,350 product liability suits the company currently faces. Boston Scientific knowingly inherited these liabilities when it purchased Guidant Corp. in 2006.
Full story...

03/30/07
Multinational drug manufacturer Novartis AG has issued a voluntary recall of their anti-constipation prescription drug, Zelnorm (tegaserod maleate). The drug has recently been linked with a higher-risk of life-threatening cardiovascular side effects.
Full story...

03/26/07
Some of the nation's largest long-term care insurance providers have found themselves embroiled in litigation surrounding their failure to payout a significant number of valid claims.
Full story...

03/12/07
An alert has been issued by Continental Mills recalling some 2,970 boxes of GFS Buttermilk Pancake Mix. The five-pound boxes affected by the recall may contain undeclared egg that could have serious health consequences for those prone to egg-related allergies. Consumers who have the affected product are advised to destroy it.
Full story...

03/09/07
WinCo Foods has issued a voluntary recall for several of its bread products sold at the company ’s California and Nevada stores. Wire fragments from WinCo product machinery may have affected certain bread products manufactured by the Idaho-based foods company. The affected products bear the Cascade Pride label and have a “best buy” date of March 15, 2007.
Full story...

03/02/07
The American College of Chest Physicians has recommended that parents avoid using certain cough and cold medications to treat their young children. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that an estimated 1,500 children under the age of two (spanning 2004 and 2005) experienced serious health issues as a result of taking various cold medicines; three children died.
Full story...

01/03/07
The antiparkinsonian drugs pergolide (Permax) and cabergoline (Dostinex / Cabaser) have recently been linked with the development of valvular heart disease. The serious condition is specifically related to cardiac-valve regurgitation and has been causing a firestorm for Eli Lilly and Pfizer, the respective manufacturers of the two drugs.
Full story...

12/27/06
The findings from a recently concluded British study have determined a significant link between the use of certain heartburn drugs (Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid) and increased susceptibility to hip fracture for people over the age of 50.
Full story...

12/04/06
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has assembled a special committee geared towards evaluating recent blood clotting issues associated with drug-coated stents. On the market since 2003 it is estimated that as many as 1,000 drug-coated stents are inserted into as many as 1,000 Americans each year.
Full story...

11/21/06
Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. has announced a voluntary recall for its COMPLETE® MoisturePLUS™ multipurpose contact lens care solution and Active Packs because of bacterial contamination that has been found affecting certain lots sold in Japan.
Full story...

10/18/06
The Journal of the American Medical Association recently revealed the initial results from a two year study (2004-05) developed by the federal centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission regarding outpatient drug safety. According to the study, more than 700,000 Americans are forced into emergency rooms each year as a result of negative reactions to the most widely used medicines.
Full story...

06/26/06
Boston Scientific Corp. has been forced to recall additional Guidant defibrillator and pacemaker models after buying Guidant Corp. in April of 2006 and inheriting its many personal injury liabilities. Devices affected by this most recent recall include Insignia and Nexus pacemakers; Ventak Prizm 2, Vitality and Vitality 2 cardioverter defibrillators; and Contak Renewal TR/TR2 cardiac resynchronization devices.
Full story...