Product News and Recalls

Advice for visiting doctor about asbestos-related cancer

The Mayo Clinic provides some guidance for people who are seeing a doctor about potential mesothelioma, a form of cancer that affects the protective lining that covers many of the internal organs of the body called the mesothelium.

Mesothelioma is caused primarily by exposure to asbestos.

If you have lung or abdominal symptoms that may indicate mesothelioma, according to the Clinic, you’re likely to start by seeing your family doctor or a general practitioner. But when you call to set up an ...

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Former FDA official says agency hid evidence of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome

In an interview with Truthout, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration drug reviewer described an atmosphere in which professionals tasked with evaluating the safety of drugs are pressured to look the other way when they see a problem. Failing to do so, he said, often brings about official retaliation from the agency.

Ronald Kavanagh B.S.Pharm., Pharm.D, Ph.D., is quoted as saying: “FDA’s response to most expected risks is to deny them and wait until there is irrefutable evidence postmarketing, and then ...

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Yasmin maker had problems in past

Pharmaceutical giant Bayer is facing legal action from thousands of plaintiffs who claim they or their loved ones have been injured by the Yasmin line of oral contraceptives.

The complaints about the Yasmin line of contraceptives cite a number of studies indicating that birth control pills with the compound drospirenone carry up to three times the risk of potentially fatal blood clots ...

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Ford recalls about 421,000 vehicles

Ford has announced the recall of about 421,000 Escapes from 2001-4 in the United States over a defect in the cruise control cables that could make the vehicles susceptible to unintended acceleration, the New York Times reports.

The recall was announced after a recent demand by the Center for Auto Safety, a nonprofit consumer group, that Ford fix the cables, which the center said could be damaged by repairs for an unrelated recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced ...

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GSK settlement has lessons for consumers

According to a Consumer Reports blog entry, the recent historic $3 billion settlement against pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline carries some important lessons for consumers.

Prescribing a drug “off-label,” or for a purpose different from the use specified in its U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, is legal. But promoting a drug for off-label use is not.

And apparently GSK did exactly that, through tactics that included misrepresenting research data to show benefits and ...

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FDA approves new heart filter

According to a report on TheHeart.org, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new vena cava filter made by Crux Biomedical of California.

The company is touting the new device as a safer alternative to earlier models, which have been prone to potentially deadly fracturing.

The heart processes blood — removing carbon dioxide and adding oxygen from the lungs. The oxygen-poor blood enters the heart through two main veins ...

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