Product News and Recalls

Broken blood clot filter causes problems

A story from WNDU out of Indiana concerns a woman who needed surgery because a filter implanted in one of her veins to prevent blood clots broke apart.

Susan Karnstedt first became aware that something was wrong when she began suffering severe abdominal pain, the story says. She initially thought it was something she’d eaten.

But a CT scan revealed that the problem was actually an IVC filter she’d ...

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Anti-smoking drug Chantix linked to heart attacks, strokes

An analysis of clinical trials found the anti-smoking drug Chantix, manufactured by Pfizer Inc., produced a higher rate of heart attacks and strokes in patients who used the treatment compared to those who didn’t.

An FDA warning says it’s “more likely that (the increased risk) is related to the drug and not purely a chance finding.”

Of 4,190 Chantix users, Bloomberg reports, 13 were found to have experienced a major cardiovascular event ...

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J&J CEO taking over as chairman

Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky has been elected chairman of the board for the company, Bloomberg reports. He will replace Bill Weldon, who stepped down as CEO in April and is retiring next year.

Weldon had been in charge during some prominent missteps for the company, including a string of recalls.

An all-metal artificial hip manufactured by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary DePuy Orthopaedics was recalled in 2010 after a number of ...

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Study looks at xenon gas to reduce brain injury

U.K. newspaper Daily Mail reports that Britain’s Medical Research Council is funding a study into the use of the gas xenon to reduce incidence of brain damage in newborns.

According to the article, more than 1,000 otherwise healthy infants are born deprived of oxygen every year. Common reasons include infection, the umbilical cord getting wrapped around the baby’s neck and the placenta – which provides the ...

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Hepatitis drug Incivek linked to Stevens-Johnson Syndrome

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning that the hepatitis C drug Incivek, manufactured by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., can cause serious and potentially deadly skin reactions.

Vertex has placed a “black box warning” – the most serious available – on the drug’s label, Reuters reports.

According to the Reuters story, skin rashes were already a known side effect of the drug. The warning came in response to an analysis of data collected since the drug was approved in the ...

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UK lawmaker wants reforms after artificial hip scandal

A British lawmaker is calling for a “sweeping overhaul” of the system by which the European Union approves medical devices, after an undercover investigation found regulators were prepared to license a dangerous hip implant.

According to UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph, Miller is chairman of a parliamentary select committee looking into problems with regulation of medical devices in Britain. He’s quoted ...

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