Just a few weeks ago, we reported that the FDA had missed a January 15 deadline to submit a new agreement on medical device fees to U.S. lawmakers. Well, apparently negotiations are over. The FDA and medical device makers have reached an agreement on the fees. Device makers will double product review fees paid to …
Medical experts are seeking new label warnings for Focalin (dexmethylphenidate), a drug used to treat children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), regarding possible occurrences of suicidal thoughts. According to a Reuters report, several members of a U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee asked for the label change recently, citing eight reports of …
The reason a woman takes a birth control pill, is to prevent unwanted, or accidental pregnancies. And, although the pills are not 100% effective, most women assume they will be protected from the life changing event. But, a manufacturing mix-up is leaving women at an even greater risk of unwanted pregnancies. Apparently the mix up …
Women who take certain drugs for heartburn, acid reflux and peptic ulcers are raising their risk of hip fractures by as much as 50 percent, according to researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The drugs, called proton pump inhibitors (PPI’s) are used by millions around the world who suffer from …
Doctors used to tell women with epilepsy not to have children, because the only available medications to treat the disorder also increased the risk of birth defects. But according to a May 2011 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, newer antiepileptic medications used during the first trimester carry no such risks. However, …
Expectant mothers with HIV have some hope of preventing the transmission of the deadly virus to their unborn baby, with a special kind of drug called antiretrovirals. But, unfortunately based on new research, these drugs may come with several possible birth defects. Everyday Health explained that Vassiliki Cartsos, associate professor and director of graduate orthodontics …
Just last week we reported that a group of Democratic lawmakers were calling on the Republicans who control the House Energy and Commerce Committee for a safety review concerning 2 controversial medical devices. Now it just so happens that one of those devices, The Lap-Band, is again in the news, and the topic of this …
A new study has found that while Risperdal, an antipsychotic drug, works well when it comes to treating childhood bi-polar disorder, the drug’s metabolic side effects need to be taken seriously. Risperdal is a newer atypical antipsychotic drug. It is manufactured by Jannsen Pharmaceuticals, a division of Johnson & Johnson. Risperdal has been known to …