FDA & Prescription Drugs | InjuryBoard Jacksonville

It was a huge win for a victim of Vioxx. In 2001, Leonel Garza suffered a fatal heart attack after a month on the painkiller Vioxx. In 2006, his widow was awarded a $32 million judgment by a Texas...

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Merck has announced a voluntary recall for a drug used to fight bacterial meningitis in children.The vaccine is known as Hib. It is given in a three-dose shot for children under the age of five.Merck, the maker, says some bacteria contaminated a processing plant for the vaccine in Pennsylvania, although the company says none of the vaccine lots were contaminated.The company says they brought...

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Christina Bell says she had seen ads for a vaccine called Gardasil. The "One Less.." campaign by drugmaker Merck has been very effective and aggressively placed to reach all adolecent girls and their families encouraging them to be injected against Human Papillomavirus or HPV with Gardasil, the drug approved by the FDA in June 2006.So after consulting with her doctor, her 12-year-old, Brittany...

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Janis Roberts is only 56-years old but already she's had several heart attacks, heart by-pass surgery, a dozen stents inserted in her arteries and a stroke. She's on oxygen and disability living with her sister in St. Nicholas. For her the news Friday morning that drug maker, Merck had agreed to a $4.85 billion settlement over Vioxx meant, "I can finally see some light at the end of the...

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Doctors are being warned that a drug to treat Type-2 diabetes may be causing acute pancreatitis.So far, 30 cases have been reviewed. In six cases, patient's symptoms got worse when they doubled their dose of the drug, Byetta. Doctors received a letter from the FDA asking them to tell patients on exenatide (Byetta) to seek treatment immediately if that have any unexplained abdominal pains and...

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Rarely do we get to look inside the tactics that Big Pharma is not afraid to use when threatened.The case of the drug, Avandia which is prescribed to treat Type II Diabetes, largely a lifestyle disease that affects up to 20 million Americans. Data collected at the Cleveland Clinic shows Avandia users could have up to a 43% risk of heart attack and a sharp (64%) likelihood of an increase in...

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More than 2,000 movie goers at the Cannes Film Festival applauded loudly at the first showing of Michal Moore's newest film, "Sicko," all about the perils of our country's modern healthcare system.Expect it in theatres in June.So far the reviews are mixed between hilarious and very sad. The latter is a good summary of our healthcare system which is likely responsible for more deaths than we...

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If you've ever considered the cosmetic, Botox, to smooth out wrinkles and give you a "rested" look--check out this story first.A middle-aged couple wanted to try the procedure together just before the holidays in 2004. Today they've written a book, "Dying To Be Young - From Botox To Botulism" to warn others about their near-death experience in this video on ABC News. Apparently the problem comes...

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You have to admit that our federal drug regulators appear never to have met a drug manufacturer they didn't like. Such a cozy relationship. Here is the latest that has the potential to affect our most vulnerable citizens, our children.MedImmune makes a nasal spray that contains a live influenza virus and now the maker wants children under five years of age to be able to take it.That despite...

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The FDA is asking Novartis Pharmaceuticals to stop making Zelnorm because of a suspected link to cardiovascular problems.Zelnorm is prescribed primarily to women for gastro-intestinal problems and constipation. It is marketed in 55 countries. Earlier this year, Novartis reported to the FDA the result of 29 short term clinical trials involving more than 11,000 patients taking Zelnorm. 7,000 were...

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Bloomberg News has compiled data showing that a surge in prescriptions for Seroquel and other anti-psychotic drugs in its class are being promoted by drugmakers for use by teenagers and the elderly. Doctors are prescribing these drugs to treat mental-health issues and Alzheimer's disease, even though those are considered off-label use. Legally doctors, desperate for solutions to these ills, can...

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"Achieving Balance Brings Strength"That's the promise of AstraZeneca's Seroquel schizophrenia drug. But 10,000 are claiming the drug brought them severe weight gain and in some cases diabetes.Warnings about diabetes are now included in the AstraZeneca website, however in November 2006, the FDA sent the manufacturer a letter requiring the stronger warning.The promotional material raises...

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In sort of a new twist on calling for responsible and responsive government, a petition filed by Public Citizen against the FDA over a controversial birth control pill, has been echoed in a video on YouTube.The petition by Public Citizen, asks the FDA to ban oral contraceptives containing desogestrel. The consumer group points to studies that show this third-generation of pills almost doubles...

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Drug Giant Eli Lilly and Co. says the claims are without merit, but plans to cover more than 18,000 claims over the antipsychotic drug, Zyprexa. Plaintiffs say the drug made them gain weight causing them to develop diabetes. Lilly will pay $500 million, less than the $700 million it had agreed to pay on 8,000 claims in 2005.Referring to an article in the New York Times,"Lilly's own published...

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Lawrence Appell, a former truck driver suffered a heart attack in 2002 at age 72. Rudolph Arrigale suffered his in December 2000. Both brought suit in California against the manufacturer Merck arguing the drug Vioxx cause them to have a heart attackThe two cases were tried together before a Superior Court jury that deadlocked in their deliberations. Even though the jury found that Vioxx did...

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