Posted in Accident & Injury, Drug & Medical Devices on July 30, 2013

A patient was killed in a shocking accident in New York at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center. The 66-year-old veteran was crushed when a gamma camera fell on him during a routine diagnostic procedure on June 5th. The massive Infinia Hawkeye 4 gamma camera involved in the fatal accident weighs more than...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices, Medical Malpractice on July 29, 2013

When it comes to medical devices, one size does not fit all. Parents and other caregivers who experience problems with pediatric medical devices are being encouraged to report any issues with the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA wants this information to help them assess any safety issues and conduct any needed follow-up investigations....

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices, Medical Malpractice on July 23, 2013

A new study reveals that using over-the-counter decongestants during pregnancy may increase the risk of a child being born with birth defects. Scientists at the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University interviewed nearly 20,000 mothers to find out what drugs they had taken while they were pregnant. What they found was a link between...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on July 18, 2013

Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has been accused of bribing government officials and doctors to boost its drug sales in China. According to Chinese officials, the British drugmaker was involved in a conspiracy involving hundreds of millions of dollars that has spanned several years. Chinese authorities claim that senior Glaxo executives used travel agencies to launder...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on July 15, 2013

If you've been suffering from hot flashes and night sweats, but were reluctant to take medications with hormones, you now have an alternative. The FDA announced that it has approved Brisdelle, the first non-hormonal drug to treat moderate to severe hot flashes. That’s great news, right? Well, sort of. It turns out the drug...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on July 11, 2013

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against a Vermont dairy farm for selling cows and bull calves, containing illegal amounts of antibiotics, for food. According to an FDA press release, the decree prevents Lawson Farm from purchasing or selling any animals for use as food unless...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices, Medical Malpractice on July 2, 2013

In the United States before a drug is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it must undergo extensive testing. These tests, known as clinical trials, are used to determine if a drug safely works the way it is expected, to treat a specific medical condition. Once the FDA is satisfied that the...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on June 28, 2013

Faced with mounting medical bills, American consumers have flocked to the internet in search of “Canadian Pharmacies” selling bargain-priced prescription drugs. What they may not know is that the drugs may actually come from overseas and many of the websites are illegal, selling dangerous unapproved medications. The FDA released a statement yesterday stating that...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on June 19, 2013

The Food and Drug Administration released a safety announcement on Tuesday about two deaths linked to Zyprexa. The agency reports that two patients died 3-4 days after being injected with Zyprexa Relprevv (olanzapine pamoate), an atypical antipsychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia. At this time, the deaths are considered “unexplained.” An investigation is pending...

Posted in Drug & Medical Devices on June 19, 2013

We often blog about the dangers of prescription and over-the-counter drugs; citing regulatory concerns as well as skepticism of manufacturer-supplied testing data. Therefore it comes as no great surprise that many people have turned to alternative medicine. Unfortunately, what many people perceive as natural alternatives to big pharma may also put consumers at risk....