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May Drug Approvals
So, just to keep up with my occasional updates on FDA drug approvals, I feel compelled to point out that May was a bumper month for new drugs—166 approvals in total! The list is way too long to go over in detail, but, wow. 166 new approvals in one month? If that is the norm ...
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Dr. Prescription
Dr. Phil Astin, 52, is facing a total of 175 charges linked to the distribution of prescription drugs to more than 17 patients. Astin was doctor to pro wrestler Chris Benoit. Last year, Benoit killed his wife and child and then took his own life – a tragedy that shocked those who knew the wrestler. ...
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Dangerous Trades
A recent post on the blog DestinationRX draws attention to the fact that students as young as middle school are trading their prescription drugs for alcohol, or other prescription drugs. The post references an eFlux Media article that details how 15 students at a Boulder, Colorado middle school were busted for a trading scam that ...
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Over-Medicating Seniors
According to a recent CNN.com article, you shouldn’t be too quick to assume that your aging loved ones are experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer’s or dementia… it could just be a bad case of over-medication. “Every year, 38 million older Americans suffer drug complications, 180,000 of which are life-threatening, according to research by Dr. Jerry Gurwitz, ...
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Vioxx Wins Again
Merck has reason to celebrate this weekend. A state appeals court in Texas overturned a $26 million jury verdict against the company in a lawsuit brought by Carol Ernst, whose husband, Robert, died in 2001 after taking Vioxx. In reversing the verdict, the appeals court found that plaintiffs had not proved that Vioxx caused Mr. ...
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The Top Three
The three top searches on WorstPills.org are the asthma and allergy drug Singulair, the birth control pill Yasmin, and the herbal supplement glucosamine and chondroitin. Singulair is listed as a “do not use” pill because it is less effective than other drugs and can cause blood vessel inflammation, liver disease, lupus and recurrences of ulcerative ...
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Better Warning Labels?
The Food and Drug Administration has proposed a mandate that would require prescription medicines to have more detailed warning labels than they currently do. In a May 28 USA Today Article, Deputy Director of the FDA’s Office of New Drugs Sandra Kweder said pregnant women in particular need much better guidance. “Women take an average of ...
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Drug Spam
So just out of curiosity, I decided to peruse the contents of my spam folder in both of my e-mail accounts. I wanted to get an idea of how many prescription drug ads get sent to me everyday. Here are some examples of the tantalizing subject lines I see as I scroll through my spam ...
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Baby’s First Blog
If you enjoy reading blogs, chances are, you might want to start you own. The following video is my step-by-step guide to setting up your very own WordPress account so you can start writing about what most interests you. how to video file
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Facebook Prescriptions
So wait, I was just perusing Facebook and came across an application that I – amazingly enough – haven’t been asked to add to my profile yet. It’s the Facebook “Script Pad.” “You’ve just took an course in medicine on the internet, and you’ve been given the almighty Prescription (“Script”) Pad. You’re licensed to kill… ...
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The New War On Drugs
The Anti-drug.com website features a whole host of media items designed to educate parents about prescription drug abuse among teenagers. The main thrust of the site seems to be that most parents have no clue how prevalent the problem of prescription drug abuse is among teens, and that parents are the first line of defense ...
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1-800-SIDE EFFECTS
Reuters recently reported that some people are pushing for a side effect hotline that would allow patients to phone in particularly dicey drug complications free of charge. “The 1-800-FDA-1088 number is part of the agency’s MedWatch program to monitor possible problems with drugs and devices. Consumers and doctors can also report concerns on the FDA’s ...