Saundersblog.com - Dangerous Drugs Archives

"Dangerous Drugs" archive

Friday 1 December

Methadone Draws FDA Warning (09:36) - The FDA has issued a warning concerning the use of methadone in light of the recent life-threatening side effects and deaths occurring as a result of the drug's overuse. The dangerous side effects include slow or shallow breathing, fluctuations in... | 0 Comments

Thursday 21 September

FDA Tells Ortho Evra Change its Warning Label (13:50) - The manufacturer of the contraceptive Ortho Evra will have to change its warning label to include a warning against blood clots. One study showed women who used the patch were twice as likely to develop blood clots than others who... | 0 Comments

Thursday 17 August

Bad Day for Merck, Maker of Vioxx (15:41) - It's been a bad day for Merck, the maker of Vioxx. First, a New Orleans jury hit them with a $50,000,000 verdict for failure to warn doctors about the dangers of its drug, Vioxx. Then, a New Jersey state judge... | 0 Comments

Monday 12 June

ReNu with MoistureLoc Still for Sale In UK (06:37) - Three weeks after a worldwide recall of its product, ReNu with MoistureLoc is still being sold in some places in the United Kingdom. Anecdotal evidence of people still using the multipurpose 'no rub' solution raised fears that the message regarding... | 0 Comments

Thursday 8 June

FDA Urges Halt to Clinic Trials of Ketek (13:38) - Citing potential lethal effects on children, an FDA official has called for Sanofi-Aventis, the maker of Ketek, to halt clinic trials. The drug is being tested for ear infections and tonsilitis in nearly 4,000 infants and children in more than... | 0 Comments

Thursday 1 June

Good Science and Merck (08:01) - Merck acknowledged Tuesday that a statistical analysis test used to reach the conclusion, published in a March 2005 New England Journal of Medicine article, did not support its theory of potential heart problems only after 18 months of continuous Vioxx... | 0 Comments

Tuesday 30 May

J&J Criticized for Not Testing Safety of Natrecor (10:09) - Johnson & Johnson has come under heavy criticism recently for failing to test its cardiac drug Natrecor. The drug, approved in 2001 for intravenous use in hospitalized patients whose hearts pump so weakly that they have trouble breathing, has yet... | 0 Comments

Monday 22 May

Asian Officials Slam Bausch & Lomb for Slow Reaction (09:03) - Singapore health officials have strongly criticized ReNu with MoistureLoc maker Bausch & Lomb for its tardy response to a growing health crisis. According to the Singapore health authorities, three months ago, they had established a strong statistical connection between Bausch... | 0 Comments

Thursday 4 May

Bausch & Lomb's "Perfect Storm" (09:56) - The "Perfect Storm" analogy are not my words but the words of Bausch & Lomb Chief Executive Ron Zarrella. He made the comments in the wake of a CDC investigation that seems to point more significant blame on Bauch &... | 0 Comments

Friday 14 April

Fosamax-Merck's Latest Problem (11:14) - In the midst of bad news from its painkiller Vioxx, Merck & Co. now has to face similar fallout from its osteoporosis drug Fosamax. Fosamax, prescribed to treat osteoporosis, may have caused the jaw of a Floridian woman to rot.... | 0 Comments

Tuesday 11 April

Consumer Group Wants FDA to Remove Xenical (06:58) - A consumer watchdog group is petitioning the Food and Drug Administration to remove the prescription obesity drug Xenical (orlistat) from the market. Public Citizen says the drug may lead to a higher risk of aberrant crypt foci (ACF), which is... | 0 Comments

Wednesday 1 March

Celebrex Twice as Likely to Cause Heart Attack (13:23) - Celebrex, the only remaining Cox-2 inhibitor drug on the market, has been linked to a two-fold increase in the likelihood of causing a heart attack in patients using the drug. Pfizer, the manufacturer of Celebrex, put a black box warning... | 0 Comments

Thursday 8 December

Merck Hides Key Heart Attack Data from New England Journal of Medicine (17:50) - In an editorial published just hours ago, the New England Journal of Medicine blasts Merck for withholding key data regarding heart attacks caused by the use of their drug Vioxx. According to the statement released by the Journal, "we learned... | 0 Comments

Friday 2 December

14 year old Girl Dies After Using Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch (09:06) - Alycia Brown was an eighth-grader in La Crosse, Wisconsin when she died of blood clots in her lower pelvis on May 7, 2004. She had been using the Ortho Evra birth control patch for about eight weeks. A federal law... | 0 Comments

Monday 14 November

Ortho Evra- The Rest of the Story (19:27) - It was at Thanksgiving time last year that Kathleen Thoren, a 25-year-old mother of three, died after days of severe headaches that, according to the medical examiner, were provoked by hormones released into her system by Ortho Evra -- the... | 0 Comments
FDA Issues Warning About Birth Control Patch (09:35) - On November 10, 2005 the FDA issued an "updated lablelling" concerning possible adverse health effects of using the Ortho Evra birth control patch. Here is the warning issued by the FDA: The Food and Drug Administration today approved updated labeling... | 0 Trackbacks | 1 Comments

Thursday 20 October

New Study Reveals Financial Conflict of Interest in Drug Prescription Guidelines (10:33) - According to an article published in the Wall St. Journal, researchers and physicians who write the rules on prescribing drugs have extensive financial interest in the pharmaceutical industry. The study undertaken by Nature revealed that more than 1/3 of the... | 0 Trackbacks | 1 Comments

Friday 7 October

Judge in Vioxx Trial Says She Was Mislead By Merck (15:47) - New Jersey Superior Court Judge Carol Higbee ordered the testimony of Briggs Morrison, a Vice President for Merck Research Labs to be stricken from the record and ignored by the jury. "Quite frankly, I felt sick yesterday afternoon," she said.... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Tuesday 27 September

Merck Exec Feared Vioxx Sales Drop if Warning Label Was Placed on Vioxx Product (08:56) - A top Merck executive testified yesterday that the Vioxx manufacturer feared as much as a $500 million drop in sales if regulators had succeeded in placing an unfavorable warning on the Vioxx label three years ago. David Anstice,who headed Merck's... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Friday 23 September

Vioxx Deadly Even With Short Term Use, Expert Testifies (10:00) - An expert witness testified Thursday that even short term use of the painkiller Vioxx can double the risk of heart attach and death, a finding that the drug's manufacturer Merck & Co. misrepresented. University of Washington biostatistician Richard Kronmal said... | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments

Monday 19 September

Second Week of Second Vioxx Trial (09:44) - As the second week of the nation's second Vioxx trial prepares to open in New Jersey this week, Merck's lawyers continue their obfuscation and "don't confuse me with the facts" campaign. Last week, Merck's lead lawyer was reprimanded by the... | 0 Comments

Wednesday 7 September

4 Things Vioxx Maker Merck Doesn't Want You To See (12:12) - One week before its second trial is about to begin, Merck lawyers are trying to block jurors from seeing the following information: 1)FDA researchers estimated Vioxx deaths, 2)Picture of the plaintiff prior to taking Vioxx, 3)Merck's profits, and 4)Merck executives'... | 0 Comments

Tuesday 6 September

Merck Faces Vioxx Heart Attack Case (09:04) - In the wake of Merck's disastrous first trial in Texas last month, the embattled pharmaceutical company faces a trial in New Jersey that involves a plaintiff that suffered a heart attack which is precisely the injury to which Vioxx use... | 0 Comments

Friday 26 August

Merck May Settle Some Vioxx Suits (16:55) - In an abrupt turnaround from its previous stance, Merck & Co. spokesman Kent Jarrell told the Associated Press today that it might consider settling some of its lawsuits. However, the company continues to insist it won't enter into any type... | 0 Comments

Tuesday 23 August

Analyst Sees Vioxx Liability at $10 billion (11:22) - According to a Bloomberg News report published today, Credit Suisse First Boston business analyst Catherine Arnold doubled her liability estimate for Merck & Co. to $10 billion. Merck is appealing last week's jury verdict in Texas that awarded Robert Ernst's... | 0 Comments

Monday 22 August

Vioxx's Bad Facts (09:15) - In today's NY Times there's a story discussing the reason(s) why Merck lost its first Vioxx trial. The story concludes Merck lost because of bad facts. Jurors got to see a mountain of documents and email messages that showed how... | 0 Comments

Sunday 21 August

My Thoughts On the Vioxx Verdict (20:25) - The size of the first Vioxx verdict ($259 Million) against Merck is an indication that juries in other cases will be angry at Merck when they hear the evidence of the company's wrongdoing. The core evidence presented in the Ernst... | 0 Comments

Saturday 20 August

Merck Ordered to Pay for Death Caused by Vioxx (09:10) - Merck & Co. was found negligent in the death of a 59 year old triathlete who used Vioxx. The jury awarded the man's widow $24 million in actual damages and $229 million in "exemplary" or punitive damages for a total... | 0 Comments

Wednesday 3 August

In Spite of Dangers, Drug Firms Raise Prices (07:00) - In spite of problems, drug companies have raised their prices almost 13% since 2003. The first half of this year, they've raised prices about 5.5%. As a response to impending Medicaid reform, drug companies have raised their prices, when greater... | 0 Comments
FDA Will Review Drug Ads (01:13) - At a time when the pharmaceutical industry has come under fire for its advertising to consumers, the FDA has decided to step in and review drug ads. The last guidelines were set in 1997 and are in dire need of... | 0 Comments
Celebrex Gets "Black Box" label from FDA (01:07) - The FDA has finalized a new label for the drug Celebrex warning of increased cardiovascular risks such as heart attacks and strokes. The new label on Celebrex will recommend the drug be prescribed at the lowest dose and shortest time... | 0 Comments

Tuesday 2 August

Vioxx Manufacturer Suffers Setback in Trial (22:17) - Yesterday, jurors heard videotaped testimony from the pathologist who said that the death Robert Ernst, a 59 year old triathlete taking the painkiller Vioxx was more than likely caused by a heart attack, damaging Merck's defense in the first Vioxx... | 0 Comments

Friday 29 July

New Twist in Vioxx Trial (19:15) - A pathologist's testimony in the nation's first Vioxx trial has dealt a blow to Vioxx's manufacturer Merck & Co. Dr. Maria Araneta the pathologist who performed the crucial 2001 autopsy on Robert Ernst stated in deposition testimony that Ernst's death... | 0 Comments

Monday 25 July

Vioxx Trial Enters Second Week in Texas (08:35) - The jury in the first Vioxx trial heard a lot of evidence last week that Merck hid the risks of Vioxx. Dr. Nancy Santanello, a senior Merck scientist was questioned about documents that showed Merck was concerned about Vioxx's heart... | 0 Comments

Monday 11 July

First Vioxx Trial Set for This Week (15:46) - The first civil suit against Merck, the manufacturer of the drug Vioxx, will be held in a small Texas town beginning this Thursday. Media and legal experts will be watching as Merck tries to stave off damning evidence that Merck... | 0 Comments

Tuesday 5 July

Merck Wants to Delay Vioxx Trial (14:46) - The manufacturer of Vioxx wants to delay the first wrongful death trial for at least 60 days. Merck & Co. filed a motion to delay the trial arguing that it can't receive a fair trial if the case is heard... | 1 Comments

Saturday 18 June

Johnson & Johnson's Drug Risperdal Raises Tumor Questions (15:16) - A June 17th article in the Wall St. Journal raised questions about Johnson & Johnson's antipsychotic drug Risperdal. According to the story, government researchers found a higher incidence of benign tumors in the pituitary gland among patients taking the drug.... | 2 Comments

Monday 13 June

Profits Outweighed Safety Concerns with Propulsid (14:58) - According to a recent article in the NY Times, in 1998 the makers of the heartburn medicine Propulsid negotiated a new warning label rather than remove it from the market in spite of overwhelming evidence of its dangerous, sometimes fatal,... | 0 Comments

Wednesday 8 June

Fox Guarding the Hen House: FDA's New Drug Safety Board (15:41) - A news story published in the Washington Post today cites problems with the FDA's new drug oversight board. According to FDA Safety Officer David Graham, the new board is "severely biased in favor of industry" rather than consumer protection. The... | 0 Comments

Monday 6 June

Bristol-Myers Squibb to Settle for $300 Million (14:05) - Drug maker to settle case for $300m By Associated Press | June 6, 2005 NEW YORK -- Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. is expected to settle a federal probe of its past accounting practices for $300 million, according to published reports. As... | 0 Comments

Saturday 4 June

Pharmacists Can Be Liable (13:51) - Court: Druggists can be liable for failing to warn of risks An appeals court rules in the case of a man whose wife died of an overdose after druggists filled her prescriptions. By Associated Press Published June 4, 2005 MIAMI... | 1 Comments

Friday 3 June

Bextra, Celebrex, and Vioxx Manufacturers Hide Drug Risks (21:05) - AP Business WriterTue May 24,12:49 AM ET Pfizer Inc., GlaxoSmithKline PLC. and Merck & Co. are "making a mockery" of efforts to create more transparency in drug clinical trials, according to a prominent medical journal editor. Dr. Jeffrey M. Drazen,... | 1 Comments
Will Bextra Return to the Market? (20:37) - Pfizer Wants Bextra Which Causes Stevens Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Back on Market CHICAGO, May 16 (UPI) -- Pfizer Inc. wants to put its second-generation COX-2 drug Bextra back on the market but lawyers for patients who contend... | 0 Comments
Wyeth Says Jury Awards Diet-Drug Users $200 Million (17:50) - May 27 (Bloomberg) -- A Pennsylvania jury decided that two former users of Wyeth's drugs taken as part of the fen-phen diet combination deserved $200 million in damages for heart problems caused by the medicine. Jurors in state court in... | 0 Comments

Friday 27 May

FDA investigating Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra blindness link. (21:15) - Officials at the FDA are have announed that they are investigating a link between the impotence drugs viagra, cialis, and levitra and blindness. The FDA has 38 reports of blindness associated with Viagra and 4 among users of Cialis.It is... | 0 Comments