Lamictal, the Glaxo Smith Kline drug is used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder, has been linked to certain birth defects including cleft palate or lip exposed to the drug during pregnancy. According to a Wall St. Journal article ” After discussions with Health Canada in August, Glaxo said the cleft-palate deformity was detected at “an elevated rate” in infants whose mothers took the drug during the first three months of pregnancy, compared with others who weren’t exposed to the drug.”

Bayer AG has failed to disclose to regulators potentially serious safety concerns about its antibleeding drug Trasylol. The FDA has disclosed that preliminary test results indicate that the drug may cause serious kidney damage, congestive heart failure and strokes and an increased risk of death.

Monsignor John Skehan and Rev. Francis Guinan stand accused of pilfering $8.6 million from St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach. One priest has already been arrested and the other is being sought by law enforcement authorities. Guinan, who is being sought, had an intimate relationship with his bookkeeper and paid her child’s school tuition as well as her American Express bill with parish funds. He also stands accused of using the parish coffers for gambling trips to Las Vegas and the Bahamas.

Two Diocese of Palm Beach priests stand accused of stealing $8.6 million from their parish, St. Vincent Ferrer in Delray Beach. Monsignor John Skehan was arrested last evening at Palm Beach International Airport as he returned from Ireland.

Two priests stationed at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach have been accused of absconding with millions in parish funds. The church, located in the Diocese of Palm Beach, lost $8.6 million in funds earmarked for parish operations, a school, and the poor. The two priests, Monsignor John Skehan, who was pastor at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church for four decades, was arrested Wednesday night on charges that he stole $8.6 million from the church, using the money to buy property and other assets, investigators said. The other priest, The Rev. Francis Guinan, who succeeded Skehan three years ago, has disappeared and was being sought, authorities said.

A federal judge has granted class action status to a group of smokers (estimated at tens of millions) who were duped by the tobacco industry by cigarette labeling that proclaimed that the cigarettes were “light” and therefore less dangerous. The judge stated that he will consider expanding the class to include smokers of “low tar” cigarettes as well as the “light cigarettes”.

Physicians’ financial interests should not overtake the needs of a patient when it comes to dealing with drug and medical device manufacturers. This was the obvious conclusion arrived at by a group of bio-ethicists at a conference hosted by Cleveland Clinic and sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The recent spate of ethical issues over doctors’ involvment with drug and device approval has raised ethical questions within the medical community.

According to a recent study, Acutane can cause more than birth defects. The use of the acne drug can potentially cause heart and liver problems as well. The study, published in the Archives of Dermatology, pointed to test results from a 7 year study of patients ranging in age from 13 to 50. The tests found higher than normal cholesterol and abnormal liver function results.

According to a published report in the Wall St. Journal, Glaxo Smith Kline became the latest drug manufacturer to add a warning label to its ADHD drug, Dexedrine. The new warning label will include a warning about cardiac risks and psychiatric side effects. The new warning was posted on the FDA website yesterday.

A New Orleans jury returned a $50,000,000 award to a 62 year old plaintiff who had taken Vioxx for 31 months. Mr. Barnett had suffered a heart attack four years earlier and stopped taking the drug shortly before Vioxx was pulled from the market. The jury found that Merck failed to adequately warn doctors about Vioxx’s potential harmful side effects and risks for cardiac incidents.