Word: fda
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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HEART STOPPER It's enough to give you heartburn. Just two years after the FDA required a stronger warning label on the heartburn drug Propulsid, the agency reports that the popular prescription--more than 30 million Rxs have been filled since its introduction in 1993--has been linked to 70 deaths and more than 200 episodes of irregular heartbeat. Patients are advised to use the drug only as a last resort. And before they do, doctors should perform an electrocardiogram to check for ticker trouble...
Sources: Good News--Pasteurized Eggs L.P.; Journal of the American Medical Association (1/27/00). Bad News--New England Journal of Medicine (1/27/00); FDA...
SEIZE THIS Another option for epileptics: the FDA has cleared Trileptal, a new drug for kids and adults who suffer from so-called partial seizures, the most common type of epilepsy. Until now, many patients had to take two or three types of medication--up to 10 pills a day--to keep seizures at bay. Trileptal can be taken in combination with other drugs or alone. And it seems to work where others fail. In one study, 25% of patients who were headed for surgery remained seizure free during 10 days on Trileptal. Side effects of Trileptal, such as fatigue...
Looks like someone at the FDA thinks so. Last week the government agency issued a public-health advisory to remind physicians that Relenza and Tamiflu (as well as two older antiviral drugs) do not cure influenza and should not be viewed as substitutes for standard treatment. Apparently, a few patients died when they developed bacterial infections--a common complication of flu--and were treated solely with antiviral medications, which don't work against bacterial infections and were never meant to. Only antibiotics can tame bacterial infection. In addition, some people with asthma and other lung problems saw their condition worsen...
...herbs seem awfully tempting, TIME medical writer Christine Gorman warns, "the watchword for consumers is caveat emptor. People have the mistaken belief that there is scientific proof these supplements do what they say they will, while most of the claims are just wishful thinking." And, Gorman adds, as the FDA continues to back away from supplement regulation, the onus falls increasingly on consumers. "People need to do their homework before taking any supplement, and they need to tell their doctor exactly what they're taking - even if their doctor looks at them like they're crazy...