InjuryBoard Philadelphia Archives

• Sales of Neutrospec Suspended

  Jamie Sheller | December 20, 2005 11:27 AM | 0 Comments
  Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs

  On December 19, 2005, Palatin Technologies suspended sales, marketing and distribution of Neutrospec, which is a radiolabeled imaging agent used primarily for diagnosing appendicitis. Serious adverse events, including two deaths, have been reported with the use of Neutrospec, which was approved for marketing in July 2004. After learning of the adverse events from Palatin, and meeting with the...

• Guidant Reports More Deaths Linked to Heart Devices

  Jamie Sheller | December 16, 2005 9:25 AM | 0 Comments
  Category: Miscellaneous

  Guidant Corporation has provided the FDA with reports about several recent patient deaths connected to recalled Guidant heart devices. The new reports raise the number of deaths from those devices to seven. According to agency records, those deaths resulted from short circuits in the devices, and they occurred after Guidant issued a recall of several devices in June 2005. The electrical...

• Incomplete Fix for Silicone Gel Implants

  Jamie Sheller | December 16, 2005 9:20 AM | 0 Comments
  Category: Medical Malpractice

  Mentor Corp., a maker of silicone gel breast implants, is hoping for FDA approval to sell its implants for general cosmetic use. However, the implants have exhibited a problem of leaking silicone oil. A former engineer for Mentor told the FDA that when the company was alerted to the problem, it fixed the demonstration models of the implants that would be used in doctor offices, but not the...

• Paxil Linked to Birth Defects

  Jamie Sheller | December 15, 2005 7:54 AM | 0 Comments
  Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs

  New information indicates that pregnant women who suffer from mental illness, such as depression and panic disorder, must be careful when taking a particular drug used to treat such diseases. According to the FDA, exposure to paroxetine, also known as Paxil, in the first trimester of pregnancy, may increase the risk of birth defects, particularly cardiac malformations.The manufacturer of Paxil...

• Antipsychotic Drugs Raise Concern For Elderly

  Jamie Sheller | December 15, 2005 7:48 AM | 0 Comments
  Category: FDA & Prescription Drugs

  Antipsychotic drugs approved for use in treating mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and manic depression, are also used by doctors to treat patients with dementia, including Alzheimers disease. However, recently the newer antipsychotic drugs have been linked to an increased risk of death for older patients. But researchers caution against switching elderly patients to the older generation...

• Over-the-Counter Eye Drops and Pain Medication Pulled From Market

  Jamie Sheller | December 01, 2005 12:09 PM | 0 Comments
  Category: Miscellaneous

  MBI Distributing, Inc. has been ordered to stop manufacturing its over-the-counter (OTC) eye drops and pain relief drugs. The FDA found that manufacturing deficiencies resulted in the company being unable to ensure that its eye drops were sterile. Also, the FDA determined that two of MBIs eye drop brands, Visitein and Clarity Vision for Life, are unapproved drugs. Further, the FDA found that...

• New Warnings Needed for Asthma Medications

  Jamie Sheller | December 01, 2005 12:06 PM | 0 Comments
  Category: Miscellaneous

  The FDA has required new warnings for Advair Diskus, Foradil Aerolizer, and Serevent Diskus asthma medications. The manufacturers must alert health care providers and patients that these medications may increase the chance of severe asthma episodes, and death when those episodes occur. The affected products contain medicines known as long-acting beta 2-adrenergic agonists (LABA), which help...