All Topics

• Anemia Drugs Get Black Box Warning from FDA

  Joe Saunders | March 13, 2007 10:00 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  The FDA has issued a "black box" warning concerning a family of anemia drugs that have high cancer and heart risks associated with them. The news was a particularly harsh blow to Amgen. The biotech giant alone accounted for $5.3 billion in U.S. sales from its best-selling products Aranesp and Epogen in 2006. Johnson & Johnson's Procrit fetched another $2 billion in U.S. sales. Roche Group AG,...

• Peanut Butter Recall Expands. . .Again

  Joe Saunders | February 28, 2007 8:25 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  The FDA has expanded its peanut butter recall again in order to include single serving packets of Peter Pan peanut butter. These packets are the 3/4 ounce and 1.1 ounce variety and were sold to institutions. The FDA is trying to determine who was sold these packets.

• Attention Deficit Disorder Drug Makers Have to Warn about Side Effects

  Joe Saunders | February 21, 2007 6:24 PM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Pharmaceutical companies that manufacture attention deficit hyperactivity disorder will have to warn consumers of possibly dangerous side effects from the drug including mental disorders, heart problems, even sudden death. The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that it directed the manufacturers of Ritalin, Adderall, Strattera and all other ADHD drugs to develop the guides

• Salmonella Tennessee the Culprit in Peanut Butter Contamination

  Joe Saunders | February 21, 2007 8:48 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  The widening contamination recall of Peanut Butter recall has been linked to a particular form of salmonella poisoning called Salmonella Tennessee. If you or a loved one have eaten the peanut butter and have experienced diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, or fever, you should seek medical attention immediately. Also, don't throw away the jar, it is important evidence for your healthcare professional...

• Peanut Butter Contamination Linked to Salmonella

  Joe Saunders | February 16, 2007 10:09 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  300 people have been linked to a peanut butter salmonella contamination that has led to the product recall of peanut butter brands Peter Pan and Great Value. The peanut butter was processed in the ConAgra Foods plant in Sylvester Georgia. The salmonella outbreak has been linked to peanut butter with the product codes beginning with "2111". Presently, the outbreak has been detected in 39...

• FDA Approval Means Consumer Safety? Not So Fast

  Joe Saunders | February 14, 2007 8:20 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  There's a widespread myth that FDA approval of a new drug product means that that drug is safe for consumer use. Yet, according to a notice published Friday by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), from October 2005 through September 2006, companies had yet to initiate 71 percent of outstanding "post-market" safety evaluations that companies have promised to undertake for currently...

• Eli Lilly and Free Speech

  Joe Saunders | February 09, 2007 8:40 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of the drug Zyprexa, has aggressively fought to suppress internal company documents from seeing the light of day. The documents, which were highlighted in a December 2006 NY Times article, showed that Eli Lilly intentionally downplayed and hid Zyprexa's dangerous side effects. However, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is fighting back to allow the general public...

• Taser Use Should Be Monitored and Used Judiciously

  Joe Saunders | January 23, 2007 9:26 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  An excellent editorial on the dangers of the Taser stun gun can be found in today's Sarasota Herald Tribune. The piece mentions that the Taser gun is safer than a handgun, its dangers can not be overlooked. The jolt of electricity and wire barbs that hook into the victim can be lethal. The editorial correctly points out that the stun gun should only be used as a last resort by law...

• Coumadin Gets Tougher Warning Label

  Joe Saunders | October 10, 2006 10:43 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Bristol Myers Squibb, the manufacturer of the blood thinning drug Coumadin, has strengthened its warning label concerning the dangers of potentially fatal bleeding. Coumadin, known generically as Warfarin, had previously cited a "risk of hemorrhage" and wasn't highlighted in a black box.

• Rep. Mark Foley Needs to Disclose the Identity of His Abuser

  Joe Saunders | October 04, 2006 5:22 PM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  If Rep. Mark Foley was the victim of a crime, he needs to identify the perpetrator in order to protect other minors. It's not enough that he's disclosed that he's a victim of sexual abuse, he needs to prevent future abuse by naming his accuser.In all the political uproar, this message concerning the safety of our children has been lost. Just as the Catholic bishops thought first about...