Drugs/Medical Archive

Zicam, Hydroxycut, Ephedra: Separated at Birth, now need Babysitter

September 16th, 2009. By Kristine B

What do Zicam, Ephedra and Hydroxycut have in common?—and no, you can’t look at side-by-side pictures for this one. If you’ve been following the news, turns out they have a lot more in common than you’d think. All three…

• were marketed as “natural” products that people turned to in a time of need
• weren’t required to test their safety before being marketed
• caused nationwide recalls when reports of serious side effects started rolling in

and…

• were assumed to be safe because they were marketed as “natural”

And while each of these has been yanked from the market, those of their ilk that are still on the market now need some babysitting (i.e., tighter regulation and increased safety testing).

The bottom line is that people think “natural” equals “safe.” Unfortunately, that’s just not always true. Something can be natural and still harmful—Poison Ivy, anyone? And the food industry is renowned for giving new meaning to “natural”. Check out the Jelly Belly site and you’ll see the superfruit mix is: Naturally Sweetened, High in Antioxidant Vitamin C, Made with Real Fruit Juices and Purees, and have Colors from Natural Sources. Great—but I won’t be getting my USRDA of vitamin C from ’em. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Ephedra, Hydroxycut, Zicam
Posted in Defective Products, Drugs/Medical | 1 Comment »

Adderall Addiction

September 15th, 2009. By janem

The website collegeTips.com advertises Adderall for sale without a prescription, and Online-Pharmacy sells “Adderall No Prescription Needed Buy Cheap”, just to name a few online sites. Turns out that Adderall, a stimulant medication used in the treatment of attention deficit disorder (ADD) in both children and adults, is also wildly popular among college students.

One dose of Adderall is “good to go” for a  child with ADD; one pill can last for about six hours per dose, so it can cover the entire school day. And that’s a great selling point for the drug company.

The drug company has also observed some side effects, such as  loss of appetite—but it also says not to worry, just “feed a protein shake twice a day to help keep weight up”. It also notes “some irritability or anger (as when you have had too much caffeine) and possible short term growth inhibition (though long-term this may not be a problem).” Note the “may not be a problem” part. Why on earth would you give your kid this drug and maybe stunt his growth, protein shake aside? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Adderall
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues | No Comments »

Paxil Birth Defects Trial Underway in Nation’s Birthplace

September 14th, 2009. By AbiK

It’s somehow eerily fitting that the bellwhether trial case for GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) Paxil is taking place in Philadelphia—the nation’s birthplace. You can’t really think of such a trial going on in Philly without recalling a few excerpts from the Declaration of Independence—and not just the more famous lines about unalienable rights but also some lesser quoted phrases like “Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies”; substitute the word “mothers” for “colonies” and you’ve just advanced 233 years to be talking about Paxil.

At the heart of the trial that’s now underway is GSK’s allegedly knowing—and failing to warn patients—that its anti-depressant drug, Paxil, could cause birth defects.

All eyes are on this first case which centers on Lyam Kilker, now 3, who has suffered life-threatening heart defects since birth. According to bloomberg.com (9/11/09), Michelle David, Lyam’s mother, was quoted as saying that:

…she was prescribed Paxil during her first trimester to treat mild anxiety. Lyam was born with defects including two holes in his heart as a result of taking the drug, she said in court papers. The infant underwent multiple surgeries within six months of his birth, she said.

She said wouldn’t have taken Paxil if she knew of the risk and contends that Glaxo failed to warn her or her doctors.

“All of Ms. David’s physicians who prescribed Paxil just prior to and during her pregnancy with Lyam have testified that had they been warned that Paxil could increase the risk of cardiovascular heart defects, they would not have prescribed it to her,” according to court papers.

Needless to say, GSK’s position is that there’s no mea culpa; however, reports estimate at least 600 additional cases waiting in the pipeline for the outcome of this trial to say just whose culpa it is. For the sake of legacy of our forefathers, let’s hope prudence prevails.

Tags: Glaxo, GSK, paxil, paxil-heart-defects-newborn
Posted in Drugs/Medical | 2 Comments »

What Price Beauty? Your Lawyer knows…

September 8th, 2009. By AbiK

The phrase “What price beauty?” is starting to take on new meaning. Used to insinuate something that went a bit too far—in cost, time, discomfort, whatever—to achieve beauty. But now, it’s about safety. And it goes beyond whether the manicurist remembered to disinfect the cuticle nipper/trimmer. Not downplaying a potential infection, but beauty’s got bigger—and potentially more dangerous—issues to deal with. Enter medispas…

There’s a lot of misconception about what a medispa is and isn’t. A medispa, or medical spa, refers to a facility where both traditional spa treatments (facial, massage, waxing, manicure) and non-surgical cosmetic procedures (laser hair removal, cosmetic injections like botox, laser resurfacing, chemical peels) are administered. A medispa operates under the supervision of a doctor—but that doesn’t mean the doctor either performs the treatment or is even on-site when it happens.

Sounds straightforward—until you ask yourself, so who’s wielding that Yag laser during my hair removal treatment? And what board certified them? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Botox, Malpractice, Medispa
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues | No Comments »

In the Pharma World, Begging for Forgiveness is Much More Profitable

September 5th, 2009. By Hunter West

Just when, did the medical community begin serving the pharmaceutical industry—instead of the other way around? 

The recent fine levied against Pfizer for various marketing sins involving a handful of prescription drugs may well be the largest ($2.3 billion), and most comprehensive (Pfizer was required to sign an agreement of conduct that has been described as being the most stringent in history)—but it is by no means the first such case. Pharmaceutical companies have for years been bending the rules and circumventing regulations by promoting drugs off label (that’s illegal), and other unsavory activities, all in the quest for the mighty greenback. 

Doctors have been lavished with gifts in exchange for prescribing someone’s drug. They accept ‘consulting fees’ from pharmaceuticals in exchange for lecturing, in their own words mind you, on the benefits of a particular drug. It’s all perfectly legal, but it shouldn’t be. 

And that’s one of the many wrongs percolating in a health care system that’s severely broken and in need of overhaul. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Big Pharma, Pfizer
Posted in Drugs/Medical | No Comments »