Drugs/Medical Archive

Tracking MRI Health Risk & Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis Discussions

June 26th, 2009. By AbiK

A quick and easy way to determine the popularity (for better or worse) of a given topic is to check out the top message boards for that topic. The Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis group on Yahoo is where I went to get a quick read on the growing discussion around MRI health risks relating to use of Gadolinium as a contrast agent.

A picture tells a thousand words and I’m better with visuals—so I took the comment tracker and turned it into a graph. Seems pretty staightforward. However, here are a few data points I found from the American Roentgen Ray Society (“first and oldest radiology society in the United States”). The ARRS issued a report back in October, 2008 that included a neat little chart: MR Contrast Agent an Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) Timeline. Here, some highlights… Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Gadolinium, MRI Health Risks
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Personal Injury | No Comments »

MRI Health Risks: 2 You Need to Know

June 23rd, 2009. By AbiK

Anyone who’s had an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) pretty much knows the drill on removing jewelry, hair clips, belt buckles—anything metal that can interfere with the scanning process. But there are two other precautions you need to take to avoid some potentially serious MRI health risks.

1. Gadolinium Contrast

Gadolinium is a paramagnetic metal ion that is approved by the FDA to provide contrast during an MRI. While a contrast agent is not always required for an MRI, many times its use is requested to provide additional diagnostic information that cannot be obtained by an MRI without contrast. Gadolinium contrast is not without risks though. According to the FDA,

…certain patients who receive GBCAs appear to be at an increased risk for developing a serious systemic fibrosing disease, NSF. The patients at risk are those with acute or chronic severe renal (kidney) insufficiency (glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73m²); or renal dysfunction due to the hepato-renal syndrome or in the perioperative liver transplantation period. In the hepato-renal syndrome or in the perioperative liver transplantation period, the risk applies to any severity of renal dysfunction.

There is no known treatment for NSF, and NSF has been associated with each of the five FDA-approved gadolinium contrast agents: Magnevist, MultiHance, Omniscan, OptiMARK, and ProHance. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Gadolinium, MRI Health Risks
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Raptiva, Reglan, Hydroxycut, Heparin and Floppy Hats

June 22nd, 2009. By AbiK

Ok folks. Let’s play a little “One of these things is not like the other; one of these things just doesn’t belong…” Sing along with me if you’d like. Or not. Either way, I’m betting the farm that you’re going to pick (drum roll please) Floppy Hats as your answer.

Raptiva, Reglan, Hydroxycut and Heparin are all drugs (one’s a supplement) that have either been directly linked to adverse (and dangerous) side effects and have been yanked or recalled from shelves by the FDA—or have received a more stringent black box warning in recent months. Each is a current legal issue with lawsuits pending.

Floppy Hats? That would be a suit, too, brought forth by Alfred G. Rava—a California lawyer. Seems he felt pretty injured (my words) when he didn’t receive a floppy hat as a giveaway at an Oakland A’s game in 2004. See, according to a great post by Rick Reilly over at ESPN.com (6/12/09), Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Alfred Rava, Heparin, Hydroxycut, Raptiva, Reglan
Posted in Defective Products, Drugs/Medical | 1 Comment »

Final Call for Raptiva Recall

June 22nd, 2009. By janem

The complete recall of Genentech’s psoriasis drug Raptiva throughout the US and some countries of the European Union will be finalized this week, after sales were suspended in April of this year due to the risk of serious Raptiva side effects, including a fatal brain infection known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).

Although the overall risk of PML for patients on Raptiva is low, it appears to be increased in long-term users of the drug and in those with compromised immune systems. But the FDA announced that Raptiva would no longer be available in the United States by June 8, 2009. So that means a patient could get a prescription in June and potentially take Raptiva for at least 4 months or so after sales were initially suspended.

 I don’t get it: if the amount of time a patient is on Raptiva is a crucial factor in developing PML, why was this drug phased out slowly instead of being wiped off the market in one fell swoop?

Tags: Raptiva, Raptiva PML Brain Infection
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Fen-Phen hangover?

June 19th, 2009. By AbiK

Mention Fen-Phen or Ephedra to someone and they’ll most likely give you that “oh yeah—I remember that” kind of response. Fen-Phen had pretty much reached that place in nostalgia that’s typically relegated to rather-not-remember fads (hello, acid wash jeans). However, Fen-Phen—and herbal Fen-Phen (aka the mix of Ephedra and St. John’s Wort)—are back in the forefront due to what I call their “delayed hangover” effect. Namely, PPH or Primary Pulmonary Hypertension.

Ever notice with a hangover, everything starts out quite nicely. You drink, you feel that buzz. Then there’s that period when you sleep and it seems like nothing’s happening, simply because you’re not aware of it. Then morning comes. Well, some folks who took Fen-Phen as a weight loss supplement have woken up to find themselves with what appears to be PPH symptoms—years after taking the drug and years after the FDA issued its public health advisory in 1997 announcing its withdrawal.

Ephedra, or should I say herbal Fen-Phen which sounds much more benign, was also yanked from shelves by the FDA in 2004. A look at the Ephedra entry on WebMD shows the effects of Ephedra can be similar to some of the symptoms of PPH. WebMd also mentions that Ephedra…

Tags: Ephedra, Fen-Phen, PAH, PPH
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