The Food & Drug Administration says there are more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco and tobacco smoke. And now the FDA says consumers have a right to know about the levels of 93 harmful or potentially harmful chemicals that are in the products they smoke and/or chew. [More]
Court Orders FDA To Investigate Use Of Antibiotics In Animal Feed
By March 23, 2012
Back in 1977, the FDA proposed a ban on putting penicillin and other antibiotics in animal feed solely for the purpose of promoting growth. Amazingly, that proposal has been gathering dust long enough to begin losing its hair and regretting its life choices. That is until yesterday, when a federal court ordered the FDA to finish what it started 35 years ago. [More]
Believe It Or Not, People Want More Oversight Of Implanted Medical Devices
By March 20, 2012
It seems almost silly to think that anyone would want to scale back the amount of regulatory control on the safety of medical devices, and a new poll shows that an overwhelming number of Americans believe in strong oversight of these products. Yet members of the House and Senate are considering legislation that could allow potentially unsafe items to hit the market. [More]
Appeals Court Rules Graphic Cigarette Labels Don't Violate Free Speech
By March 20, 2012
The latest battle over those graphic anti-smoking labels on cigarette packaging has been won by the FDA, after a federal appeals court ruled yesterday that requiring the warnings does not violate tobacco companies’ First Amendment right to free speech. [More]
FDA Warns Makers Of Inhalable Caffeine Against False Labeling
By March 7, 2012
The Food and Drug Administration is issuing what amounts to a “hey, hey, not so fast, guys,” to the makers of a new inhalable caffeine product called AeroShot Pure Energy. They’ve been under the FDA’s eye for awhile, since Sen. Chuck Schumer brought up his concerns that the canisters could be used as a kind of party drug. [More]
Should The FDA Inspect Non-Meat Food Plants More Than Once A Decade?
By March 5, 2012
Back in the day, slaughterhouses were the ones grabbing the attention when it came to health concerns and the need for inspectors from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on a regular basis to ensure food was safe. Now, the Food and Drug Administration checks in on most of what we eat — and they only inspect plants around once a decade, says one report. [More]
Judge: Graphic Cigarette Warning Labels Violate Right To Free Speech
By February 29, 2012
Remember those graphic, sometimes gory, cigarette warning labels the FDA came up with? Well, a U.S. District Judge has sided with the tobacco companies and ruled that the warnings violate cigarette-makers’ right to free speech. [More]
FDA Adds Diabetes & Memory Loss Warnings To Statins
By February 28, 2012
Widely used cholesterol-lowering statin drugs like Lipitor (atorvastatin), Crestor (rosuvastatin), Zocor (simvastatin), Simcor (simvastatin/niacin extended-release), Vytorin (simvastatin/ezetimibe) and many others will now have additional warnings on their packaging, according to an announcement from the Food & Drug Administration. [More]
FDA Green Lights Imports Of Cancer Drugs To Ease Shortages
By February 22, 2012
Of all the agonies that confront cancer patients, an unnecessary shortage of drugs they need must be among the more frustrating. The Food and Drug Administration is showing some compassion for the sick by easing import rules for two crucial cancer drugs in order to bulk up supply. [More]
FDA Will Give Another Look To Weight Loss Pill Said To Cause Birth Defects, Heart Problems
By February 20, 2012
Qnexa, a diet pill that some researchers say increases risks of birth defects and heart problems, is getting a second shot at making its way to the market. After rejecting the drug in 2010, the Food and Drug Administration will review Qnexa again Wednesday. [More]
FDA Warns About Potential For Chipped Teeth, Eye Injuries From Crest/Arm & Hammer Spinbrush
By February 17, 2012
If you ever looked at an Arm & Hammer Spinbrush (formerly the Crest Spinbrush) and thought “a toothbrush with all those moving parts could potentially wreak havoc if something goes wrong,” the folks at the Food & Drug Administration have confirmed your concerns. [More]
Got Lipstick? There's Probably Some Lead In It
By February 15, 2012
Back in 2007, the Food & Drug Administration did a small sample test on 33 lipsticks and found varying levels of lead in two-thirds of them. As a follow-up, the FDA requested testing of a significantly larger sampling and has now announced that it found at least trace amounts of lead in 400 varieties. [More]
Coca-Cola Reveals It Blew The Whistle On Orange Juice Contamination
By January 13, 2012
When word broke that the Food and Drug Administration had halted orange juice shipments to check for a potentially harmful fungicide, the government was mum on which company found evidence that triggered the reaction. Now Coca-Cola solved the mystery by confirming it was responsible for spotting carbendazim — an illegal fungicide believed to cause infertility — in a shipment from Brazil.
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According to the AP, Coca-Cola spotted carbendazim not only in its own drinks, but those of a competitor. Testing revealed of 35 parts per billion of the fungicide in a Coke product, a level that the Environmental Protection Agency poses no significant threat. [More]
FDA Puts Squeeze On Orange Juice Shipments, Checks For Fungicide
By January 12, 2012
Determined not to let orange juice double as unintentional contraception, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has frozen shipments to check for carbendazim, a fungicide banned in much of the world that is believed to cause infertility. As much as 25 percent of the American juice supply comes from abroad, and the FDA acted on a report that a juice company detected the fungicide in imports from Brazil, which provides 11 percent of America’s OJ. [More]
Crab Soup Recalled for Undeclared Milk, Wheat and…Crab?
By January 11, 2012
The sharp-eyed regulators at the FDA warn that Whole Foods is recalling cans of Rip Roar’N Crab Soup because the labels fail to tell consumers of a chief ingredient: crab. Wait. What? [More]
FDA Bans "Extra-Label" Uses Of Popular Class Of Antibiotics On Farm Animals
By January 4, 2012
For those of you who are concerned about the amount of antibiotics being given to the cows, chickens, pigs and turkeys that provide (or end up as) the food on your plate, here’s some good news. The Food and Drug Administration has announced a new regulation that prohibits “extra-label” uses of a popular class of antibiotics. [More]
Tests Show No Connection Between Enfamil Baby Formula & Child Deaths
By January 3, 2012
Late last month, Walmart and a handful of other other retailers decided to pull certain lots of Enfamil powdered baby food formula from shelves following the death of an infant in Missouri who had recently consumed the product. But tests by authorities at the Enfamil plant now show no link between the formula and this child’s death. [More]
FDA Warns Doctors & Pharmacists Not To Mix Up Similarly Named Eye Drops & Wart Remover
By December 29, 2011
It’s been almost a year since we brought you the story of the man who sued Walgreens for giving him Durasal wart remover instead of the Durezol eye drops his doctor had prescribed. Now the Food & Drug Administration has issued an alert to pharmacists and doctors to not make the same mistake. [More]
