The FDA is having a hearing to determine whether or not it should ban the sale of menthol cigarettes. The Tobacco Control Act already banns most tobacco flavorings, but does not include menthol — which makes up about one third of the $70 billion cigarette business. [More]
FDA Panel Split On Vote To Remove Avandia From Shelves
By July 14, 2010
Today, an advisory panel met to discuss and vote on whether or not to recommend if the FDA should pull diabetes drug Avandia from the market over a possible link to increased risk of heart attacks. In the end, the voting leaves no definite direction for how the FDA will ultimately come down on the issue. [More]
US Is A Dumping Ground For Crappy, Dangerous Olive Oil
By July 7, 2010
Demand for extra virgin olive oil is up — but we apparently don’t have strict standards that prevent companies from adulterating “extra virgin” olive oil with cheaper stuff such canola, safflower or peanut oils, says the LA Times. New standards from the US Department of Agriculture aim to change that this fall, however. [More]
CSPI Calls For Ban On Red 40, Yellows 5 and 6
By July 1, 2010
One week after threatening to take the happy out of Happy Meals, the Center for Science in the Public Interest now wants to remove a few colors from the food dye rainbow, calling for the FDA to issue a ban on three colors it believes are bad for your health. [More]
FDA To Farmers: Enough Already With All The Antibiotics
By June 29, 2010
After coming to the conclusion that farmers have gone a little hog-wild with their use of antimicrobials — not to cure animals of disease, but to spur animal growth — the FDA has kindly asked them to cut it out because it’s just going to make the rest of us sicker. [More]
Airline Food Might Not Only Taste Bad, It Might Make You Sick
By June 28, 2010
Maybe it’s a good thing that more and more airlines are charging to chow down on their mediocre meals. FDA reports uncovered by USA Today reveals the unappetizing conditions at some of the kitchens that prepare the overpriced grub. [More]
Would You Like Fries With Your Lion Burger?
By June 24, 2010
By now, you’ve probably heard about the small Mesa, Arizona, restaurant that caused an up-roar this week by making a limited-time addition to its menu — Lion Burgers. If you hadn’t heard about it, well now you have. But putting any judgment aside for the moment, one has to ask — Where in the world do you get lion meat from? [More]
Flavored Cigarettes Banned As Of Today
By June 23, 2010
New rules about tobacco marketing that targets young people go into effect this week as part of the Family Smoking Prevention and Control Act. Among the rules: No candy- or fruit-flavored cigarettes. [More]
Special Lovemaking Coffee Can Cause Sudden Drop In Blood Pressure, Lovemaking
By June 21, 2010
If you want to be a passionate lover, or at least a noticeably hyper one, of course you should drink a lot of coffee before hitting the sheets. That’s just common sense. But the FDA says that a specially marketed aphrodisiac coffee, Magic Power Coffee, can interfere with prescription drugs and cause a dramatic loss of blood pressure. [More]
You Still Can't Trust Trust Sunscreen SPF, Waterproof Claims
By June 20, 2010
Sunscreen makers can say almost anything they want about their product’s sun protection factor or water fighting ability because the FDA’s sunscreen regulations are a just a teensy bit late. Well, they’re actually thirty-two years late, but the FDA swears that they’re going to publish final regulations by October. Except maybe not. So what can consumers do in the meantime? [More]
Female Answer To Viagra Just Can't Stand Up To Testing Says FDA
By June 17, 2010
Sad news for the world of gettin-it-on today: A drug that had been intended as a female analog to Viagra has not only not shown promise in tests, but has actually demonstrated some quite non-sexy side effects. [More]
Johnson & Johnson Hired Fake Shoppers To Buy Up Bad Motrin, Avoid Public Recall
By June 14, 2010
Ever since the FDA and Congress started asking Johnson & Johnson to explain why it keeps recalling medicine, there have been references to an unpublicized “recall” that happened in November 2008. Last month, at a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, a J&J executive swore that the company didn’t mean to mislead anyone. It turns out that wasn’t exactly accurate: Bloomberg has obtained emails from J&J’s company, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, that show executives knew the secret recall would trigger an FDA reaction if the agency got wind of its full scope. [More]
FDA Cracking Down on DNA-Test Providers
By June 12, 2010
After scaring Walgreens out of the genetic-testing business, the FDA has now decided to crack down on the entire industry, and will be subjecting DNA tests to the same rules that it applies to medical devices such as blood-glucose meters. [More]
Study: Overwhelming Number Of Kids' Drinks & Snacks Contain Lead
By June 11, 2010
In a newly released report from the Environmental Law Foundation, nearly 150 varieties of beverages and fruit snacks marketed to children were tested for lead levels — and the results were not exactly good. [More]
Um, Shouldn't The FDA Have The Power To Recall Dangerous Food?
By June 9, 2010
If you thought the FDA had the power to recall dangerous food already, you’d be mistaken. Apparently, they need to “coax” the company into it. Changing this and increasing the agency’s budget are among the changes recommended by a new report by The Institute of Medicine, says Reuters. [More]
Tylenol Recall Factory Was Staffed With Undertrained Temps
By May 31, 2010
The manufacturing plant that has been the cause of Johnson & Johnson’s latest in a string of recalls has already been described as dirty and poorly maintained. It turns out that it was also staffed with temps and contract employees who weren’t properly trained, according to tax records and an FDA inspection report filed earlier this year. [More]
Criminal Charges Are Possible For Tylenol Recall Scandal
By May 27, 2010
CNN is reporting that the FDA has referred the Tylenol recall case to their criminal division for investigation. At issue is a pattern of non-compliance with FDA warnings and failures by management of McNeil to investigate and provide a timely resolution to serious problems with the product. These problems include excess amounts of the active ingredient in Tylenol, acetaminophen. [More]
Want More Lead Or Pesticide In Your Body? Try Dietary Supplements
By May 26, 2010
Lead has a deservedly bad reputation when it comes to human health and development, but because it’s classified as a heavy metal it will always be kind of awesome. Well, to me. Pesticide, not so much. If you dislike ingesting either type of toxin, you might be interested in a new study being released today by the Government Accountability Office that found trace amounts of “lead and other contaminants” in every sample of 40 health supplements tested. [More]
