What a difference a few years makes: although marijuana is illegal under federal law, the recreational and legal cannabis industry raked in billions of dollars last year, and it’s only expected to keep on growing (pun totally intended). [More]
Pharma Medicine
CVS Sued Over Claims Its Algae Supplement Improves Memory
By 2.1.16
Drugstore giant CVS is being sued for marketing and advertising its algae-based Algal-900 DHA supplements as proven memory enhancers, when the science used to prop up that claim is allegedly bogus. [More]
Walmart Ordered To Pay $31 Million For Retaliating Against Pharmacist Whistleblower
By 1.29.16
A federal jury in New Hampshire has slapped the nation’s largest retailer with more than $31 million in penalties for unlawful retaliation and gender bias against a former pharmacist who blew the whistle on safety concerns involving her co-workers. [More]
Walgreens Refuses To Kick Its Cigarette Habit
By 1.27.16
Nearly two years ago, CVS announced it would finally be giving up tobacco once and for all, leading Walgreens to say it was “evaluating” its future with the cancer-causing products. Now that the country’s biggest drugstore chain has had some time to kick back and ruminate on the matter, it’s decided… well, it’s decided to continue selling cigarettes while it thinks some more. [More]
Drug-Resistant Superbug Gene Found In At Least 19 Countries Since November
By 1.22.16
You’ve likely never been prescribed the antibiotic colistin, because it’s a drug of last resort that you turn to after only other antibiotics have failed. But there’s a gene that can make bacteria resistant to colistin, and a new report says it’s been found in at least 19 countries on four continents. [More]
Rite Aid Will Deploy Thousands Of Beacons To Beam Deals At Shoppers
By 1.20.16
In-store beacons are low-power Bluetooth devices that let stores or brands push promotions out to customers smartphones. They only work when the shopper has opted in by installing an app. Do you really want your favorite shampoo brand beaming coupons at you every time you walk by a shelf? They haven’t really caught on, but Rite Aid is deploying them in 4,500 stores. [More]
Nine Retailers Recall Store-Branded Children’s Cold Medicine Over Overdose Risks
By 1.11.16
Nine retailers, including CVS and Rite Aid, have recalled two flavors of store-branded children’s liquid cold medicine over a potential overdose risk. [More]
Walgreens “Nice!” Orange Slices Recalled Because Glass Shards Have No Nutritional Value
By 1.7.16
If you shop at Walgreens, you’re probably familiar with its “Nice!” line of house-brand products, which includes bottles of mandarin orange slices. Unfortunately, some of those bottles might contain something that isn’t very nice: pieces of glass. [More]
Melatonin Helps People Fall Asleep, But Has Potential Problems And Side Effects
January 7, 2016
If you’re having trouble falling or staying asleep, you may first turn to melatonin, a synthetic version of the hormone that regulates our sleep/wake cycles. It might seem like a mild and natural alternative to sleeping pills, but there are potential problems. The hormone can interact with other medications and have side effects like next-day grogginess, and since it’s regulated as a supplement, its potency may vary. You also may need a much lower dose than what’s in the bottle: as little as .1 mg works for some people. [Consumer Reports] [More]
What You Need To Know Before You Take A Sleeping Pill
By 1.5.16
When you’re having a hard time getting a good night’s sleep, you might reach for the pill bottle for a simple, chemical solution. And you’re not alone — according to a new survey from our colleagues at Consumer Reports, more than one-third of adults who complained of sleep problems at least once per week said they had used an over-the-counter or prescription sleep drug in the previous year. [More]
Looking Ahead: 5 Big Issues To Follow For 2016
By 1.1.16
Now that 2015 is done and we finally learned that Luke Skywalker is actually Faye Dunaway’s daughter (and sister!), it’s time to take off the party hats, sweep up the confetti, and do the walk of shame forward into the uncharted territory of the year to come. [More]
FDA Recalls Several Weight Loss Supplements Containing Unsafe Ingredients
By 12.23.15
Earlier this year, the owner of a dietary supplement company was sentenced to 30 months in prison for selling “all natural” products that secretly contained harmful active ingredients that shouldn’t even be available to U.S. consumers. Today, the FDA announced recalls for more than a dozen additional products containing these same, unsafe ingredients. [More]
Papa John’s Promises To Go Antibiotic-Free For Its Chicken Toppings, Poppers
By 12.16.15
We’ve never really understood the appeal of chicken on pizza, but hey — some people really like it. So this should be good news for them, as Papa John’s has announced plans to only source chickens raised on vegetarian diets and without antibiotics. [More]
Farm Animals Can Get Over-The-Counter Antibiotics That Humans Need A Prescription For
By 12.15.15
If you get sick and need an antibiotic, you’ll also need a prescription because these medically important drugs shouldn’t be used willy-nilly. But if you’re a cow, pig, chicken, or fish, you can get many of those same antibiotics without any prescription whatsoever at any number of retail and online stores. [More]
FDA’s Voluntary Guidance Failing To Curb Antibiotic Overuse In Farm Animals
By 12.10.15
Two years ago, the Food and Drug Administration — after decades of delay — paid lip service to the idea of reducing the use of medically important antibiotics for growth-promotion in farm animals, by asking the drug makers to voluntarily stop selling antibiotics specifically for that purpose. Critics called the FDA actions pointless while the drug and beef industries weren’t bothered in the least. And now, by the FDA’s own numbers, we can see why. [More]
6 Things You Should Know About The Use Of Antibiotics On Farm Animals
By 12.9.15
We’ve written a lot over the years about the overuse of antibiotics in livestock and how this can help create the drug-resistant “superbugs” that sicken millions, and kill thousands, every year — in the U.S. alone. It’s a complicated issue and the solution involves more than just buying the occasional organic chicken from Whole Foods. [More]
Maintenance Workers Find 26.2 Pounds Of Cocaine Stashed On American Airlines Plane
By 12.2.15
If you left a package containing a bunch of bricks of cocaine on an American Airlines jet, law enforcement in Tulsa, OK would like to speak with you. [More]
Express Scripts To Offer $1 Version Of Drug That Skyrocketed To $750/Pill Overnight
By 12.1.15
Earlier this year, a company called Turing Pharmaceuticals purchased the rights to Daraprim (pyrimethamine), an anti-parasitic used to treat malaria and toxoplasmosis, that had sold for as little as $1/tablet until not too long ago. Overnight, the price of Daraprim skyrocketed to around $750/pill, resulting in angry doctors, and a Senate investigation. Today, pharmacy benefits giant Express Scripts announced a partnership that will introduce a version of pyrimethamine at the pre-Turing price. [More]
