Automated prescription refills and deliveries have probably saved patients’ lives by insuring that they got their medication on time. But this time, it wasn’t the pills in the bottle that saved a Pennsylvania woman; it was the man who delivered them. [More]
Pharma Medicine
CVS Hands Kids Breast Cancer Drugs Instead Of Fluoride Pills
By 3.5.12
For almost two months, some children in New Jersey were taking breast cancer drugs instead of fluoride pills for their teeth. CVS made a big whoopsie, as parents were picking up tamoxifen unbeknownst to them, and handing it out to their kids at home. [More]
Doctor Accused Of Murder For Prescriptions That Led To Overdoses
By 3.5.12
The Los Angeles District Attorney revealed that a California doctor faces murder charges for allegedly pushing unneeded prescription drugs to patients, three of whom died of overdoses in 2009. She also faces 21 felony counts of writing fraudulent, purposeless prescriptions. Authorities says she prescribed tens of thousands of unneeded prescriptions to various patients, including methadone, Xanax, oxycodone to patients. [More]
FDA Adds Diabetes & Memory Loss Warnings To Statins
By 2.28.12
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]
Peanut Butter Disguise Can't Sneak Pot Past TSA
By 2.16.12
Many things go great with peanut butter, but marijuana isn’t one of them, at least when you’re going through airport security. A passenger allegedly tried to sneak marijuana aboard a flight from Oakland by packing it inside a peanut butter jar, but Transportation Security Administration workers spotted the ruse with an X-ray machine. The man was cited for drug possession and missed his flight. He said the pot was for medical use and he hid it because he didn’t have a medical marijuana card. [More]
Kroger Now In The Business Of Filling Your Pets' Prescriptions
By 1.23.12
Tired of paying exorbitant prices to your vet to get those prescription pills, creams, eye and ear drops for your pets? The folks at Kroger hope you are, as they have just expanded the availability of pet medications to all the supermarket chain’s in-store pharmacies nationwide. [More]
Walgreens Opens Fancy Flagship Store With Humidor, Sushi Bar & More Upscale Trappings In Chicago
By 1.9.12
Going to the drugstore just to pick up a prescription or some shoe inserts is so passe — nowadays consumers demand things like a sushi bar, manicures, humidors and other fine trappings. Walgreens announced today that they’re opening a flagship location in Chicao with those fancy attractions, as well as a slew of other flashy attractions. [More]
Walgreens Lets My Ex-Husband Change My Account Information And View My Prescription History
By 1.6.12
Walgreens seems to think the “ex” in “ex-husband” is just a funny little arbitrary word that doesn’t mean much. Alice says she’s been divorced for three years, and separated for more than that, has moved twice and changed her phone number twice, and yet Walgreens still allows her ex-husband to change her account information to link with his. [More]
If CVS Sells You Something Expired, It's Your Own Damn Fault
By 1.6.12
Reader Andy noticed this sign in near the breakfast foods in a local CVS. It instructs customers to check the expiration dates of the items they choose before taking them up to the cash register. It’s an innovative idea: maybe they’re aiming to crowdsource stock rotation. [More]
CVS Sells Customer Expired Prepaid Debit Card, Shrugs
By 1.5.12
Last year, Mike bought a Vanilla Visa prepaid debit card at CVS as a gift for a friend, who promptly forgot that the card existed until about a year later. The card doesn’t work, but not because it’s been dormant for the last year and had its balance eaten up in fees. No, the problem is that this card expired in July 2010, before it was even purchased. CVS never should have sold him this card. Now neither CVS nor Vanilla Visa will take responsibility for the problem, and are even accusing Mike of being a scammer. [More]
FDA Bans "Extra-Label" Uses Of Popular Class Of Antibiotics On Farm Animals
By 1.4.12
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]
Johnson & Johnson Ends 2011 Just At It Began — By Recalling More Stuff
By 12.22.11
After more than a year of near-constant recalls, the folks at Johnson & Johnson’s McNeil Labs aren’t finished yet. This time, it’s a mere 12 million bottles of Motrin that are being recalled from store shelves because the pills may not dissolve as quickly as they are supposed to. [More]
Why Does This Candy Bar Have Three Different Prices?
By 12.16.11
It’s time for yet another exciting installment of “No, seriously, how much does this item cost?”
In the case of these candy bars that Victor found at a Walgreens store, the shelf tags would actually make sense if it weren’t for that “2 for $1” label on the product’s package. [More]
O.B. Finally Apologizes To America For Tampon Shortage (With A Catch)
By 12.8.11
Last week, we told you the folks at o.b. tampons had issued an oddball, tongue-in-cheek apology in the form of a cheeseball ballad, complete with customizable video, for the many months that their products were off store shelves. Only problem was, that apology — and the coupon that came with it — was only available to Canadian shoppers. [More]
O.B. Tampons Apologizes To Canadian Customers… In Song Form
By 12.2.11
As many of you may remember from this time last year, o.b. tampons became one of many Johnson & Johnson products to disappear from store shelves. And for many, many months, store shelves remained o.b.-free, until they gradually began showing up in the spring. Now the tampon makers are saying “we’re sorry”… at least to its Canadian customers. [More]
Study: Painkiller Could Be Liver Killer
By 11.24.11
Over-the-counter painkillers seem harmless enough, but like any drug, they can cause plenty of pain of their own if overused. According to a study, popping too much acetaminophen over an extended period of time could cause liver failure and possibly lead to death. [More]
Pfizer To Pay $60 Million To Settle Bribery Allegations
By 11.21.11
Drug giant Pfizer will have to squirt out $60 million in order to settle allegations from the feds that it bribed foreign companies, violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which forbids companies from making deals by paying off foreign officials. [More]
CVS Makes Mistake, Robocalls Me Incessantly For Their 3 Bucks
By 11.10.11
Sarah noticed after a visit to the pharmacy that the technician had failed to charge her for one of her prescriptions. It’s difficult for her to get into town from her college campus, so she figured because it’s the store’s error, she’d let it go. Karma does not agree, and has sent swift and annoying punishment down for Sarah. She must pay for the prescription, or the CVS system will robocall her several times per day reminding her to pick up the prescription. [More]
