A new article published today in Clinical Cancer Research says that two men “developed aggressive and incurable prostate cancer within months of taking the same supplement.” The doctors examined the supplement and discovered it contained testosterone and estradiol, and “when they tested it on tumor cells in the lab, they found it fueled the growth of prostate cancer cells more potently than testosterone alone.” Either don’t take herbal/hormonal dietary supplements, they urge, or make sure you fully disclose to your doctor what you’re taking.
Pharma Medicine
Jury Selection For Enzyte Trial Started Today
By 1.12.08
Jury selection began today for the federal trial against the man, his mom, and the business associates responsible for the “male enhancement” supplement Enzyte, reports WKRC in Cincinnaaa-ti. The charges against Steve Warshak and his Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals company include “committing wire and mail fraud, money laundering, and misbranding.” No mention of creating what’s possibly the world’s most irritating TV ad, but we guess that crime is so great that it’s being left for hell to sort out.
Former Amgen Sales Reps Say They Were Encouraged To Illegally Access Patient Records
By 1.11.08
Two former sales reps for the pharmaceutical company Amgen are suing “for lost wages and other compensation after refusing to participate in improper promotion of the company’s blockbuster psoriasis drug Enbrel.” They claim that Amgen encouraged them to “illegally access patient records to induce insurance carriers to pay for the pricey drug,” according to their attorney. Amgen promptly responded that the suits were without merit, and then handed out blister packets of popular drugs, branded desk calendars, and free t-shirts, so everything’s cool.
By 1.9.08
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DHL and Walgreens cut a deal to open DHL shipping kiosks inside stores. 1,600 Walgreens will be offering DHL services around the clock.[Forbes]
Congress Asks Pfizer: Why Is Dr. Jarvik Qualified To Pitch Lipitor?
By 1.9.08
Dr. Robert Jarvik is the inventor of the Jarvik artificial heart, right? You know that because he’s the pitch-man for Lipitor, a heavily advertised cholesterol drug. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why inventing an artificial heart qualifies the man to pitch a drug?
Drug Companies Spend Almost $60 Billion On Marketing, $30 Billion On Research. What?
By 1.5.08
It’s okay for drug companies to spend oodles on advertising because they spend even more making sure their drugs are safe and effective, right? Not so much, according to a study in PLOS Medicine.
Minorities Not Prescribed Opioids As Frequently As Whites
By 1.2.08
If you’re black, Hispanic, or “Asian/other,” you might want to make sure your voice is heard loud and clear the next time you have to make a trip to the ER. Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that over the past 13 years, white patients were prescribed powerful opioid painkillers 31% of the time, versus 23% for blacks, 24% for Hisanics, and 28% for Asians and “others.”
FDA Warning: Chinese "Health Supplements" Contain Undeclared Sildenafil
By 12.29.07
Today the FDA announced that a group of Chinese “health supplements” from Puerto Rican-based Shangai Distributor, Inc., contain undeclared sildenafil, the active drug in Viagra, and are therefore illegal. The supplements are named Super Shangai, Shangai Ultra, Shangai Ultra X, Lady Shangai, and (perhaps the best name of the product line) Strong Testis. Shangai Regular, also known as Shangai Chaojimengnan, was found to have “an unapproved substance with a structure similar to sildenafil that may cause similar side effects and drug interactions,” and is therefore also included on the warning list.
FDA Issues New Warnings Over Misuse Of Duragesic Patch
By 12.21.07
The FDA said today that a small number of preventable cases of accidental death have occurred since their first Duragesic warning in 2005, prompting them to ask Johnson & Johnson and the makers of a generic version to add new warnings. “Despite a July 2005 warning, the Food and Drug Administration ‘has continued to receive reports of deaths and life-threatening side effects after doctors have inappropriately prescribed the patch or patients have incorrectly used it,’ the agency said.”
Naughty Cough Syrup Returns
By 12.7.07
So for a while there local newscasts were soberly worried kids drinking cough medicine that only contained dextromethorpan (DXM). It seems that children of all ages were guzzling bottles of it in order to go on a cheap hallucinatory journey.
Teenager Discovers Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria In Chicken
By 12.1.07
A 17-year-old student in New Zealand has discovered antibiotic resistant bacteria that could be difficult to treat in humans… in a bunch of grocery store chickens.
Walgreens Drops Some CVS Prescription Plans
By 11.30.07
Negotiations have broken down between Walgreens and rival CVS Caremark, and Walgreens has withdrawn as a provider from four of their prescription plans.
Customers affected include members of prescription benefit plans managed by CVS Caremark for ArcelorMittal, Johnson Controls, Inc., Progressive Casualty Insurance Co. and Wisconsin Education Association Trust, the company said.
How To Avoid The Medicare Donut Hole
By 11.27.07
Anyone who has Medicare and takes lots of drugs or a few very expensive ones (or who has an older relative who does) knows about the dreaded “donut hole”—the gap in coverage that happens each year if you have to spend a lot of money on prescriptions. If you’re above the poverty level but don’t have good gap insurance, it can be financially devastating. The New York Times notes that for a quarter of at-risk patients, planning ahead with generics may help you skirt the donut hole altogether. The big stumbling block is that you have to be prepared to discuss your personal finances with your doctor.
Tamiflu And Relenza Treat Flu, But Might Make You Crazy
By 11.27.07
This week, an FDA advisory panel will review a recommendation to put a warning on flu drugs Tamiflu and Relenza that says there have been “psychiatric events observed in some patients.” The companies who make the drugs have both responded that they’ve found no causal link between their drugs and “psychiatric events.”
$160 Mascara Seized By FDA Because It Can Cause Blindness
By 11.17.07
Earlier today, U.S. marshals seized over 12,000 tubes—about $2 million dollars worth—of Age Intervention Eyelash, sold by Jan Marini Skin Research, Inc. The FDA considers the product “adulterated” and potentially dangerous, and has urged “consumers, dermatologists and beauticians” who have already bought the $160 product to stop using it. So what’s the big deal? According to this lawsuit site, it contains bimatoprost, “an active ingredient in an FDA approved drug to treat elevated intraocular pressure.” Oops.
Zocor May Cause Sleep Problems In Patients
By 11.8.07
A new study from the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine suggests that simvastatin, also known as the cholesterol-lowering drug Zocor, may interfere with sleep patterns: “people who took the statin drug Zocor or simvastatin found they had significantly worse sleep quality compared with people who took Pravachol or pravastatin, another cholesterol-lowering drug.” Simvastatin is fat soluble, which means it can more easily penetrate cell membranes and mess with brain chemistry.
"Hide Your Old Pills In Poop"
By 11.7.07
The Reuters headline is so perfect, we can’t improve upon it. Hide your old pills in poop, folks, before you discard them, especially ones that are frequently abused like the painkillers oxycodone, morphine, and fentanyl, and the stimulant methylphenidate.
Recalled Date Rape Drug-Filled Toy Looks Pretty Cool
By 11.7.07
This is but one of millions of magical scenes you can create with Bindeez, a popular Australian toy whose beads were found to be metabolizable into rave party drug GHB. Low doses of GHB are said to induce, “euphoria, increased enjoyment of movement and music, increased libido, increased sociability and intoxication,” the same feelings we’re getting by looking at the splendor-laden craft project!
