Bad news for Dr. Greg House and other, non-fictional chronic pain patients. The FDA advisory panel that met yesterday about the effects of excessive doses of acetaminophen made another recommendation to the FDA—to take popular painkillers Vicodin and Percocet (and their generic versions) off the market because of the effect both drugs can have on the liver when taken for extended periods. The FDA will most likely follow this recommendation.
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FDA: Hey America, Stop Overdosing On Painkillers!
By 6.30.09
Look, we know this recession is tough and all, but you’ve gotta lay off the NyQuil and Theraflu or the FDA will stuff them behind a counter, ok? Seriously, an advisory panel is meeting today, and already voted to reduce the maximum daily dose of Tylenol and other painkillers. They might even slap scary “black box” warnings on all over-the-counter painkillers to dissuade you acetaminophen addicts from overdosing.
How Did E. Coli Get Into Nestle's Cookie Dough?
By 6.24.09
USA Today is reporting that the FDA is “stumped” by the presence of E. coli 0157:H7 in Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Dough, which was recalled last week. How does bacteria normally associated with raw ground beef find its way into our buckets of delicious cookie dough? Some speculation, inside.
Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough Full Of E. Coli, FDA Warns
By 6.19.09
The FDA is advising consumers who have purchased any variety of Nestle Toll House prepackaged, refrigerated cookie dough to throw it away or return it for a refund, due to risk of contamination with E. coli bacteria. At least 25 people have been hospitalized since March.
Zicam Didn't Share 800 Reports Of Smell Loss With The FDA
By 6.18.09
The Wall Street Journal says that Matrixx, the manufacturer of the allegedly smell-destroying cold remedy Zicam, is defending their product, but also admits that they didn’t share 800 reports of smell loss with the FDA. Despite this, they described the FDA’s warning about Zicam as a “complete surprise.”
Comprehensive Food Safety Reform Moves Forward In Congress
By 6.17.09
The House Energy and Commerce Committee just approved comprehensive food safety reform, setting it up for consideration on the House floor in the coming months. The Food Safety Enhancement Act was approved by voice vote, indicating bipartisan support and suggesting a relatively smooth passage through the entire House.
By 6.11.09
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The Senate has approved FDA regulation of tobacco. No more “low tar” labels or flavored tobacco, and the FDA will now need to know and approve all ingredients in tobacco products. It is likely to pass the House, and President Obama plans to sign the bill. [MSNBC] (Thanks, Greg!)
Hmm, This Hand Sanitizer Is Full Of Bacteria
By 6.10.09
Clarcon manufactures skin protectants and sanitizers marketed under several different brand names, including CitruShield, Dermassentials, Magic Touch, and Pure Effect. …One such product, Magic Touch, is marketed as a lotion, an antibacterial, an antibiotic, and a germicide that is “great to apply open wounds because it helps heal the skin without scars.”
If Legislation Passes, The FDA May Soon Regulate Cigarettes
By 6.8.09
The New York Times is reporting that Richard M. Burr, the “tobacco-state senator who tried a filibuster this week against a bill that would allow the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the cigarette industry” has apparently given up, clearing the way for the bill to pass the Senate. A similar bill has already passed the House and Obama says he will sign the legislation.
Effient: FDA May Approve Blood Thinner That Causes Internal Bleeding
By 6.4.09
The Food and Drug Administration may be on the verge of approving an ELil Lilly blood thinner a consumer group says causes internal bleeding.
The FDA Isn't Yet Sure How To Make Our Food Safer But Lots Of Cash Might Help
By 5.23.09
The FDA is set to receive $3.2 billion next year but they don’t yet have a plan to make our food any safer. That doesn’t sit well with Congressional appropriator Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who at a recent hearing told Acting FDA Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein: “A lot sounds to me like buzzwords from a past administration.”
"Langostino Lobster" More Closely Related To Hermit Crab Than To Lobster
By 5.14.09
If you see the word “langostino” in front of “lobster” at your local seafood fast food chain (*cough* Long John Silvers), make sure you understand what it is you’re about to eat. In the US, langostino can refer to squat lobster, pelagic crab or Colorado langostino—all types of shellfish, and more closely related to crabs and, yes, hermit crabs than to lobsters. “Sweet Buttery Hermit Handfuls” wouldn’t be any more accurate than “Buttered Langostino Lobster Bites,” but it wouldn’t be any less accurate, either. And no, LJS, it doesn’t count if you put the shellfish pieces in a cardboard lobster tail.
FDA to General Mills: Your Marketing Has Made Cheerios Into A Drug
By 5.12.09
Do you want to know something about Cheerios that, until recently, General Mills didn’t know? Of course you do. Cheerios is a drug. No, really. The WSJ Health Blog says that General Mills made a slight, um, let’s call it a “miscalculation” when they were drafting their marketing speech and by claiming that Cheerios is “clinically proven to lower cholesterol,” they inadvertently “cause[d] it to be a drug.” Whoopsies!
Former FDA Commissioner David Kessler Dumpster Dived To Keep You Thin
By 5.2.09
Consider this the next time you wonder how far government officials will go to protect you: former FDA Commissioner David Kessler used to dumpster dive for nutritional data that chain restaurants were unwilling to hand over. Kessler, who rummaged through rubbish in slacks and padded gardening gloves, was looking for the ingredient labels that suppliers are required to print on all inter-state food shipments. Kessler’s findings were both dirty and disturbing…
RECALL: FDA Warns Consumers To Stop Using Hydroxycut Immediately
By 5.1.09
The FDA has issued a warning instructing consumers to stop using Hydroxycut immediately due to the risk of severe injury to the liver.
Salmonella Found In Alfalfa Sprouts
By 4.27.09
Raw alfalfa sprouts have been linked to salmonella outbreaks across the country, according to the FDA. Recent salmonella cases have been diagnosed in Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia, and the FDA is linking this outbreak to salmonella infections a few months ago in other states, including Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. (Photo: Erin Collins)
Sex Spray To Stave Off Orgasm Might Not Be So Revolutionary After All
By 4.17.09
That topical spray we mentioned last week—the one designed to help premature ejaculators—turns out to just be a mixture of lidocaine and prilocaine. Lidocaine is commonly used by dentists to numb the mouth, and prilocaine is used to numb skin before inserting a needle. But beyond that, Consumer Reports points out that side effects reported by the men and their partners in the study included a “rash on their penis” or “a burning sensation in their vagina.”
