Three months after candy apples contaminated with Listeria bacteria were linked to seven deaths, another sweet treat may contain the bacteria and could be a contributing factor in at least three deaths. [More]
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Health Officials Link Blue Bell Ice Cream Products To Listeriosis Outbreak; Company Recalls Treats
By 3.16.15
FDA Warns That Chantix May Decrease Users’ Alcohol Tolerance
By 3.11.15
Smokers using the prescription drug Chantix (varenicline) to help them through the quitting process may want to sip their beers slowly, as this week the FDA approved new warnings that the drug can change the way users react to alcohol. [More]
Father Of Teen Poisoned By Caffeine Powder Files Lawsuit Blaming His Death On Supplement Makers, Amazon
By 3.6.15
The father of an Ohio teen who died in 2014 after ingesting a powdered caffeine marketed as a dietary supplement has filed a lawsuit against Amazon.com and the product’s distributors, claiming that they failed to provide proper warnings about the dangers of using the substance. [More]
FDA Approves First “Biosimilar” Drug. Could Drive Down Cost Of Most Expensive Medications
By 3.6.15
Biotech drugs — which are generally derived from a living organism, as opposed to traditional purely chemical medications — are currently among the most expensive medicines available. But today, the Food and Drug Administration issued its first approval of a drug that is “biosimilar” to an existing biotech medication; a development that could possibly result in billions of dollars in savings. [More]
FDA Warns: If Your “Low T” Is Just From Getting Older, Don’t Use Prescription Testosterone
By 3.4.15
In recent years, makers of prescription testosterone treatments like AndroGel began throwing around the term “Low T” in TV ads, blaming low levels of the hormone for various problems — sex drive, flagging energy, moodiness — that have long been associated with simply growing older. But the FDA is now acknowledging that these drugs pose “a possible increased risk of heart attack and stroke” and are warning against their use for the treatment of anything other than very specific medical conditions. [More]
Report: Teens Buy E-Cigarettes Online With Little Difficulty Despite Industry Safeguards
By 3.2.15
Back in February 2014, Ohio became the first state to prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. Since then, 40 other states and cities have followed suit. Despite those regulations, a new study found it’s increasingly easy for teens to skirt the rules by purchasing the products online. [More]
Can New McDonald’s CEO Turn Tide Against Antibiotic Abuse In Farm Animals?
By 2.27.15
Since the Food and Drug Administration won’t set down hard-and-fast rules on non-medical antibiotic use in farm animals, it’s up to the farmers and the companies who buy the most meat to make a change that will cut down on the use of drugs that result in bigger cows, pigs, and chickens, but also put us all at risk for drug-resistant pathogens. [More]
Foods That Make People Sick With E. Coli: Beef, Plants Grown In Rows
By 2.25.15
There are three different agencies in the federal government that handle different types of foodborne illnesses and separate aspects of those illnesses. While two outbreaks might be caused by the same pathogen, which agency handles them depends on whether the food contains meat or not. This is sort of inefficient. [More]
Will The FDA Ever Get Around To New Warning Labels For Cigarettes?
By 2.18.15
In June 2009, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act became law, directing the Food and Drug Administration to not only create larger health warnings, but to include graphic images in the labels. And when the U.S. Supreme Court shot down a tobacco-industry fight against these labels in April 2013, it was supposed to get the ball rolling again on these new warnings. But in the years since, there’s been no apparent movement on the matter and the FDA won’t say when, or even if, these Congressionally mandated labels will become a reality. [More]
Philip Morris Does Horrible Job Of Defending Itself After John Oliver Mocking
By 2.17.15
On Sunday night, John Oliver called out the tobacco industry, and particularly Philip Morris, for the practice of threatening small and poor countries with complicated, expensive international trade lawsuits if they try to strictly regulate cigarette marketing. But while Big Tobacco has the coffers to pay for costly legal battles, it does a really poor job of trying to defend its actions. [More]
FDA Finds Some Dark Chocolate Products Contain Milk, Despite Their Labels
By 2.11.15
‘Tis the season for showing you remembered to buy something for your loved one, but if the object of your affection is lactose-intolerant, you might want to think twice before splashing out on a deluxe dark chocolate Valentine’s Day gift. [More]
Third Candy Apple Maker Recalls Treats For Possible Listeria Contamination
By 12.30.14
Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned consumers to avoid some caramel apples after at least 30 people in 10 states have been infected with Listeriosis due to Listeria monocytogenes. This week a third candy maker is recalling caramel apples, the government said, out of concern that its apples may be tainted with Listeria as well. [More]
FDA To End Full Ban On Blood Donations From Gay, Bisexual Men
By 12.23.14
As things currently stand, any man who has had sex with another man at any point in the last three decades is generally forbidden from donating blood in the U.S. But the head of the Food and Drug Administration announced today that it will begin updating the restrictions so that gay and bisexual men who’ve been celibate for a year will be allowed to donate. [More]
FDA: Going To The Mall For Your Ultrasounds Probably Isn’t A Good Idea, Even If It Comes With A Keepsake Gift
By 12.17.14
Any expectant parent would likely jump at the chance to see their developing bundle of joy. But while commercial ultrasound businesses might seem like the perfect place to catch a glimpse, the Food & Drug Administration is once again warning consumers that non-medical ultrasounds and heartbeat monitors aren’t exactly safe. [More]
What Does “Organic” Mean For Non-Edible Items? Not Much, Necessarily
By 10.21.14
Way back in 2002, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began certifying food and drinks that meet the federal standards to be called “organic.” Depending on the type of food, organic certification has different requirements. While a wide variety of products are marketed as “organic,” this label doesn’t necessarily mean anything when applied to a product that you can’t eat. [More]
FDA Going After Companies Offering Unapproved Ebola Medications
By 10.16.14
While the country is watching the news of every new Ebola case very closely, the federal government doesn’t want the worrying to get so out of hand that people start looking for medications to prevent or treat Ebola. Since there are currently none approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the government is already cracking down on a handful of companies promising to provide relief from Ebola. [More]
FDA: Use Of Vital Human Antibiotics In Animals Increased 16% In 3 Years
By 10.2.14
Even as a growing number of people — from consumers to scientists to physicians — expressed concerns about the overuse of antibiotics in animal feed, a new FDA report shows that farmers continued adding more drugs to their animals’ diets, and that almost every one of those antibiotics was purchased and administered without a prescription. [More]
California Governor Vetoes Weak-Kneed Antibiotics Bill
By 9.30.14
Considering that 80% of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used on farm animals, and that most of those drugs are used primarily for growth promotion, you’d think we’d be happy to see a state like California introduce legislation that appears to ban the use of antibiotics to get fatter cows, pigs, and chickens. But it’s what that bill doesn’t do that has us concerned, and why California Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed it. [More]
