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The New York Times has an interesting article about the speed at which new medical devices are approved by the FDA. The article focuses on a breast cancer treatment that is widely prescribed, but which has not been conclusively shown to be as effective as traditional radiation. [NYT]
Johnson & Johnson has paid out over $68.7 million in private settlements in Ortho Evra birth-control related claims. The Public Citizen’s Health Research Group is petitioning the FDA to take it off the market. The most common complaints among users of the contraceptive patch that adheres to the skin are blood clots in the legs, blood clots in the lungs, and hearts attacks/strokes. But hey, at least you don’t have a baby. [Bloomberg]
Reader Michael noticed these weird, soup-bashing ads in some Detroit-area newspapers yesterday. It seems that Progresso and Campbell’s have launched some negative campaign ads — smearing each other for using MSG in their soup. Is the world ready for a canned soup war? If it is, should we be depressed about it?
A new study challenging the idea that bottled water is “purer” than tap water found a laundry list of nasty substances in major brand name water, and named two brands that exceeded California’s health standards.
I’ve been approached by a friend to join up with MonaVie acai juice—it’s a “superfood” juice that’s sold through “network marketing.” I actually do like the product, and this is a friend I trust, but my alarm bells are still going off. I don’t want to get sucked into a scam, obviously. There’s nothing about this company on your site, so I thought I’d drop you a line and see if you had any advice.
The expression on the little guy’s face in this banner ad seems say, “I’m gonna kick your ass unless you get some freakin’ life insurance.” Maybe even throw in a “sucker” at the end there. Seriously, what’s his deal? He’s sooo angry!
If there’s one group of Americans who don’t carry their weight and need to pay more money to the healthcare industry, it’s those layabout senior citizens! That’s why their Medicare drug premiums are increasing by an average of 31% for the 10 most popular plans beginning in 2009. If you were with Humana, formerly the cheapest Medicare drug plan you could get (its premium was $9.51 in 2006), you can expect to pay $40.83 per month in 2009, an increase of 60% over this year’s rate. As you would expect, Humana is no longer the cheapest option—so it may be time to shop around for a new plan.
If you’re getting dental implant work done, you may want to ask if they outsource to other countries. A KPHO investigation bought 13 crowns from labs in China, Thailand and the US. Ten of them came back positive for lead, with levels from 110 parts per million to 240 parts per million. The problem may be from the surface stain used to whiten and brighten the teeth. Throughout history, lead has been used in paints because it’s bright, cheap, and highly durable.
A new study says that sugar-substitute Splenda might be bad for you, killing “good” bacteria and preventing the absorption of prescription drugs. However, it just so happens that the study was paid for by the Sugar Association, who just so happen to hate Splenda with a deadly passion.
Last time I checked, an adult male should consume 2,500 calories a day, and this shake nearly meets that requirement! The saturated fat present in that shake is over 3 times the RDA of 20 grams, which will put you on the fast track for heart disease. Of course, that’s if the Type 2 diabetes caused by all 266 grams of that sugar doesn’t get you first.
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MisterJalopy over at BoingBoing has put together a rough outline of a cheat sheet when shopping for eggs, based on an article in yesterday’s New York Times on how to interpret egg carton labeling. [BoingBoing]
The FDA has banned the import of 30 different generic drugs made by Ranbaxy due to unresolved ongoing concerns about quality controls in the manufacturing process. Some of them are popular, like a generic for Zocor. The complete list inside. If you’re taking any of the affected drugs, keep taking them. The FDA found no evidence to suggest any consumers are at risk. If you have concerns, consult your doctor.
A new study says banning soda machines in schools only decreased kiddie soda pop consumption by 4%. Guess the soda kids were drinking in school wasn’t necessarily being bought at school.
those with the largest amount of BPA in their urine had nearly three times the risk of heart disease and more than twice the risk of diabetes as those who had the lowest levels.
We’re big fans of Target’s smart approach to package design for medicine. They may want to give a little more thought to their OTC generics, however—how about using more distinct labeling for the children’s line, for example? One reader explains why this would be a lot safer.
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“There’s a fungus among us,” is a humorous phrase. “There’s a fungus among us, and it’s in my eye,” on the other hand, is a lawsuit. 14 more consumers filed lawsuits against Advanced Medical Optics over their recalled Complete MoisturePlus contact lens solution. The fluid was recalled because the CDC linked it to cases of Acanthamoeba infection, which can cause Keratitis, which can leaves your eye red, inflamed, in pain, and possibly lead to impairment or loss of vision. [Press Release]
Did you know Jesse Jackson was hospitalized with food poisoning last week? Or that a recipe typo in a Swedish food magazine left four readers poisoned? These are two of the many interesting facts we just learned after a few minutes browsing the BarfBlog, a food safety blog with categories like “Celebrity Barf” and “listeria”.
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