Since last year, the FDA has been looking into the presence of impurities in various types of medication, leading to multiple drug recalls over past months. In the latest announcement on this matter, the agency reports that some units of a popular heartburn and antihistamine drug called ranitidine may contain low levels of a cancer-causing impurity, though it isn't ordering a recall of the products at this time.
Part of maintaining a healthy heart and reducing one's risk of developing cardiovascular disease is keeping cholesterol and triglyceride levels in check. Triglycerides are a type of fat that can be found in the blood, high levels of which may increase the risk of heart troubles later in life. A new study has found that taking daily omega-3 fatty acid pills may substantially lower triglyceride levels, but it comes with a big warning.
Brand name drug Relpax, a tryptamine-based medication in the triptan class of drugs, has been voluntarily recalled by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer over the potential risk of 'microbiological' contamination. The FDA detailed the recall this week, explaining that migraine sufferers who consume a contaminated pill may be at risk of potentially serious infections, as well as other issues like an upset stomach.
A report released this week showed newly discovered gut-colonizing bacteria that "protect against obesity." These bacteria were connected directly to metabolic disease and the "diverse communities of intestinal bacteria." These communities of intestinal bacteria, also known as microbiota, "can influence whether obesity develops or not" in the human body.
A new study warns that taking a popular type of blood pressure medication may put some people at risk of developing a dangerous bowel condition that, in some cases, can result in a medical emergency. The risk is greatest in the elderly, though researchers aren't sure what the underlying cause of this link is at this point in time.
The Food and Drug Administration has announced that it will fast-track the approval of a drug called selinexor sold under the brand name Xpovio for the treatment of a type of blood cancer called relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). The approval will only be granted for certain adult patients who haven't responded well to other treatment options.
The ongoing blood pressure medication recall has been expanded once again, the FDA announced this week. The expansion covers the hypertension drug losartan potassium, some batches of which were found to have unacceptably high levels of an impurity that may cause cancer in some patients. The latest expansion covers 32 batches of the tablets, but the FDA warns you shouldn't stop taking them.
The FDA is moving forward on plans to lower drug costs by streamlining the development and approval of generic medications, the agency said on Tuesday. A push for the faster development of generic alternatives to name-brand medication came from former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, an effort that remains under acting commissioner Ned Sharpless.
Another high blood pressure drug is facing a recall over the discovery of unacceptably high levels of an impurity that may cause cancer in some patients, according to a new report. The warning about the impurity comes from the pharmacy Valisure, which informed the FDA last week about high levels of a substance called dimethylformamide, which is a common solvent used for chemical reactions.
The FDA has announced that Teva Pharmaceuticals USA is expanding its voluntary recall of high blood pressure medication losartan potassium. The recall started on April 25 in the US, and has now been expanded to cover another six lots of bulk losartan potassium USP tablets. The recall is due to an impurity that may cause cancer in some high blood pressure patients.
In the following article we're speaking about the measles outbreaks (yes, plural) inside the United States in the year 2019. The title is written as such in order to draw readers who assume there are two "sides" to the "argument" that surrounds the latest outbreaks, with regard to travel and vaccines. There are, of course, many different factors at play with the latest measles outbreaks in the United States, but travel and unvaccinated individuals are the most major. All factual information provided in the following text comes from the USA's CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The nasal spray medication called Esketamine was approved by the FDA this year for treatment of drug-resistant depression - and we've done a bit of an investigation. Over 17.3-million adults in the United States suffer from depression - that's over 7% of all US adults. It's safe to say this affliction affects the way we live our lives - and it'd be a pretty excellent day when we figured out how to adequately treat it.