According to a study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, several major pharmaceuticals are withholding important details about clinical drug trials, despite urging from federal regulators and medical journal editors. The New England Journal of Medicine specifically cites Merck & Co., Pfizer, and Glaxo Smith Kline PLC as obscuring basic information in reporting on trials...
In documents filed in a Texas lawsuit against Guidant, the manufacturer of implantable defibrillators, the company failed to disclose publicly that Guidant officials had projected that some patients might die because of short circuits in their implantable defibrillator. According to the documents, Guidant did not disclose the information because the overall failure rate was not worthy of public...
A recent inspection by the Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Department found that many recalled defective products remain on stores' shelves despite the fact that business owners could face fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Inspectors visited nearly 100 stores in 31 cities looking for several products which had been recalled and where supposed to be removed from stores. About...
The FDA has ordered the withdrawal of the diagnostic imaging agent Neutro Spec after two reported deaths were associated with the product. Reports submitted to the FDA suggest NeutroSpec caused allergic reactions within minutes following administration. Those reactions led to the death of two patients and to cardiopulmonary failure, central nervous system problems and infusion reactions in...
According to an article published in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal Guidant heart devices have been linked to three new deaths. The information arose out of a Guidant report to the US Food and Drug Administration. The deaths occurred after Guidant had recalled the devices in June.
The New England Journal of Medicine posted an "expression of concern" that three heart attacks among patients who used Vioxx were left out of the date in a crucial Vioxx study called Vigor, making Vioxx appear safer than it actually was. In a statement released December 8, 2005 the New England Journal of Medicine said it became of the problem when plaintiffs' attorneys subpoenaed a Journal...
A 68-year old Ohio grandmother was hit with a Taser gun by police while she was in a police department waiting room. The police fired and hit her 5 times with the Taser. The entire incident was caught on police department surveilance tape. According to police, Beverly Kidwell, 68, came into the police station to be arrested after hitting her granddaughter. Kidwell said she waited a long time...
The popular birth control patch Ortho-Evra is facing more troubles after more women are suffering deadly blood clots and heart attacks. The women who are injured are otherwise healthy but suffer serious health problems after using the birth control patch. Ortho-Evra exposes women to a higher levels of estrogen (about 60% more) than the birth control pill.On November 10, 2005 the FDA issued a...
On December 1, an expert doctor testified that Vioxx can cause heart attacks and trigger an event in less than a month. The doctor, Wayne Ray, has studied the risks and benefits of drugs, including Vioxx, reached his conclusion after analyzing numerous studies, including the one that pushed Merck to remove Vioxx from the market last year. "The totality of the evidence clearly indicates that...