It has been nearly 50 years since the surgeon general’s report on smoking laid out the truth for the Average Joe about the dangers of smoking. Smoking rates have declined by about half since then, but despite ongoing education efforts, misconceptions about tobacco abound in the U.S. As detailed in a recent story on ScienceDaily.com,….
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Congress Passes Compounding Pharmacy Bill
Last week, Congress made a big leap forward in protecting patients from contaminated drugs when it passed legislation to give the FDA greater authority to monitor compounding pharmacies. Those are manufacturers of medicine that tailor drugs and doses for individual patients with specific prescriptions. The legislation was prompted by last year’s outbreak of meningitis and….
Continue ReadingWe Don’t Know Enough About Electronic Cigarettes
You’ve probably seen people puffing on what look like fat, fancy pens, and exhaling what looks like smoke, then vapor that disappears faster than smoke would. They’re electronic cigarettes-e-cigarettes-that offer nicotine but not smoke, and they’re increasingly popular among smokers who want the pleasure of their habit but not the ill health effects, and those….
Continue ReadingJudgment in Vaginal Mesh Trial Favors Plaintiff
Last month, we wrote about Donna Cisson, who had sued CR Bard Inc., which had sold vaginal mesh that the company itself had said was not suitable for human implantation. The mesh is surgically implanted to resolve urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, a condition in which the organs have dropped out of their normal….
Continue ReadingFDA Recalls Diabetes Test Strips
According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 26 million people in the U.S. have diabetes. Of those who have been diagnosed, many understand the need to test their blood sugar (glucose) regularly, and do so using a variety of home tests. The website of Nova Diabetes, Inc., which makes a variety of products geared to….
Continue ReadingFDA Considers Cracking Down on Menthol Cigarettes
Menthol cigarettes have long been blamed for seducing people into smoking who otherwise might resist. Now, the FDA is considering imposing restrictions on menthol smokes because the ease of addiction and the difficulty of quitting menthol smokes make them more dangerous than regular cigarettes. In issuing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) last month,….
Continue ReadingCounterfeit Drug Bill Makes Slow Progress in Congress
The proliferation of fake drugs finally has the attention of Congress. Last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill requiring prescription medicine to be tracked electronically through the distribution system. After years of counterfeit drug reports involving, among others, the cancer drug Avastin and the cholesterol drug Lipitor, it’s a meaningful gesture, but, according….
Continue ReadingFDA Launches First-Ever Probe of Medical App for a Mobile Device
Last year we blogged about the popularity of medical smartphone applications and referred to an investigation showing that the quality of much of the health information available via these apps is questionable. That’s why although health apps might be fun and even informative, no one should rely solely on them for sound scientific diagnosis or….
Continue ReadingLipstick Is a Host for Potentially Toxic Metals
No one would choose to consume toxic metals such as lead, cadmium and chromium, but millions of women unknowingly do it every day. According to a study in Environmental Health Perspectives, 32 brands of lipsticks and lip glosses sold throughout the U.S. contain nine metals, some of them at potentially toxic levels. Previous research of….
Continue ReadingFTC’s Annual Report on Health-Related Advertising
When you read an enticing ad for a weight loss product that effortlessly melts away fat, bear in mind, before you get out your credit card, that the product may be running a few steps ahead of the law. Never assume, just because the ad is out there in public, that the product really works…..
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