FDA Warns About ADHD Drug Strattera
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration warned doctors Thursday about reports of suicidal thinking in some children and adolescents who are taking Strattera, a drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Manufacturer Eli Lilly & Co. announced that a black-box warning will be added to the drug's label in the United States. Such a warning is the most serious that can be added to a medication's label, and similar warnings will be added to the drug's labels in other countries. The company said a study showed instances of suicidal thinking were rare.
Chicago-based Organization Announces Initiative
to Help Ease Severe Nursing Shortage In Illinois
Send2Press Newswire
CHICAGO, IL -- Citing warnings from a report released last week by the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council (MCHC), which revealed that by the year 2020, Illinois would have a shortage of 21,000 registered nurses, the Chicago-based Provident Foundation has announced plans to step up its efforts to help reverse this dangerous trend.
State Mental Hospital Faces Nurse Shortage
Helena Independent Record
HELENA — Montana's state mental hospital is facing a budget-busting nursing shortage, officials said this week, because of low salaries for nurses and a surge of new patients. The Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs has only 75 percent of the nurses it needs, said Ed Amberg, head of the hospital. Even if the hospital could fill the positions, it still may not have enough staff to handle all the patients the hospital treats.
Study Hints at Paxil Tie to Birth Defects
San Francisco Chronicle
The Food and Drug Administration is warning that a study has suggested that the antidepressant Paxil may be associated with birth defects. Paxil's manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, said it will include the results of the study in the drug's list of precautions. A retrospective study found increased numbers of babies born with birth defects to women who were taking Paxil during the first trimester of pregnancy, as compared with women on other antidepressants, according to the FDA and the company. This included an increase in heart defects, according to a letter from GlaxoSmithKline to health care professionals. The FDA released the letter Tuesday.
Ex-Merck Scientist: Some Data Not Disclosed
The Associated Press
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Alzheimer's disease patients who took Vioxx in two studies had higher death rates than those on a placebo, but Merck & Co. never notified physicians or its sales representatives, its former chief scientist conceded in testimony played in court Tuesday. Edward Scolnick, former president of Merck Research Laboratories, said under questioning by a lawyer for a postal worker suing the Vioxx maker that doctors prescribing the popular arthritis drug should have been told about the data in 2001.
Merck Asks for Mistrial in Vioxx Case
ABC News
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Two weeks into its second product-liability trial over withdrawn painkiller Vioxx, Merck & Co. asked a judge to declare a mistrial, citing testimony from a plaintiff's witness the company said unfairly inflamed the jury. The motion made late Tuesday delayed the start of Wednesday's testimony for nearly two hours while Superior Court Judge Carol E. Higbee met with lawyers in her chambers, but she returned to the courtroom and did not address the issue before testimony began with the plaintiff taking the stand.
Monster mold threatens health in the South
USA Today
Mold now forms an interior version of kudzu in the soggy South, posing health dangers that will make many homes tear-downs and will force schools and hospitals to do expensive repairs. It's a problem that any homeowner who has ever had a flooded basement or a leaky roof has faced. But the magnitude of this problem leaves many storm victims prey to unscrupulous or incompetent remediators. Home test kits for mold, for example, are worthless, experts say.
MS Drug Makers Seek to Resume Sales
The Associated Press
BOSTON -- The makers of a multiple sclerosis drug withdrawn from the market in February because of safety concerns applied Monday to resume selling the medication with a revised label and a plan to address patient risks. Cambridge-based Biogen Idec Inc. and Ireland-based Elan Corp. said they requested a priority review of their drug Tysabri that could result in action by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in about six months, rather than the standard 10-month review.
Senate OKs $4B for Bird Flu Readiness
ABC News
WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted Thursday to provide $4 billion to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stockpile anti-flu medicine to protect people against bird flu and prepare for a potential outbreak. By voice vote, senators agreed to tack the proposal onto next year's $440 billion defense spending bill. The Senate still must approve the overall defense bill, and a vote is expected next week. Then, the Senate must work out a final version with the House, which did not include money for bird flu preparedness in its defense bill.
First Sites Picked for Child-Health Study
New York Newsday
WASHINGTON -- Mothers-to-be in six states will be the first recruited for the largest study of U.S. children ever performed, aiming to track 100,000 from the womb to age 21 to learn how the environment affects youngsters' health. Ultimately the government wants 105 communities to participate in the National Children's Study, a quest to prove both what's harmful and what's benign in kids' environments -- from chemicals to diets to toddler TV.
