In July of 2015, Governor Chris Christie signed into law a bill that required drug prescribers and pharmacists in New Jersey to register for access to the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program. Christie said the bill would help prevent so-called “doctor shopping” whereby some people seek…
On April 1, 2016, a proposed limit on “inorganic” arsenic in infant rice cereal was announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Infant rice cereal is a leading source of arsenic exposure in babies, the agency said, since arsenic can find its way into…
The Food and Drug Administration announced on Tuesday that it was requiring new “boxed warnings” for immediate-release (IR) opioid pain medications such as Oxycontin, Percocet and Vicodin. Hoping to curb a national epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse, the FDA is requiring a new boxed warning…
Bayer AG’s Essure birth control implant should carry the strongest safety warning label, U.S. regulators said on Monday, following thousands of complaints about the device. Essure is a permanent (irreversible) form of birth control, meaning a woman who gets this device will no longer be…
En una sentencia hecha pública lunes por la noche, un jurado del estado de Missouri ordenó a Johnson & Johnson a pagar $ 72 millones en daños a la familia de una mujer cuya muerte fue por cáncer de ovario que estaba relacionado con su…
U.S. Congressman, Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA) has asked the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations to investigate allegations that hundreds of women have died as a result of surgical procedures done with a power morcellator. This is a controversial device that can unwittingly spread…
Zofran is the marketed name of Ondansetron, an anti-nausea medication that is sometimes prescribed to women in the first trimester of their pregnancy to treat morning sickness. The manufacturer is alleged to have encouraged doctors to prescribe this powerful medication to pregnant women although it…
The prescription blood-thinner Pradaxa was first prescribed to prevent blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation. While the anti-clotting action of Pradaxa can treat this condition, it can also lead to potentially fatal bleeding. Pradaxa was approved in October 2010. It was considered an upgrade…
Cerebral palsy is caused by an abnormality or disruption in brain development, usually before a child is born. People used to think that CP was mainly caused by lack of oxygen during the birth process. Scientists now think that this causes only a small number…
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of disability and death in infants and children. The age groups most at risk for brain injury are newborns through age 4 and teens from 15 to 19. Among those ages 0 to 19, each…