TheRepublic.com - U.S. Food and Drug Administration News

Feds fight morning-after pill age ruling in NY

Fri, 24 May 2013 22:05:07 -0400

NEW YORK - Department of Justice lawyers filed court papers Friday again asking a federal appeals court to delay lifting age restrictions and prescription requirements on an emergency contraceptive popularly known as the morning-after pill.

FDA warns of infections tied to Tennessee pharmacy

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:26:32 -0400

WASHINGTON - Health officials are investigating cases involving patients who suffered complications after being injected with potentially contaminated medications made by a Tennessee specialty pharmacy.

Shuttered NM plant resumes making peanut butter

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:16:42 -0400

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico - The eastern New Mexico peanut butter plant shuttered eight months ago after a salmonella outbreak is back in production, and company officials say their coveted natural and organic butters could be back on store shelves within a month.

FDA panel backs experimental Merck insomnia drug

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:54:54 -0400

WASHINGTON - A federal panel of medical experts said that an experimental insomnia drug from Merck & Co. Inc. appears safe and effective, despite evidence from company trials that the pill can cause daytime sleepiness and difficulty driving.

Drought accelerates use of drugs to beef up cattle

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:48:04 -0400

WICHITA, Kansas - Cattle feeders in the U.S. are coping with reduced herds and high corn costs in part by increasing their use of growth-inducing drugs designed to bulk up animals, get more pounds of beef from each carcass and circumvent the drought's withering effects on the food cycle.

FDA has safety concerns with Merck insomnia drug

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:44:14 -0400

WASHINGTON - Federal health regulators say an experimental insomnia drug from Merck can help patients fall asleep, but it also carries worrisome side effects, including daytime drowsiness and suicidal thinking.

Consumer group flags high SPF ratings on sunscreen

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:17:13 -0400

WASHINGTON - Sunbathers headed to the beach this summer will find new sunscreen labels on store shelves that are designed to make the products more effective and easier to use. But despite those long-awaited changes, many sunscreens continue to carry SPF ratings that some experts consider misleading and potentially dangerous, according to a consumer watchdog group.

Consumer group flags high SPF ratings on sunscreen

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:47:12 -0400

FDA tobacco chief speaks at industry meeting

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:52:12 -0400

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia - Changes in the marketplace have forced the public health community to wrestle with the idea that some tobacco products may pose less of a health risk than others, the new head of the Food and Drug Administration's tobacco control efforts told an industry group on Thursday.

Study questions how sharply US should cut the salt

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:09:28 -0400

WASHINGTON - A surprising new report questions public health efforts to get Americans to sharply cut back on salt, saying it's not clear whether eating super-low levels is worth the struggle.

Idaho spud giant bets on biotech potatoes

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:26:08 -0400

BOISE, Idaho - A dozen years after a customer revolt forced Monsanto to ditch its genetically engineered potato, an Idaho company aims to resurrect high-tech spuds.

FDA denies request to block generic painkiller

Fri, 10 May 2013 17:56:42 -0400

WASHINGTON - In a surprise move Friday, federal health regulators denied a request by Endo Health Solutions to block generic versions of its painkiller Opana ER, which the company argued are more easily abused than its branded product.

State pharmacy boards back more FDA oversight

Thu, 09 May 2013 14:49:41 -0400

WASHINGTON - State pharmacy officials on Thursday threw their support behind a proposal giving the Food and Drug Administration authority over large compounding pharmacies, in an effort to head off more outbreaks tied to contaminated medications.

Tattoo removal expert has a warning: Just don't do it!

Thu, 09 May 2013 14:22:11 -0400

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - By CYNTHIA H. CRAFT

Wrigley takes new caffeinated gum off market

Thu, 09 May 2013 03:01:37 -0400

WASHINGTON - A Food and Drug Administration investigation into the safety of caffeine-added foods has prompted Wrigley to take its new caffeinated gum off the market for the time being.

APNewsBreak: Wrigley halts caffeinated gum

Wed, 08 May 2013 17:33:18 -0400

WASHINGTON - Wrigley says it is taking a new caffeinated gum off the market temporarily as the Food and Drug Administration investigates the safety of added caffeine.

FDA inspection triggers recall by Florida pharmacy

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:00:20 -0400

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration warned doctors and pharmacists Wednesday to avoid drugs made by a Florida specialty pharmacy called The Compounding Shop, due to potential safety problems uncovered by health inspectors.

FDA wants cancer warnings on tanning beds

Mon, 06 May 2013 17:37:44 -0400

WASHINGTON - Indoor tanning beds would come with new warnings about the risk of cancer and be subject to more stringent federal oversight under a proposal unveiled Monday by the Food and Drug Administration.

San Francisco city attorney sues Monster Beverage

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:51:14 -0400

NEW YORK - San Francisco's city attorney is suing Monster Beverage for marketing its energy drinks to children, saying the products pose severe health risks.

FDA warns pregnant women of migraine drug risk

Mon, 06 May 2013 14:44:17 -0400

WASHINGTON - U.S. health regulators are warning doctors and women of child-bearing age that half-a-dozen medications used to treat migraine headaches can decrease children's intelligence if taken while their mothers are pregnant.

Obama OK with morning-after pill sales at age 15

Fri, 03 May 2013 00:29:26 -0400

MEXICO CITY - President Barack Obama said Thursday he was comfortable with his administration's decision to allow over-the-counter purchases of a morning-after pill for anyone 15 and older.

Decades-old question: Is antibacterial soap safe?

Thu, 02 May 2013 23:06:38 -0400

WASHINGTON - It's a chemical that's been in U.S. households for more than 40 years, from the body wash in your bathroom shower to the knives on your kitchen counter to the bedding in your baby's basinet.

Obama "comfortable" with FDA approach on Plan B

Thu, 02 May 2013 18:31:50 -0400

MEXICO CITY - President Barack Obama says he's comfortable with his administration's decision to allow over-the-counter purchases of a morning-after pill for anyone 15 and older.

Hyperion Therapeutics drug gets FDA orphan status

Thu, 02 May 2013 14:36:01 -0400

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, California - Hyperion Therapeutics Inc. said Thursday that its drug Ravicti received orphan drug status, giving the drug seven years of marketing exclusivity.

Justice Department appeals morning-after case

Wed, 01 May 2013 22:28:44 -0400

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration on Wednesday appealed a federal judge's order to lift all age limits on who can buy morning-after birth control pills without a prescription.