Current Events

Pfizer Inc has been sued by 10 people alleging the company and its subsidiaries failed to warn of the risk of severe brain damage from its anti-seizure medication Dilantin.

The plaintiffs in their Wednesday lawsuit in New York Supreme Court alleged Pfizer and its subsidiaries Parke-Davis, Pharmacia and Warner–Lambert have been aware of the risk of a motor function disease known as cerebellar atrophy since at least 2009 but only updated its U.S. warning label in 2016.

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Oct 8 (Reuters) - Drug developer Affimed N.V. on Monday put on hold the testing of its experimental cancer drug following the death of a patient and two life-threatening events.

The company’s shares slumped 25 percent to $3.82 in after-market trading.

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Federal regulators are warning women about potential risks associated with laser treatments that are being marketed across the nation, including in Rapid City.

On July 30, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cautioned against the use of energy-based “vaginal rejuvenation” devices, including lasers, to treat problems related to menopause, urinary incontinence and sexual function.

“These products have serious risks and don’t have adequate evidence to support their use for these purposes,” said a statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. “We are deeply concerned women are being harmed.”

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CHICAGO/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A U.S. unit of Brazil’s JBS SA is recalling 6.5 million pounds of beef products processed through an Arizona plant because the meat might be contaminated with salmonella, U.S. government officials said on Thursday.

U.S. investigators have identified at least 57 people in 16 states who have become ill due to consuming contaminated ground beef products made from meat traced back to JBS, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

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WASHINGTON - The Senate easily passed bipartisan legislation Wednesday to combat the nation’s opioid crisis by bolstering programs to treat addiction, more closely monitoring of prescriptions and updating information on alternative treatments to addictive drugs.

The bill passed 98 to one – Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah was the lone “no” vote and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was absent. The House passed the measure 393 to eight. It now goes to President Donald Trump for a signature, which is likely.

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The House on Friday overwhelmingly passed legislation meant to fight the opioid epidemic, a moment of bipartisanship amid a series of fierce partisan battles.

The bill, which passed 393-8, is the product of months of work in both chambers. The Senate is expected to soon send the measure to President Trump’s desk.

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Congress could send its sweeping opioids' package to President Trump by week's end after lawmakers reached an agreement late Tuesday night on a final bill to address the nation's public health crisis.

Federal lawmakers have been griping about drug pricing for years, led most recently by President Donald Trump, who famously declared even before he was elected that the industry is “getting away with murder.” A new study could very well fuel those complaints.

Bipartisan congressional leaders in both chambers on Tuesday night unveiled a massive bill aimed at fighting the epidemic of opioid abuse in the United States, capping months of work.

Fighting the crisis has been an area of bipartisan cooperation this year amid many fierce partisan battles raging with more publicity.

The 660-page bill takes a wide variety of actions aimed at fighting the crisis.

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Silicone breast implants were associated with increased rates of a variety of autoimmune complications, as well as melanoma and stillbirth -- and the FDA had something to say about it.

A review of data from the FDA's large post approval studies database found that silicone implants were linked to higher rates of Sjögren syndrome, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), stillbirth, and melanoma, reported Mark W. Clemens, MD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues, in the Annals of Surgery.

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TUESDAY, Sept. 18, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Pharmaceutical companies appear to be engaging in price gouging during drug shortages, with costs rising at double the normal rate when medications are in limited supply, a new study claims.

Prices can be expected to rise about 20 percent for drugs facing a shortage, but only about 9 percent for medicines in good supply, researchers report.