Current Events

Aug. 31, 2018 -- Hundreds of products including nasal sprays and baby oral gels sold at CVS, Walgreens, Dollar General, Family Dollar and other stores are being recalled because of possible contamination.

The recall started after the manufacturer, Product Quest Manufacturing, found microbial contamination -- bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa -- in its CVS Health 12 Hour Sinus Relief Nasal Mist. The company said it had not found evidence of contamination in other products but voluntarily expanded the recall “out of an abundance of caution.”

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(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Wednesday a serious genital infection has been reported in patients taking a certain class of diabetes drugs, with one death and 11 others hospitalized.

The warning pertains to a class of medicines called SGLT2 inhibitors, first approved in 2013 to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is warning that tens of millions of cars with Takata air bags face an increased chance of exploding in hot and humid conditions.

“Tens of millions of vehicles with Takata air bags are under recall,” an NHTSA site devoted to the recalls says. “Long-term exposure to high heat and humidity can cause these air bags to explode when deployed. Such explosions have caused injuries and deaths.”

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A specific lot of blood pressure medication has been recalled after a bottle from that lot was found to be mislabeled, according to a Food and Drug Administration statement.

The bottle was supposed to contain Hydrochlorothiazide Tablets USP 12.5 mg — a medication used to treat high blood pressure. Instead, they contained Spironolactone Tablets USP 25 mg — used to treat  congestive heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver and other ailments.

The FDA says that the effects of mixing up the medications depends on the individual, but can range from "limited" to "life-threatening.
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CHICAGO (AP) — Federal health officials say they've confirmed more than 500 cases of people who became sick with an intestinal illness after eating McDonald's salads.

The illnesses reported earlier this year are linked to the cyclospora parasite, which can cause diarrhea, intestinal pain, nausea or fatigue. The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that 507 cases have been confirmed in 15 states and New York City.

McDonald's stopped the sale of salads at 3,000 restaurants last month until it could find a different supplier. The FDA says it's still investigating the supplier of romaine lettuce and carrots.
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The prevalence of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is growing in the US.

The trend is a bit perplexing. Scientists have a thorough understanding of how ultraviolet radiation from the sun damages the skin and acts as a carcinogen—and, more importantly, we have an affordable, easy-to-obtain solution. Modern sunscreens that protect against both ultraviolet-A (longer UV rays that cause the skin to produce more melanin, aging the cells in the process) and ultraviolet-B (shorter UV rays that primarily cause genetic damage to skin cells) rays has been around since the 1970s (paywall). We have the knowledge and means to protect ourselves from the sun—so why are rates of melanoma still going up in the US?

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More than 30 King Bio medicines for children and infants were recalled on Wednesday after a “small percentage” of the medicines tested positive for microbial contamination, according to a statement released by the FDA.

There have been no reports to King Bio about any injuries or illnesses associated with the medicines, the statement said. The list of recalled medicines included those for chicken pox relief, sleep aids and appetite enhancers—all recalled voluntarily by the company.

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FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The number of U.S. lawsuits brought against Bayer’s (BAYGn.DE) newly acquired Monsanto has jumped to about 8,000, as the German drugmaker braces for years of legal wrangling over alleged cancer risks of glyphosate-based weedkillers. Bayer had previously disclosed 5,200 such lawsuits against Monsanto, which it acquired in a $63 billion deal completed in June.

E-cigarettes may not be as harmless as many people think. A new study suggests they significantly increase the risk for heart attack.

Combined data from two national surveys of more than 69,000 people 18 and older carried out in 2014 and 2016 showed that compared with people who never used e-cigarettes, daily users almost doubled their risk for heart attack.

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A toxin inadvertently produced in the manufacture of a widely prescribed medicine but not spotted for years raises questions about regulators’ ability to detect risks in a sprawling global drug supply chain increasingly reliant on factories in China.

China’s Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical (600521.SS), which produces bulk ingredients for drugmakers, told its customers in late June it had found NDMA in its valsartan, an off-patent blood pressure drug originally developed by Novartis (NOVN.S).

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A Missouri appeals court has ordered a new trial in a lawsuit alleging defects in a pelvic mesh implant made by C.R. Bard, finding the judge who oversaw a previous trial that ended in a defense verdict wrongly excluded testimony about the company’s prior criminal convictions.

In a unanimous decision on Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City said plaintiff Eve Sherrer should have been allowed to question Bard executive John Weiland about the company’s 1994 guilty plea to charges it withheld information from the U.S.
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