March, 2009Popular Anti-Depressant Approved For Use in Children, Teens

Lexapro, a popular antidepressant recently linked to accusations of dishonest marketing tactics and illegal paybacks to physicians, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in children and teens. Forest Laboratories Inc., the company behind the drug, has been accused of illegally marketing Lexapro to kids for years by trying to buy favor with pediatricians through vacations, tickets to sporting events, and other perks. About two million adolescents in the United States suffer from major depressive disorder …

FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Approval of New Anti-Clotting Drug Linked to Increased Bleeding Risk

Rivaroxaban, a new drug designed to prevent deadly blood clots from forming following hip or knee replacement surgery, should be approved despite a study suggesting it may increase the risk of severe internal bleeding, an FDA advisory panel says. The new drug, made by Bayer and Johnson & Johnson, is aimed at preventing deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. It is a rival drug to another blood-thinner called warfarin, which is also sold under the brand name Coumadin. Earlier this week, …

CPSC Podcast 03/20/09

Poison Prevention – March 20, 2009

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SEC and FBI Seek More Authority to Punish Financial Crimes On the Rise

Federal authorities charged with cracking down on violations of the nations’ financial laws want more power to prevent predatory lending and other crimes during the worst economic downturn in a generation.

Congressional Leaders Blame Food Industry’s Self-Policing System for Peanut Salmonella Outbreak

The current government policy allowing food companies to police themselves let filthy conditions at two peanut processing plants go unnoticed until they had caused an outbreak of deadly salmonella bacteria, Congressional leaders said. Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), the food company blamed for shipping tainted peanuts, peanut butter, and peanut paste to food makers across the United States, hired a private firm to inspect its facilities in Blakely, Georgia and Plainview, Texas. The two plants have now been linked to …

Madoff Denied Bail, Will Remain Jailed Pending Sentencing

Disgraced Wall Street financial adviser Bernard Madoff will not be released on bail pending sentencing after pleading guilty to a multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme, a federal appeals court panel has ruled.

Weight Loss Pills

Audience: Consumers, primary care healthcare professionals [UPDATE 03/20/2009] FDA expanded its nationwide alert to consumers about tainted weight loss products containing undeclared, active pharmaceutical ingredients. The FDA has identified…

Zencore Plus

Audience: Consumers, healthcare professionals [Posted 03/20/2009] Bodee LLC and FDA notified consumers and healthcare professionals of a nationwide recall of all the company’s supplement product sold under the name Zencore Plus. FDA lab analysis of…

Stanford Financial Sponsorship of PGA Tour Event Dropped

Stanford Financial Group, the Houston-based international investment and banking empire accused in a massive Ponzi scheme, has been dropped as co-sponsor of an upcoming professional golf association tour stop in Memphis. For the past two years, the tournament has been called the Stanford St. Jude Championship. However, with Stanford Financial under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for an $8 billion fraud, the event will now be called the St. Jude Classic, PGA officials said Thursday. The name change …

FDA Warns Against Sharing Single-Patient Insulin Pens

The Food and Drug Administration is warning health care professionals against using insulin pens designed for use in a single patient in multiple patients, which can increase the risk of spreading HIV, hepatitis, and other diseases. Insulin pens are commonly used to deliver insulin to diabetics. The pen-shaped devices carry either a reservoir or a cartridge containing several doses of insulin, which are injected through a disposable needle. All insulin pens are approved for use in single patients However, the …