Protecting public health: FDA should act on report showing rise in serious injuries, deaths from prescription drugs .. LV SUN 10/27/08

[Guest guest]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/oct/27/protecting-public-health/ Protecting

public health: FDA should act on report showing rise in serious

injuries, deaths from prescription drugs LV SUN Mon, Oct 27, 2008 (2:06 a.m.) The

Food and Drug Administration received a record number of reports of death and

serious injury associated with prescription medications in the first three

months of this year. There

were 4,825 deaths and nearly 21,000 serious injuries for the first quarter,

according to an analysis of FDA records by the nonprofit Institute for Safe

Medication Practices. That is a 38 percent increase over the quarterly average

for the previous year. There

appears to be a combination of factors that led to the increase. For example: •

Part of the spike was blamed on the tainted blood-thinner heparin imported from

China ,

which generated 779 reports of serious injury. •

Varenicline, marketed as Chantix, a drug to help patients stop smoking, was

blamed for 1,001 cases of serious injury, including 50 deaths. •

Prescription painkillers such as oxycodone and the anti-anxiety medication

Xanax were associated with 1,246 deaths. These medications have been widely

prescribed and have become well-known as recreational drugs. The

institute says its report may contain only a small percentage of actual cases

because the FDA’s records contain voluntary reports of injury associated

with prescription medications. What is clear in the report is that there is a

serious problem with prescription drug use, and the FDA hasn’t been doing

its job, either in issuing warnings or working with other agencies to police

doctors who wrongly prescribe medicines. Although

the report lauds the FDA for “promptly and effectively” responding

to the heparin crisis, it notes that in other areas the agency has failed to

respond. For

example, the drug Chantix has been linked to blackouts, and the Transportation

Department has banned its use among pilots and air traffic controllers. After

the report was issued last week, the FDA said it would consider a new safety

warning for the drug. The

agency should be ashamed that a nonprofit group is doing its work for it by

raising concerns about these drugs. The

bottom line is that the FDA should be moving more aggressively to protect the

public health.

[Guest guest]

Rogene, thank you for all of the great articles. I have them in your folder, and one day soon, I will sit and read them. This article is great, because the doctors seem to push drugs that have killed many people.

We love you honey....always...Lea

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``

Protecting public health: FDA should act on report showing rise in serious injuries, deaths from prescription drugs .. LV SUN 10/27/08

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/oct/27/protecting-public-health/

Protecting public health: FDA should act on report showing rise in serious injuries, deaths from prescription drugs

LV SUN Mon, Oct 27, 2008 (2:06 a.m.)

The Food and Drug Administration received a record number of reports of death and serious injury associated with prescription medications in the first three months of this year.

There were 4,825 deaths and nearly 21,000 serious injuries for the first quarter, according to an analysis of FDA records by the nonprofit Institute for Safe Medication Practices. That is a 38 percent increase over the quarterly average for the previous year.

There appears to be a combination of factors that led to the increase. For example:

• Part of the spike was blamed on the tainted blood-thinner heparin imported from China , which generated 779 reports of serious injury.

• Varenicline, marketed as Chantix, a drug to help patients stop smoking, was blamed for 1,001 cases of serious injury, including 50 deaths.

• Prescription painkillers such as oxycodone and the anti-anxiety medication Xanax were associated with 1,246 deaths. These medications have been widely prescribed and have become well-known as recreational drugs.

The institute says its report may contain only a small percentage of actual cases because the FDA’s records contain voluntary reports of injury associated with prescription medications. What is clear in the report is that there is a serious problem with prescription drug use, and the FDA hasn’t been doing its job, either in issuing warnings or working with other agencies to police doctors who wrongly prescribe medicines.

Although the report lauds the FDA for “promptly and effectively” responding to the heparin crisis, it notes that in other areas the agency has failed to respond.

For example, the drug Chantix has been linked to blackouts, and the Transportation Department has banned its use among pilots and air traffic controllers. After the report was issued last week, the FDA said it would consider a new safety warning for the drug.

The agency should be ashamed that a nonprofit group is doing its work for it by raising concerns about these drugs.

The bottom line is that the FDA should be moving more aggressively to protect the public health.