Category Archives: Drugs

The discovery that a fake version of the widely used cancer medicine Avastin is circulating in the United States is raising new fears that the multibillion-dollar drug-counterfeiting trade is increasingly making inroads in the U.S. The criminal practice has largely been relegated to poor countries with lax regulations. But with more medicines and drug ingredients for sale in the U.S. being manufactured overseas, American authorities are afraid more counterfeits will find their way into this country, putting patients' lives at risk. The Avastin discovery follows other recent instances in the U.S. of counterfeiting, involving such drugs as Viagra, the cholesterol medicine Lipitor and the weight-loss pill Alli. "We do know there are counterfeits continuing to try and make their way onto the U.S. supply chain," said Connie Jung, an associate director in the Food and Drug Administration's office of drug security. The FDA announced Tuesday it is investigating fake vials of Avastin that were sold to at least 19 doctors and clinics, including 16 sites in California, two in Texas and one in Chicago. Tests showed the vials did not contain the active ingredient in Avastin, which is given intravenously in hospitals, clinics and doctors' offices to treat several types … Continue reading →

by Scott Arnold NASHVILLE, Tenn.- State lawmakers have called synthetic drugs a deadly epidemic. There's now a number of new pushes at the Capitol to get the dangerous drugs off the streets. While the drugs sold in convenience stores as potpourri, herbal incense, or bath salts sound harmless, many Tennesseeans have died using these products "There have been instances in which these synthetic drugs have triggered severe mental reactions which have resulted in hospitalization," said Nashville State Representative Mike Stewart State lawmakers have been getting an earful about the issue. A 7th grade class recently told State Rep Tony Shipley they even knew kids who had used Synthetic Drugs. "Then I asked them, I said how many of you all had taken some, no hands went up, but half of the heads went down, body language said that 50% of our 7th graders are messing with something that can kill them," Shipley told us. In response lawmakers have filed a number of bills designed to stop these drugs from being sold. Representative Shipley's bill makes it a felony to sell synthetic drugs. Representative Stewart's legislation would allow you to sue the store owner. There are other measures that would suspend … Continue reading →

"First it was Michael Jackson, then it was Amy Winehouse and now the magnificent Whitney Houston. I'd like to have every gentleman and lady in this room commit themselves to get our government to legalize drugs. So they have to get it through a doctor, not just some gangsters that sell it under the table." That's what Tony Bennett said at a pre-Grammy Awards party on Saturday night, shortly after learning of the tragic death of Whitney Houston, and he's exactly right. One of us (Neill) is a former police officer who fought -- and lost friends -- on the front lines of the failed "war on drugs." One of us (Katharine) learned about the commonality of human pain in another difficult way, spending two years in a residential facility ("rehab"). She wasn't there for drugs, but many of those struggling alongside her were. There has been some confusion and criticism over Bennett's remarks and, because of our experience dealing with the pain and heartbreak of drug abuse and harmful drug laws, we feel compelled to expand upon his heartfelt remarks in the hopes that we can help break through some of the misunderstanding underlying the reaction to what Bennett … Continue reading →

The focus of the Whitney Houston investigation is shifting to an examination of the prescription medicines found in her room and whether she had taken any drugs that might have contributed to her death. Police said detectives have ended their investigation at the hotel room where she died, but investigators continue to interview people while awaiting the results of toxicology tests. "No matter what medication they may be taking, until we do a toxicology test and see the levels, we are not going to speculate," said Ed Winter, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner's office. PHOTOS: Whitney Houston | 1963-2012 Authorities have collected several bottles of drugs from Houston's suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, law enforcement sources told The Times. But the sources said the amounts of drugs did not seem unusually large, leaving it unclear whether the medications had anything to do with the singer's death. Investigators are expected to speak to Houston's medical team to learn of any underlying medical conditions she might have had. In previous high-profile death investigations, officials have interviewed those who prescribed drugs for the deceased. When Michael Jackson died, authorities spent weeks sorting out his large cache of prescription drugs. … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/1f6344/global_hiv_drugs_m) has announced the addition of the "Global HIV Drugs Market 2010-2014" report to their offering. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the increase in the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy. The Global HIV Drugs market has also been witnessing the need for novel HIV drugs. However, the expiration of patents of key drugs in 2010 could be a challenge to the growth of this market. The report covers the segments such as Hospitals, Patient Diagnostic Centers, and Point-of-Care Centers. The report also analyzes the Global HIV Drugs market landscape and its growth prospects. Key vendors dominating this market include Gliead Sciences Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Abbott Laboratories, ViiV Healthcare. Commenting on the report, an analyst from TechNavio's Healthcare team said, Major issues such as resistance to ART, patent expirations, and increasing HIV infections have created a need for novel drugs. The trend is moving towards development of new ART drugs that operate outside infected cells. This could include new class of drugs for entry inhibitors, coreceptor antagonists and fusion inhibitors. According to the report, early initiation of Highly Active AntiRetroviral Therapy (HAART) is the most effective way to … Continue reading →

A coroner's official says some prescription medicines were found in the hotel room where Whitney Houston died but not in large quantities. Houston was underwater and apparently unconscious when she was pulled from a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub, and she had prescription drugs in her room, officials said on Monday as the pop star's family made arrangements to fly her body home to New Jersey for a funeral at the end of the week. Authorities said that there were no indications of foul play and no obvious signs of trauma on Houston's body but that it could be weeks before the coroner's office completes toxicology tests that could establish the cause of death. The 48-year-old singer struggled for years with cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her behaviour had become erratic. Houston was found underwater on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel by a member of her staff at about 3:30pm (local time), hours before she was supposed to appear at pre-Grammy Awards gala, police Lt Mark Rosen said. She was pulled from the tub by members of her staff, and hotel security was promptly notified, Rosen said. She was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later. 'As of right now, it's … Continue reading →

A coroner's official says some prescription medicines were found in the hotel room where Whitney Houston died but not in large quantities. Houston was underwater and apparently unconscious when she was pulled from a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub, and she had prescription drugs in her room, officials said on Monday as the pop star's family made arrangements to fly her body home to New Jersey for a funeral at the end of the week. Authorities said that there were no indications of foul play and no obvious signs of trauma on Houston's body but that it could be weeks before the coroner's office completes toxicology tests that could establish the cause of death. The 48-year-old singer struggled for years with cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her behaviour had become erratic. Houston was found underwater on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel by a member of her staff at about 3:30pm (local time), hours before she was supposed to appear at pre-Grammy Awards gala, police Lt Mark Rosen said. She was pulled from the tub by members of her staff, and hotel security was promptly notified, Rosen said. She was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later. 'As of right now, it's … Continue reading →

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Drugs? Booze? Suicide? Drowning? Speculation on the cause of Whitney Houston's sudden death have run the gamut since the singer was found on Saturday. But don't jump to conclusions. Medical experts say it will take weeks to firmly establish the cause of Houston's death and, contrary to probes on TV crime shows like "CSI" or "Bones," sometimes science is fallible. "I suspect the popular media has made toxicology tests almost as magical as everything else," Dr. Andrew Baker, president of the National Association of Medical Examiners, told Reuters. "I am sure there are TV shows where they squirt blood into a machine and five seconds later, they get a print out of every drug the person has ever taken. (But) it just doesn't work like that," said Baker, who is also the chief medical examiner of Hennepin County, Minnesota. As in the case of Michael Jackson in 2009, or British singer Amy Winehouse last year, toxicology tests are now underway on Houston that could take up to eight weeks to yield results. Initial suspicion over Houston's death at age 48 on Saturday afternoon in a Beverly Hills hotel fell on a possible drug overdose given the … Continue reading →

The results of an autopsy performed Sunday were inconclusive, according to Winter, who denied reports that the coroner's office had told Houston's family that it had determined a cause of death. "We don't know yet," he said. Houston was found unresponsive Saturday afternoon in the bathtub of her suite. Authorities said they are trying to determine whether she drowned. Beverly Hills Fire Department paramedics performed CPR on Houston for about 20 minutes before declaring her dead, officials said. PHOTOS: Stars react People who were briefed on the probe Sunday said drowning was one of several scenarios that investigators are exploring. The sources stressed that investigators still have many unanswered questions, particularly about what Houston was doing in the hours before her death. Investigators are also interviewing family members and friends to determine whether Houston had any underlying medical conditions, said the sources, who spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose information about the case. One person with knowledge of the case said that although Houston was found in the bathtub, officials were still unsure whether she died of natural causes or was in some other way stricken. Winter said Sunday that … Continue reading →

The cause of Whitney Houston's death remains under investigation -- but according to Celine Dion, this case is already closed. Speaking via phone on Monday's Good Morning America (she called the late icon "an amazing inspiration") the "My Heart Will Go On" singer didn't mince words looking back on Houston's legendary career and troubled later life. PHOTOS: Whitney's life remembered "It's just really unfortunate that drugs, bad people, bad influences took over her dreams, her motherhood," the French-Canadian star, 43, said of Houston, who famously fessed up in a 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer about using cocaine, marijuana and pills. "When you think about Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson . . . To get into drugs like that for whatever reason--because of stress, bad influence, whatever." PHOTOS: Tragic celeb deaths of 2011 Dion lamented that her immensely talented idol, who left behind daughter Bobbi Kristina, apparently succumbed like other superstars before her. "What happens when you have everything? Love, support, motherhood…Something happens that I don't understand. That's why I'm scared of show business, of drugs and hanging out. That's why I don't go to parties!" PHOTOS: The troubled life of Amy Winehouse Tell Us: Did Dion speak … Continue reading →