dOliveira & Associates has issued a new infographic providing information on a Tekturna medical study that was stopped due to patients suffering from nonfatal stroke, hyperkalemia, and hypotension. (PRWEB) April 18, 2013 According to a press release from Novartis, the company stopped its ALTITUDE medical study in December of 2011 because Tekturna increased the risk of nonfatal stroke, kidney complications, hyperkalemia, and hypotension in patients with Type-2 diabetes. The study was conducted on the part of Novartis in an effort to expand the uses of Tekturna due to the product profitability in 2011 was negative (iv). Additional adverse events were recorded by The Institute for Safe Medication Practices in there October of 2012 issue of Quarter Watch which stated that 100 cases of angioedema (swelling) were reported by Tekturna patients in the first quarter of 2012 (v). The same publication also detailed other cases that included one report of death, two reports labeled life threatening, 15 reports of hospitalization, and a final total of 237 Tekturna adverse event reports, more than any other blood pressure medication (v). The infographic issued by dOliveira & Associates provides general information on Tekturna as well as lists possible side effects. Side effects allegedly connected … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal health experts issued a split opinion Thursday on whether a long-acting testosterone injection from Endo Health Solutions is safe. A Food and Drug Administration panel voted 9-9 on the safety of Endo's Aveed, a drug designed to be injected once every 10 weeks to boost testosterone in men with abnormally low levels. The FDA is not required to follow the group's advice, though it often does. Endo has asked the FDA to approve its drug as a long-term treatment for hypogonadism, or low testosterone caused by disease or damage to the reproductive or hormonal organs. The condition is associated with fatigue, weight gain, depression and reduced libido. Estimates for the number of men in the U.S. with low testosterone levels range from 5 million to 30 million, depending on the criteria used. While there are established numbers for typical testosterone levels in younger men, there is no consensus on what is a "normal number," in older men. The split panel vote is the latest twist in Aveed's multiyear review by the FDA. The Malvern, Pa-based drugmaker first submitted the drug in 2007, but the FDA rejected it in 2008 and again in 2009. Regulators have continued … Continue reading →

New York, NY (PRWEB) April 18, 2013 The prescription drug safety advocates at DrugRisk.com are announcing the launch of a new resource center for patients who have taken the diabetes drug Januvia, amid warnings that the drug may be related to pancreatic cancer and thyroid cancer. The goal of DrugRisk is to improve patient safety by providing those taking prescription drugs with the latest warnings, recalls, studies and legal news. Patients can see if others are experiencing similar side effects and decide if they need legal advice. Januvia is a once-a-day pill introduced in 2006 to help those with type-2 diabetes control blood sugar. It has become Mercks best-selling drug, with sales over $4 billion last year*. However, DrugRisk has added a 2011 study from UCLA indicating the drug could increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 272% and thyroid cancer by 148%**. The Journal for the American Medical Association also recently published findings showing Januvia could double the risk of pancreatitis, which is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer***. Now, DrugRisk has learned that, with the number of patients filing a Januvia lawsuit alleging cancer growing, lawyers have requested that cases be consolidated to a special federal multi-district court … Continue reading →

OxyContin's long-acting formulation makes it popular but also prone to abuse. OxyContin's long-acting formulation makes it popular but also prone to abuse. Banning cheaper, generic forms of a dangerous drug sounds like a worthy idea. But the Food and Drug Administration's decision to bar generic OxyContin may also push patients towards less effective drugs without eliminating the risk of addiction, experts say. "Obviously, there's a cost issue," says Lynn Webster, president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. "Not having generics means this type of medication is going to be more expensive." On Tuesday, the FDA said that it won't approve generic versions of the original formulation of OxyContin, a long-acting narcotic pain medication, which went off patent that day. Normally, the end of the patent's life would open the door to generics. But drugmakers must now develop their own abuse-resistant versions if they want to compete for a share of the lucrative market. In 2010, Purdue Pharma LP replaced the original OxyContin with an abuse-resistant form, in an effort to reduce deaths and overdoses caused by the powerful pain medication, which was licensed in 1995. From 1999 to 2006, deaths involving prescription opioid painkillers more than tripled, according to … Continue reading →