Heparin contamination: Lawmakers want answers
Lawmakers scolded the FDA for still not knowing what or who was behind the contamination of the blood-thinning drug Heparin, nearly three years after launching its investigation.
View ArticleTobacco companies sue to thwart federal panel, claiming bias
Two leading tobacco companies fired a pre-emptive legal strike against federal authorities Friday, challenging the objectivity and thus validity of a 12-member advisory panel charged with making...
View ArticleU.S. takes over three Tylenol plants
The government is taking over three Tylenol plants following a blizzard of drug recalls and a Food and Drug Administration criminal investigation into safety issues at the factories.
View ArticleFDA takeover: Cost to Tylenol maker
The government takeover of Johnson & Johnson's Tylenol-making factories is a serious step that could further hurt sales of the company's well-known over-the-counter medicines.
View ArticleFDA: Another tainted drug crisis seems inevitable
A senior Food and Drug Administration regulator warned that another public health crisis may be inevitable because the agency can't guarantee the safety of many drugs and food products manufactured...
View ArticleBeware of 'fake' potassium iodide: FDA
In the wake of the crisis in Japan, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers to beware of inadvertently buying fake iodide products that are supposed to help protect against radiation.
View ArticleFDA: Some foods from four Japanese prefectures can't enter U.S.
In the wake of Japan's nuclear disaster, all milk, milk products, fresh vegetables and fruit from one of four prefectures closest to the quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will be...
View ArticleFDA weighs food dye, hyperactivity link
Jell-O, Hawaiian Punch, Pop-Tarts, Skittles, and other brightly colored foods designed to appeal to children aren't exactly health food. But do they make kids hyperactive?
View ArticleJustices debate lawsuits over generic drug safety
Two women who say they suffered severe medical complications from a generic drug are asking the Supreme Court to allow their separate lawsuits against the pharmaceutical manufactures to proceed. The...
View ArticleFDA committee weighs whether food dye affects kids' behavior
A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee that has been weighing evidence on whether dye additives in food affect behavior in children will make its recommendation Thursday.
View ArticleFDA will be 'severely' limited by shutdown
A government shutdown will severely restrict food and drug inspections, an official with the Food and Drug Administration warned Thursday.
View ArticleMoms-to-be fears of eating fish unfounded
When people find out I'm a dietitian, they often ask me what not to eat. I often find myself trying to gracefully redirect the topic. Although it's true Americans eat too much of various types of food,...
View ArticleDelta warned about rodent droppings
Most air travelers have encountered something gross on board planes at one time or another, like old food crumbs or stained seats. But now comes this: rodent droppings in the cabin.
View ArticleU.S. sales of widely used drug for chickens to be suspended
Sales of a drug widely used by poultry producers on their flocks will be suspended because a study found the livers of chickens given the drug contain inorganic arsenic -- a cancer-causing agent.
View ArticleThe other E. coli threat? Raw milk
The strain of E. coli that has killed at least 25 people and sickened more than 2,600 others in Europe is a terrifying reminder that killer microbes lurk in places where we least expect them. Though it...
View ArticleDrug shortages at all-time high
The number of drug shortages is at a record high, and the Food and Drug Administration is warning that they are getting even worse.
View ArticleIs a used breast pump safe?
I'm eight months pregnant and plan to breastfeed. I will go back to work after a few months and am thinking about getting a heavy-duty double breast pump, but the new ones are very expensive. Is it...
View ArticleSee the new cigarette warning labels
Nine new graphic cigarette warning labels were unveiled Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration, part of the agency's sweeping new powers to regulate tobacco and tobacco products.
View ArticleHigh Court sides with generic drug makers in narrow ruling
Two women who say they suffered severe medical complications from a generic drug lost their Supreme Court appeal Thursday, essentially ending their separate lawsuits against pharmaceutical manufacturers.
View ArticleFood supply at risk - watchdog slams FDA
A new government review of some of the most serious food recalls in recent years slammed the nation's top food safety agency for not effectively protecting the U.S. food supply.
View ArticleTobacco giants suing FDA over warning labels mandate
Five tobacco companies, including some of the largest in the United States, filed a lawsuit against the federal government on Tuesday, alleging that government-mandated graphic warning labels on...
View ArticleFDA panels put silicone breast implants back under microscope
Makers of silicone breast implants have not followed up on thousands of women who received them as required by the Food and Drug Administration as a condition of approval, agency advisers said Wednesday.
View ArticleFederal officials expand efforts as cantaloupe warnings continue
Federal health officials are expanding efforts to ensure no additional bacteria-tainted cantaloupes get to consumers in what has become the deadliest U.S. outbreak of a food-borne illness in more than...
View ArticleNot safe to eat: Three foods to avoid
Recent headlines about contaminated foods, from peanut butter and salad to turkey and eggs, are enough to make even the most intrepid eater a little bit paranoid.
View ArticleBagged salads recalled over salmonella fears
A producer of bagged salad leaves has issued a voluntary recall of various salad blends over concerns they may be contaminated with salmonella, the Food and Drug Administration announced.
View Article5,000 pounds of pine nuts recalled
The Wegmans supermarket chain is recalling 5,000 pounds of Turkish pine nuts because of possible salmonella contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.
View ArticleCan smaller pack size help smokers quit?
A few years ago, researchers at Cornell made a remarkable discovery: When unsuspecting diners were given self-refilling bowls, they consumed almost twice as much soup as those with normal bowls. In...
View Article'Morning after' pill will stay prescription-only for girls under 17
The secretary of Health and Human Services overruled Wednesday a Food and Drug Administration recommendation that would have made the emergency contraceptive pill Plan B One-Step available over the...
View ArticleNo increase in heart attack, stroke risk seen with ADHD meds
The million-plus U.S. adults who take medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not appear to be increasing their risk of heart attack or stroke, as some experts have feared,...
View ArticleFDA, CDC step in after baby's death raises questions about formula
The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday they are assisting in the investigation of a newborn baby who died of a rare bacterial infection that...
View ArticleTop health stories of 2011
The most deadly recorded listeria outbreak and concerns about nuclear radiation after Japan's biggest earthquake made major health headlines this year, along with several notable deaths to cancer and...
View ArticleConsumers warned about possible drug mix-up
Machinery problems at a drug manufacturing plant prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to warn patients of a possible mix-up affecting various prescription pain medications and...
View ArticleInspectors ignored FDA guidance before listeria outbreak, report finds
The company that inspected a Colorado cantaloupe farm at the center of a deadly listeriosis outbreak ignored federal regulators' "best and most timely" advice on processing produce, a congressional...
View ArticleFDA halts orange juice shipments to test for fungicide
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it has halted shipments of imported orange juice from all over the world and will test each one for traces of fungicide.
View ArticleWhy your orange juice is still safe
Don't toss out that full carton of orange juice sitting in your refrigerator just yet.
View ArticleFDA finds fungicide in Brazil, Canada orange juice
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it had detained shipments of orange juice and concentrate from Brazil and Canada after finding traces of the unapproved fungicide carbendazim.
View ArticleFDA blocks orange juice shipments from Canada
The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it had detained orange juice shipments from Canada after they tested positive for low levels of a banned fungicide previously found in Brazilian juice....
View ArticleAre we sure our drugs are safe?
When Americans pick up their prescriptions from the pharmacy or reach for a prescription bottle from their medicine cabinet, they probably don't think much about where the drugs were made or whether...
View ArticleFDA warns of counterfeit cancer drug
A counterfeit version of the anti-cancer drug Avastin may have been purchased and used in a number of medical facilities in the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Wednesday.
View ArticleFDA to review safety of caffeine product
Food and Drug Administration officials plan to investigate whether a form of caffeine sold in lipstick-shaped containers is safe for consumers.
View ArticleFederal judge blocks anti-smoking images required on tobacco products
A federal mandate requiring tobacco companies to place graphic images on their products warning of the dangers of smoking was tossed out Wednesday by a judge in Washington, with the judge saying the...
View ArticleStatin labels will come with new safety warnings
An entire class of statin drugs will get new labels that alert the public to safety concerns, the Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday.
View ArticleFDA issues warning to 'breathable' caffeine maker
The Food and Drug Administration has warned a company that markets caffeine and vitamin B as "breathable energy" it could face regulatory action over "false and misleading" labeling.
View ArticleCourt orders FDA to review antibiotic use in livestock
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday said it was studying a federal judge's order that it consider withdrawing two popular antibiotics from use in livestock.
View ArticleFDA says it will deny request to ban BPA
The Food and Drug Administration announced Friday it will deny the National Resources Defense Council's petition asking it to prohibit the use of bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, in products...
View ArticleU.S. marshals seize ultrasound gel that allegedly sickened 16 patients
The U.S. Marshals Service raided the offices of an ultrasound gel manufacturer on Wednesday, seizing the product that the Food and Drug Administration said contains dangerous amounts of bacteria that...
View ArticleAnti-obesity drug gets thumbs up from FDA advisory committee
A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted Thursday in favor of an investigational anti-obesity drug, putting it a step closer to winning the agency's approval.
View ArticleOver-the-counter rapid home HIV test a step closer to reality
Consumers may soon be able to test themselves for HIV and quickly learn the results in privacy of their own homes following unanimous approval recommendation from a Food and Drug Administration...
View ArticleFDA approves new diet drug
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new prescription diet drug called Qsymia on Tuesday. The medication produced dramatic weight loss in clinical trials, but some are concerned over...
View ArticleN.C. farm recalls cantaloupes, melons amid listeria concerns
Burch Farms has recalled all cantaloupes and honeydew melons it grew this year because of possible listeria contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.
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