Peggy Peck

February 21, 2007

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA informed physicians today of a report by GlaxoSmithKline of an increased number of arm, hand, and foot fractures among women taking rosiglitazone (Avandia) for newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

February 16, 2007

ATLANTA -- In West Virginia, every 10th adult has had a heart attack or suffers from coronary artery disease, with or without symptoms of angina, according to a CDC survey. No state has a worse record.

February 16, 2007

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA said today it has had reports of Americans needing emergency medical treatment after taking what's been identified as the antipsychotic drug haloperidol sent by shady Internet sites instead of the drugs that were ordered.

February 15, 2007

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Two brands of peanut butter manufactured in a single Georgia facility may be contaminated with Salmonella serotype Tennessee, according to the FDA.

February 14, 2007

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has notified physicians that the year since RotaTeq, an oral rotavirus vaccine, was approved, there have been 28 reported post-marketing cases of intussusception. It is not known whether the cases were causal or coincidental, the agency said.

February 07, 2007

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA today approved over-the-counter sale of a low-dose version of Xenical (orlistat), a prescription diet drug that works by blocking the absorption of fat in the intestine. The OTC version will be called Alli.

February 06, 2007

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA said today it has approved the first microarray genetic analysis designed to aid in predicting the risk of stage I or II breast cancer recurrence or metastasis.

February 02, 2007

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has approved Alphanate (antihemophilic factor/von Willebrand factor complex) for von Willebrand's disease in surgery.

January 30, 2007

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Four months after the Institute of Medicine scolded the FDA for its regulation of drug safety, the FDA countered with a response that sidestepped some of the key recommendations for reform.

January 29, 2007

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- For cancer patients with anemia not caused by chemotherapy, the off-label use of Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa) is ineffective and also boosts mortality, the FDA reported.