Johnson & Johnson obscured evidence that its popular Ortho Evra birth control patchdelivered much more estrogen than standard birth control pills, potentially increasing the risk of blood clots and strokes, according to internal company documents. More than 3,000 women and their families have sued Johnson & Johnson, asserting that users of the Ortho Evra patch suffered heart attacks, strokes and, in 40 cases, death. From 2002 to 2006, the food and drug agency received reports of at least 50 deaths associated with the drug. —– (New York Times, April 6, 2008)
10 Deadliest Drugs. Approved by the FDA—but are your meds safe? Critics claim tragic failures like the approval of the painkiller Vioxx, which may have caused up to 100,000 heart attack and stroke deaths, are a direct result of prioritizing speed over safety reviews. So what can you do in the meantime to minimize risk from medications? The first thing is to be an informed consumer and be sure that the drugs you take are necessary and have not been flagged as potentially problematic. For example, the mild opioid drugs Darvon and Darvocet have been found to be no more effective than aspirin—and they can cause heart damage.
Rank – Drug – Type – Deaths 1998-2005
1 – Oxycodone – Prescription opioid painkiller* – 5548
2 – Fentanyl – Prescription opioid painkiller* – 3545
3 – Clozapine – Antipsychotic – 3277
4 – Morphine – Prescription opioid painkiller* – 1616
5 – Acetaminophen – Over-the-counter painkiller – 1393
6 – Methadone - Prescription opioid painkiller*/addiction medication – 1258
7 – Infliximab - Immune-system modulating drug – 1228
8 – Interferon beta – Immune-system modulating drug – 1178
9 – Risperidone – Antipsychotic – 1093
10- Etanercept – Immune-system modulating drug – 1034
Source: Moore TJ et al., Serious Adverse Drug Events Reported to the Food and Drug Administration, 1998-2005, Archives of Internal Medicine, Sept. 10., 2007; 167 (16): 1752-1759 —– (WXii, 24 March 20008)
Watchdog voices dismay at failure to police industry. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) could not be prosecuted for concealing results which proved theantidepressant Seroxat caused children to become suicidal because the law only obliges companies to hand over safety data from trials when drugs are being licensed. That loophole will now be closed. Seroxat is licensed for adults but not for children, even though doctors were prescribing it for up to 8,000 under-18s by 2003. Doctors can prescribe unlicensed drugs on their own responsibility. —– (The Guardian UK, March 07, 2008)
Rezulin suit disruptive, Pfizer tells US high court. Rezulin, a withdrawn diabetes drug first approved in 1996, was pulled from the market in March 2000 after about 100 people who took the medicine (Rezulin) needed liver transplants or died from acute liver failure. —– (Reuters, Feb 25, 2008)
Study: Heart attacks, deaths rise after Plavix stopped. —–(Dallas Morning News, February 5, 2008)
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