NEWS
By Christopher Lane | July 26, 2009
It's amazing what an hour of aimless channel surfing can turn up these days. After some freewheeling with the remote one night recently, I managed to catch not only half a dozen low-budget makeover shows but also three ads for FDA-approved pharmaceuticals: one for depression, another for premenstrual dysphoric disorder and a third for inadequate eyelash syndrome - sorry, "eyelash hypotrichosis." Prescription treatment for "longer, thicker and darker lashes?" Fellow Americans, have we lost our minds?
NEWS
February 13, 2009
Rental property law protects communities Councilman T. Bryan McIntire's opposition to the new Baltimore County rental law is well-intentioned but unfounded ("Most Balto. Co. rental properties conform to new law," Feb. 8). Towson University fails to provide housing for about 30 percent of its students. And the surrounding communities suffer as a result of its campus housing shortage. Don Gerding, the chairman of the Rodgers Forge External Affairs Committee, and I have frequently reported problems with rental housing in the area to housing code enforcement authorities and county police.
NEWS
By Tricia Bishop | January 27, 2008
OK, so you're hungry and rooting around in the fridge, or maybe the pantry, and find something. You think you've stumbled upon it - What's this? Chocolate? Yes! - when it dawns on you: You can't remember buying the bar. Or when you first opened it. What now? Should you eat it or toss it? What if it's milk? Or medication? How long will that stuff keep, and what's at stake after you pass that point? For many things, your budget and personal preference can dictate how often you replace them, but for others, it's a safety issue.
NEWS
By Francesca Lunzer Kritz | May 11, 2007
The Rev. Eddie Martin was willing to take two drugs, a diuretic and a calcium channel blocker, to get his blood pressure down. But when his doctor decided to add a third pill, a cholesterol-lowering medication, to Martin's daily medicine regimen, the reverend balked. "I just hate taking pills," Martin says, "and what's more, with each extra drug, that's another co-pay I've got to shell out." Then the Woodland, Ohio, resident heard a TV ad for Caduet, which combines the blood-pressure-lowering drug Norvasc with the cholesterol-reducing medicine Lipitor.
NEWS
By Jonathan D. Rockoff | February 17, 2007
WASHINGTON -- This year's spending plan for the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and Social Security Administration, crafted by the new Democratic majority in Congress and signed into law this week by President Bush, provides a mix of good and bad news for the Maryland-based agencies, according to congressional aides and other government officials. The National Institutes of Health, which funds much of the country's medical research, including hundreds of millions of dollars each year to Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland, received $28.9 billion, a $620 million increase over last year.
NEWS
December 22, 2006
Did you know?--One in 1,000 Americans develops blood clots, or deep vein thrombosis, after traveling on long flights each year. - Food and Drug Administration
NEWS
By CHICAGO TRIBUNE | January 13, 2006
The Food and Drug Administration will let researchers test small amounts of experimental drugs on people at a much earlier stage than previously allowed, under guidelines announced yesterday. The new rules are meant to help identify drugs that won't be approved before too much time and money are expended, federal officials said. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt said, "The recommendations ... will help more researchers conduct earlier, more-informed studies of promising treatments."
NEWS
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR | September 28, 2005
WASHINGTON -- President Bush's new Food and Drug Administration chief could face a built-in conflict of interest if he follows through with his plan to keep his present position as head of the National Cancer Institute while also taking over the FDA, some leading physicians and consumer activists caution. Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach expressed confidence this week that he can do both jobs well. But because the FDA has an oversight role in the cancer institute's drug development research, some experts foresee problems - especially since von Eschenbach is publicly committed to accelerating approval of some anti-cancer drugs.
NEWS
By Bruce Japsen | August 20, 2005
ANGLETON, Texas - Jurors held drugmaker Merck & Co. liable yesterday for the heart-related death of a 59-year-old marathon runner who took its prescription painkiller Vioxx, awarding his widow $253.4 million. It was a staggering loss in the first of 4,200 suits that have been filed against Merck, and it could have far-reaching implications for the pharmaceutical industry, which has been under fire in recent months for its aggressive marketing tactics. Merck pulled Vioxx, which was being taken by 20 million people, from the market in September after a study found that its use increased the risk of heart attack and stroke.
NEWS
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar | June 1, 2005
WASHINGTON - The government's "fast track" system for making new medications quickly available to treat the deadliest illnesses has become a route for companies to market drugs without fully proving their effectiveness or safety - either before or after they go on the market, says a congressional report to be released today. The report found that pharmaceutical companies receiving accelerated approval from the Food and Drug Administration often fail to follow through on promises to do complete field trials and other studies after their drugs reach the market.