FDA issues alert on Tussionex, a long-acting prescription cough medicine containing hydrocodone

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an alert today on the safe and correct use of Tussionex Pennkinetic Extended-Release Suspension in response to numerous reports of adverse events--including death--associated with the misuse and inappropriate use of this potent cough medication. more  

Information for patients: Antibiotic resistance

Antibiotics normally work by killing germs called bacteria. Or they stop the bacteria from growing. But sometimes not all of them are stopped or killed. The strongest ones are left to grow and spread. A person can get sick again. This time the germs are harder to kill.. more

Information for patients: Cell phones

Everybody seems to have a cell phone these days. Cell phones are not really phones. They are two-way radios. A cell phone changes your voice into radio waves. more  

Researchers find cause of severe allergic reaction to cancer drug

Clinicians have been perplexed by the fact that some patients given the drug cetuximab — an immune-based therapy commonly used to treat persons diagnosed with head and neck cancer, or colon cancer — have a severe and rapid adverse reaction to the drug. Sometimes the reaction includes anaphylaxis, a life-threatening condition characterized by a drop in blood pressure, fainting, difficulty breathing, and wheezing. more

Rodent study finds artificial butter chemical harmful to lungs  

A new study shows that exposure to a chemical called diacetyl, a component of artificial butter flavoring, can be harmful to the nose and airways of mice. Scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, conducted the study because diacetyl has been implicated in causing obliterative bronchiolitis (OB) in humans. OB is a debilitating but rare lung disease, which has been detected recently in workers who inhale significant concentrations of the flavoring in microwave popcorn packaging plants. more

Toddlers affected most by secondhand smoke exposure at home 

Secondhand smoke in the home appears to induce markers for heart disease as early as the toddler years, researchers reported at the American Heart Association’s 48th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention. more

Prescription costs rise more than 6 times when patients reach 65 says study of 5M people

Prescribing costs increase dramatically when people reach 65, according to a detailed analysis of more than five million patients published in the March issue of the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. more

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