MHRA issue “Class 4” drug alert warning for Focus Pharmaceuticals after barcode errors found on 8 medicinal products
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a Class 4 (caution in use) warning over eight Focus Pharmaceutical medicinal products after a problem was found with the barcodes.
The packaging fault may interfere with prescriptions as the wrong product may be identified when they’re scanned.
The medicines themselves have no reported faults and the rest of the packaging including the name, strength and pharmaceutical form of the medicine is correct as far as the manufacturer and the MHRA are aware.
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Regulators demands HomeoLab change manufacturing process for teething products over inconsistent levels of deadly nightshade
Regulators sent a stern letter to HomeoLab listing the problems it discovered during a recent inspection at the homeopathic pharmaceutical manufacturer’s labs. It noted the company’s “significant violations” in the way it manufacturers infant products, which included the inconsistent use of the deadly poison belladonna; commonly known as deadly nightshade.
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Suicide statistics may have allegedly been incorrectly reported in drug trials
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is currently engaged in a fierce legal battle over its antidepressant pill, Paxil (Seroxat in the U.K.).
Marketed as an antidepressant, Paxil is supposed to reduce the risk of suicide in users.
When it was first made for production, GSK conducted clinical trials to test how effective the drug was. In 1989, it presented the drug to regulators along with the results that indicated Paxil was much safer than taking a placebo.
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Medtronic recalls disposable diabetes infusion sets over risk of causing hypoglycemia
Medical device manufacturer Medtronic Plc is recalling disposable diabetes infusion sets as a possible defect may trigger excessive doses of insulin to the diabetic user, putting them at risk of hypoglycemia.
The recall reportedly affects insulin infusion sets distributed all over the world.
The device, connected to an insulin pump, features thin plastic tubing with a needle or cannula at the end to carry insulin into the body when needed. However, apparently, “one in every two million” sets may contain a “complication”.
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NICE calls for U.K. surgery ban on vaginal mesh implants
The infamous mesh implants that’s sewn into vagina walls which has reportedly caused multiple injuries and excruciating pain for many women may now be finally banned for good in the U.K.
Those women who had the ‘minor’ routine surgery to help treat organ prolapses and mild incontinence, but then went on to suffer serious and painful complications has prompted the U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to recommend that the implants shouldn’t be used in treatment any more at all, only for research.
This is a change to previous NICE guidelines that were more about taking extreme precautions when using the mesh devices.
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Hospitals and Doctors warned over using Intercept Pharmaceuticals liver disease drug
Regulators have issued Doctors and Hospitals with a warning over Intercept Pharmaceuticals liver disease drug after 19 people have reportedly died after taking too much of it.
Regulators also noted 11 cases of serious liver injury after taking the drug as well.
The warning prompted the company’s shares to reportedly plummet down by 24.9%, to $73.70. The drop is thought to be the company’s biggest loss since November 2014, Bloomberg reports.
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Warnings against dangerous and unapproved silicone injections
Cosmetic surgery is extremely popular, with procedures being much more common and far more accessible these days. Clinicians have been keen to take on the enlarged demand, but not all are appropriately qualified, and not all are apparently using approved materials.
There are many horror stories about people trying to ‘improve’ their breasts, faces, biceps and buttocks by having all sorts of materials injected into them. In recent years, we’ve a seen a trend in silicone injections being obtained from the black market and / or being used by questionable clinicians.
The consequences can be horrifying…
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Class 4 drug alert for Kyowa Kirin Bleo-Kyowa Powder Solution
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a drug alert for the Bleo-Kyowa powder over a ‘minor’ defect being reported.
The agency cites glass particles being detected in a batch of the medicine back in April 2017.
Hospitals, pharmacies and other healthcare providers are requested to take caution in using the Bleomycin Sulphate powder that acts as an anticancer chemotherapy medicine.
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Vaping and the reported health risks
A lot of people believe that using e-cigarettes instead of conventional cigarettes is much healthier because they don’t contain tar. However, vaping can still reportedly carry adverse health problems like a dry cough, throat irritation, shortness of breath and lasting implications like lung inflammation.
The chemicals used in some e-cigs are also identified as carcinogenic. So, just how safe are these alternative devices? With their growing popularity and the huge variety of flavours and tastes, from chocolate, to coffee, to fruit, is there anything to worry about? Or are the worries just diluting from the fact that they’re intended to be a suitable alternative to smoking but without the risks associated with real tobacco.
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Ceftazidime antibiotic concentration may deteriorate if stored at the wrong temperature
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has launched a medical device alert over the test disc for the antibiotic ‘Ceftazidime’, warning that storing the test discs at the wrong temperature can increase the chances of false resistance results.
The antibiotic is used to treat all sorts of bacterial infections including joint infections, sepsis, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and more. In cases where the Ceftazidime test disc was not frozen between the temperatures of +2o and -20o, notably at +8o, the antibiotic’s shelf-life may have been degraded.
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Demands for fidget spinners to be recalled over allegations of toxic lead contamination
Major retailer, Target Corporation, has recalled two of their popular fidget-spinners over reports that they contain excessive levels of toxic lead.
The heavy metal is poisonous and can cause symptoms through exposure like stomach pains, headaches, constipation, irritability, memory problems, and tingling in the hands and feet
The brain is particularly sensitive to lead exposure, and in serious cases, exposure can cause seizures, coma and even death. Survivors of lead poisoning may become anaemic and infertile
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Colgate-Palmolive settles lawsuit over its talc-based products “containing Asbestos”
Colgate-Palmolive has agreed to settle a lawsuit over claims that a claimant developed cancer after using their talcum powder products.
Carol Schoeniger reportedly developed Mesothelioma, which is a rare and fatal form of cancer that is known to be caused by asbestos exposure. This exposure allegedly came from the talc-based products she was using that reportedly contained Asbestos.
The settlement sum was not disclosed, which may have been an effort to defer others from claiming the same, but the pay-out is likely to have been significant.
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