IT just goes to show that a headline doesn’t necessarily make clear the most important part of the story.
In a story widely circulated on May 27, several news services reported that the FDA is currently experiencing “some delays” due to a “new focus on drug safety.”
Digging into the story, however, we find that the delay [...]

The FDA announced today that it will develop a computer tracking system to monitor side effect reports from drugs and devices it has approved. This represents a major change in FDA practice, apparently in response to repeated requests from consumers and congress. While it remains in the planning stages, the “Sentinel System” will allow FDA [...]

IN an unusual ruling, the FAA yesterday banned pilots and air traffic controllers from using the popular Pfizer anti-smoking drug Chantix. Yes, the FAA–Federal Aviation Administration–not the FDA. According to a story in the LA Times, a “study by a medical safety group … linked it to a variety of unusual and serious side effects, [...]

A study by the prescription benefits manager Medco Health Solutions, Inc. reports that for the first time, more than half of all insured Americans taking prescription drugs regularly for chronic conditions. A summary published by the AP reports (Linda A. Johnson, “More Americans Are Taking Prescription Medication“) that the study reflects both “better medicine” and [...]

A study released today of 6,814 men and women aged 45 to 84 reveals that increasing obesity in the population may be more important as a factor in cardiovascular disease than anti-cholesterol and high blood pressure medications prescribed for cardiovascular conditions. Study author Gregory L. Burke explains:
There is a relationship between less obvious, subclinical cardiovascular [...]