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04 Dec 2010 14:46

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U.S.: Good news, fat people: Lap-band surgery may become easier to get

  • 40 the BMI overweight people used to need to get the food-limiting lap-band surgery, which has become very popular
  • 35 the BMI an FDA panel now recommends for fat people to get the surgeries – if they don’t have health problems
  • 30 the BMI panel now recommends for lap-band surgery if you already have health problems source
  • » A good alternative: If you’re a fat person who can’t make sense of confusing traditional weight-loss programs, the FDA panel’s recommendation of looser standards for lap-band surgery could be a godsend for people would otherwise need to be chained to a wall to prevent them from eating in large quantities. Like us *chews laptop*.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Nov 2010 11:05

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World: Blackout-in-a-can Four Loko getting stink eye from FDA

Now the FDA’s getting involved in stopping this menace. It’s all fun and games until someone mixes a lot of caffeine and a lot of alcohol into one can. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Nov 2010 10:23

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Culture: FDA’s graphic cigarette warnings: Poorly-designed, depressing

  • There are many many others that the FDA wants to put on the sides of packs of cigarettes, and some are amazingly depressing. The problem with these labels is that the design of many of these looks downright amateurish, like they just got a bunch of random stock photos to use. Would a marketing campaign make more sense? We sense a meme coming on. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

31 Aug 2010 12:49

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U.S.: Piles of manure taller than people found at salmonella-infested farm

  • The decrepit conditions in these henhouses reflect the fact that companies know that FDA inspections are so rare … that there is no urgency to fix their buildings and their operations.
  • The Center for Science in the Public Interest • In response to an FDA report on the Iowa chicken farms at the source of the recent salmonella outbreak. FDA investigators found, amongst other things, eight-foot high piles of chicken manure, some of which was forcing doors open and allowing rodents to enter. An estimated 1,470 people have been sickened so far. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jul 2010 22:34

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Biz: Who cares if it works? FDA won’t recommend weight-loss drug

  • yes Qnexa, a weight-loss drug developed by Vivus, helped obese people lose weight – lots of it.
  • but The drug, however, had side effects, and it was unclear if it led to heart attacks or strokes.
  • no A FDA advisory panel chose not to endorse the obesity drug. Vivus loses again! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Jul 2010 20:21

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U.S.: FDA panel: We’re OK if dangerous drug Avandia stays on the market

  • 20
    FDA panel members voted to allow Avandia’s sale; most wanted to restrict it
  • 12 members of the panel voted to take it off the market
  • one person abstained from the vote for some stupid reason source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Apr 2010 21:22

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U.S.: New thing for germophobes to be scared of: Antibacterial soap

Antibacterial soap’s main germ-killing element is triclosan, which the FDA is reviewing the safety of. One congressman, Edward Markey, wants to ban it altogether. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

03 Apr 2010 10:08

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Biz: Like big financial companies, Pfizer designated too big to fail

Pfizer marketed painkiller Bextra for use after surgeries, despite the FDA not approving it for that. But when push came to shove, the Feds didn’t go for the kill. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Mar 2010 11:03

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U.S.: Hey, heart pill user: Your nitroglycerin probably wasn’t tested

  • 80% of prescribed nitroglycerin had no FDA testing source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Mar 2010 10:41

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U.S.: Fans of open letters and the FDA regulating stuff, read this

  • Food and Drug Commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg rips hard on labeling. In case you find food labels a little misleading sometimes, this open letter by Dr. Hamburg should warm your heart. They’re going after companies who didn’t listen to the FDA’s mandate on food labels, and could take food off shelves if companies don’t listen. “To address these concerns,” she wrote, “FDA is notifying a number of manufacturers that their labels are in violation of the law and subject to legal proceedings to remove misbranded products from the marketplace.” Ouch. You feel that? That’s the regulatory hammer. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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