Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA): Patient Safety News

Recalls and Safety Alerts: Safety Precautions for Huber Needles

02/28/2010 11:00 PM
FDA is alerting healthcare professionals about safety precautions to be used with Huber needles, and about a recall of one company's products. Huber needles are used to access ports implanted in chronically ill patients to withdraw blood and infuse ...

Recalls and Safety Alerts: Don't Use Thermoflect Products with MRI

02/28/2010 11:00 PM
The manufacturer Encompass Group is alerting healthcare professionals that Thermoflect products should not be used in an MRI environment. These products, such as blankets and apparel, are intended to prevent hypothermia by keeping patients warm usin...

Recalls and Safety Alerts: Valproate Sodium and Birth Defects

02/28/2010 11:00 PM
FDA is reminding healthcare professionals and patients about an increased risk of birth defects in infants whose mothers took valproate sodium and related products during pregnancy. These drugs, which are used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder and...

Recalls and Safety Alerts: Kidney Impairment with Byetta

02/28/2010 11:00 PM
To help clinicians weigh the benefits and risks of the diabetes drug Byetta (exenatide), FDA is requiring that information about the risk of renal impairment be added to the drug's labeling. From April 2005 to October 2008, FDA received 78...

Recalls and Safety Alerts: Cleviprex Recalled due to Particulates

02/28/2010 11:00 PM
Here's information about a recall of certain lots of Cleviprex injectable emulsion, an antihypertensive drug made by The Medicines Company. Vials in the recalled lots may contain particulate matter which has been found to be inert stainless ste...

Preventing Medical Errors: Warning on Counterfeit Alli

02/28/2010 11:00 PM
FDA is warning the public about a potentially dangerous counterfeit version of the weight-loss drug Alli (orlistat). To date, all the counterfeits seem to have been sold on the internet. The genuine version of Alli, which is approved by FDA for ove...

Preventing Medical Errors: Medical Errors from Misreading Letters and Numbers

02/28/2010 11:00 PM
An article by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) reminds healthcare practitioners how dangerous it can be to misread the letters and numbers on prescriptions, drug orders and medical records. Unfortunately, these mistakes are easy to...

FDA Consumer Corner: Caution about Sexual Enhancement Products

02/28/2010 11:00 PM
You can easily find them on the internet - products sold as "dietary supplements" to enhance sexual performance or treat erectile dysfunction. Many of these products are said to be "all natural" alternatives to prescription drugs. That might make y...

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