The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today advised consumers and health care professionals about potential rare occurrences of severe liver injury in patients taking the weight-loss medication orlistat, marketed as Alli and Xenical. An estimated 40 million people worldwide have taken either Xenical or Alli. Alli was the first diet pill of its kind [...]

Most of the  herbal supplements recently tested as part of a Congressional investigation contained trace amounts of contaminants, including toxic lead, according to the New York Times. Also revealed was that some supplement sellers make illegal claims that their products can cure various diseases such as cancer, investigators discovered. Heavy metals mercury, cadmium, and arsenic [...]

Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Corporation is recalling about 750 Voltaire Swivel Chairs because they pose a fall hazard, announced the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Manufactured in the United States and distributed by Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Corp., of Lake Forest, Illinois, the chair’s frame can separate from the chair’s seating section, creating a [...]

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is currently evaluating reports of at least 775 side effects from over-the-counter (OTC) children’s medicines from McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a division of Johnson & Johnson, according to CNN Money. The investigation allegedly includes 30 deaths originally not connected to previous Tylenol recalls from January 2008 to April 30, [...]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that it will collaborate with the Web site Drugs.com to expand access to the FDA’s consumer health information. Drugs.com provides patient information to better manage one’s health and to reduce medication errors. “The FDA’s partnership with Drugs.com means that reliable, useful, and timely health information will [...]

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission has finally released the names of drywall manufacturers whose wallboard emitted high levels of hydrogen sulfide in testing conducted by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). There is a strong affiliation between hydrogen sulfide and metal corrosion. Of the products tested, all top ten reactive sulfur-emitting drywall samples were made [...]

Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that using Proton Pump Inhibitors at high doses or for longer than a year might increase the risk of bone fractures. Better known as heartburn drugs, included are prescription brands such as AstraZeneca Plc’s popular Nexium and an older generic form, Prilosec, which is also available [...]

The largest pediatrician group in the United States, the American Academy of Pediatrics, believe foods that pose choking dangers to young children should carry warning labels. The group became curious nine years ago after 17 children around the world died from choking on a “gelatinous” candy, said The New York Times. In the U.S., the [...]

Fresh Express, a subsidiary of Chiquita Brands International, is voluntarily recalling a specific selection of Fresh Express Romaine-based ready-to-eat salads with the expired Use-by Dates of May 13th through May 16th and an “S” in the Product Code because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. [...]

Blood transfusions and infectious diseases are a troubling concern for the nation’s blood supply. Blood centers that routinely screen for hepatitis C and AIDS now test donated blood for West Nile virus and Chagas, a tropical parasitic disease. But new screening tests are difficult to develop and can take years to garner government approval. Emerging [...]