Free Republic

Hundreds of reports of suicides, psychotic reactions and other serious problems tied to the popular stop-smoking drug Chantix were left out of a crucial government safety review because Pfizer Inc., the drug’s manufacturer, submitted years of data through “improper channels.” Some 150 suicides — more than doubling those previously known — were among 589 delayed reports of severe issues turned up in a new analysis by the non-profit Institute for Safe Medication Practices. “We’ve had a major breakdown in safety surveillance,” said Thomas J. Moore, the ISMP senior scientist who analyzed the data. The serious problems — including reports of...

Even short-term use of some painkillers could be dangerous for people who've had a heart attack, according to research published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers analyzed the duration of prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) treatment and cardiovascular risk in a nationwide Danish cohort of patients with prior heart attack. They found the use of NSAIDs was associated with a 45 percent increased risk of death or recurrent heart attack within as little as one week of treatment, and a 55 percent increased risk if treatment extended to three months. The study was limited by its observational...

SOMERS POINT, N.J. -- Federal agents conducted a raid Monday on a Somers Point home after a cache of flu vaccine was offered for sale to a South Jersey hospital. The vaccine came into the United States without clearance from the Food and Drug Administration. The investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security executed the raid on the house. Authorities said that, so far, nobody has been arrested, but the investigation is still ongoing into what one source called an alleged attempt to cash in on the country's flu shot crisis. "They were coming out with a lot of...