FDA Probes Lasik Patients' Woes

Related Newser Stories

• Scientists Still Question Popular Drugs Zetia, Vytorin

  Sep 2, 08 10:26 AM CDT
  Some cholesterol medicines have shown no indication they actually work—but that hasn’t stopped doctors from heavily prescribing them, the New York Times reports. Short trials of Zetia and Vytorin, known generically as ezetimibe, showed no evidence they reduced risk of heart attack or cardiovascular disease, while tests raised the possibility Vytorin is linked to increased cancer risk, exposing problems in the FDA’s approval process. More »

• House Votes to Let FDA Regulate Tobacco

  Jul 31, 08 3:49 AM CDT
  The House passed landmark legislation yesterday to bring the tobacco industry under the regulatory control of the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA wouldn't have the power to ban cigarettes under the bill, but it could order nicotine levels in cigarettes reduced and restrict other harmful ingredients, reports the New York Times. The bill comes before the Senate in the fall.
  More »

• Step Away From the Green Lobster Goop

  Jul 29, 08 4:01 PM CDT
  Many people consider tomalley, the green substance inside lobsters, a delicacy—but the FDA doesn't. The agency is warning tomalley fans that the crustaceans' internal organs can contain dangerous levels of a specific toxin, the Boston Globe reports. Eating tomalley from Atlantic lobsters can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning, which can lead to respiratory failure and even death.  
  More »

• Key Salmonella Strain Found in Jalapeño

  Jul 21, 08 4:17 PM CDT
  Federal inspectors are urging people to avoid eating fresh jalapeños after discovering the same salmonella strain responsible for a nationwide food-poisoning epidemic in a Mexican-grown pepper in a Texas plant. Though the FDA says the finding is a “very important break in the case,” the Mexican jalapeños are not necessarily the source of the salmonella, as the pepper may not have been contaminated on the farm, the AP reports. More »

• Menthol Used to 'Hook' Young Smokers: Study

  Jul 17, 08 2:41 AM CDT
  Tobacco companies use menthol to make the taste of cigarettes more acceptable to young first-time smokers until they become addicted, a new study charges. Researchers found that 44% of child smokers used menthol cigarettes, reports Reuters. "Menthol stimulates the cooling receptors in the lungs," said an expert from the Harvard School of Public Health who studied the marketing of menthol cigarettes. "Menthol helps the nicotine go down. It makes smoking easier."
  
  
  More »