Food & Drug Safety

One of Japan's prized delicacies is having an identity crisis: fugu, the pricey puffer fish that's poisonous unless prepared correctly, now has a farmed cousin that's harmless, the New York Times reports. But gourmands looking forward to eating fugu liver—the most delicious and potentially deadly part of the fish—are being thwarted by the fugu industry, which is fighting to keep a ban on the livers, even from detoxed variety. More »

The Swiss scientist who formulated LSD and unwittingly helped lay the foundation of  '60s drug culture has died of a heart attack at the age of 102. Albert Hofmann, who called LSD his "problem child," discovered its hallucinatory properties while working on heart stimulants, reports the Washington Post . He believed laws eventually banning the drug halted important research into its potential use as a treatment for schizophrenia. More »

Relatives of some of the 81 Americans whose deaths have been linked to tainted heparin told a Congressional subcommittee about their experiences today, Reuters reports. An Ohio man wept as he told lawmakers his wife and son, who had a genetic kidney disease, died within a month after being given heparin while undergoing dialysis. "I want to know if my daughter and the millions of others who continue to receive dialysis are safe," said Leroy Hubley. More »

The Food and Drug Administration repeatedly approved experiments using artificial blood despite data showing the products to be dangerous, the Washington Post reports. Investigators from the National Institutes of Health found heart attack risk tripled and death increased by 30% for subjects in 16 studies testing five kinds of artificial blood, which, it is hoped, will ultimately provide alternative transfusions. More »

Patients experiencing painful and sometimes debilitating side-effects of LASIK eye surgery urged regulators today to keep a closer watch on the procedure, Reuters reports. A surgeon speaking to an FDA panel—soliticing advice for possible warnings after receiving 140 complaints—did not discount the allegations but said “the great majority of our patients see as well or better” after the procedure. More »

With high-end restaurants offering diners tap water and concerns about the health and environmental impact of plastic bottles at an all-time high, NPR sets the record straight about some common myths related to drinking water: Not only is drinking 8 glasses daily not necessary, "nobody really knows" where that advice originated, says one expert. Water  doesn't help the kidneys filter toxins . More »

The FDA has traced a contaminated blood thinner from a Chinese factory to 11 countries, the New York Times reports. Severe reactions to the contaminated heparin have been linked to the deaths of 81 Americans, but it wasn't immediately clear if the drug may have triggered fatalities in other countries. Chinese officials have denied that the contamination caused any deaths and have demanded to be allowed to inspect the US plant where the heparin was packaged. More »

Pork-plant workers in three states have contracted an unheard-of neurological disorder linked to removing pigs’ brains, Reuters reports. Some 24 people—most from Minnesota—are experiencing symptoms including inflamed spinal cords, weakness, fatigue, and numbness and tingling in the limbs. “As far as we are aware it is a brand new disorder,” said a doctor following the Minnesota patients. More »

Antioxidant vitamin supplements do not improve health or prevent disease—and may even cause death, according to new research. In a stunning blow to millions who take vitamins, a review of 67 studies involving 230,000 users showed "no convincing evidence" that antioxidants had any benefit, and linked vitamin A supplements to a 16% increase in premature death, reports the Daily Telegraph. More »

Europeans see China as the biggest threat to world stability, a new poll says. In the wake of the Tibet crackdown, 35% of Europeans labeled China a bigger threat than any other state, reports the Financial Times . “The story of the last five years has been about economic opportunities," said one expert. "The story of the last six months has been about China as a threat in Darfur and in Tibet." More »

Academic scientists are retreating from their traditional cushy advisory roles with drug and medical companies or doing work pro bono, the New York Times reports. Researchers offered fees for advice once didn't think twice. “People thought they were suckers if they didn’t,” one med school professor says. But now, many cite concerns over ethics or reputation as reason to give up the cash. More »

Several San Francisco-area campuses have banned blood drives to protest federal policies preventing sexually active gay men from donating blood, but at UC-Berkeley, students are making a point without resorting to boycotts. Instead of withholding blood on grounds the 25-year-old FDA rule is discriminatory, Cal is encouraging gay students to recruit eligible donors to give for them, the Oakland Tribune reports. More »

Fear of contamination today forced Italy to recall its celebrated mozzarella cheese, Reuters reports. Rome is withdrawing the cheese of 25 companies in the Campania region near Naples, source of the country’s best buffalo mozzarella, after a garbage crisis is thought to have spread cancer-causing dioxin. The European Commission had threatened a trade ban; South Korea and Japan have halted imports. More »

The FDA has opened an investigation of anecdotal links between the popular asthma and allergy drug Singulair and suicidal thoughts. In the past year, manufacturer Merck has added warnings of several possible side effects of  the pill related to the nervous system, including anxiety, depression, tremors, and suicidal thinking. The FDA says its review of the drug, which had sales of more than $4.3 billion last year, may take up to nine months. More »

More consumers are turning up their noses at Italy’s prized buffalo mozzarella, and not over its smell, the New York Times reports. Toxins have been found in samples of the delicacy, likely caused by illegal dumping of garbage around Naples. Sales are down 40%, and farmers and restaurateurs fear a panic despite that fact that best cheese region appears unaffected. More »

Good news for meat lovers in a time of massive beef recalls: Researchers at Kansas State have found a way to make beef jerky safer from E. coli and salmonella, LiveScience reports. They found that a longer drying time would eliminate the pathogens in contaminated beef samples, offering a low-cost way for producers to comply with federal standards. More »

"Regulation" is becoming less of a dirty word in Washington in the wake of the mortgage meltdown, woes on Wall Street, and scares over tainted food and toys. Many Democrats and even some Republicans want a shift from voluntary industry standards in vogue since the Reagan administration. "We're in for a potentially significant regulatory response," one economist tells the Wall Street Journal . More »

The Food and Drug Administration has identified the extra ingredient found in samples of Baxter’s blood-thinning drug heparin, the Wall Street Journal reports today. Some batches of the drug—recalled in January after reports of allergic reactions—contained over-sulfated chondroitin sulfate, but it is not certain that was the cause of the hundreds of reactions or 19 deaths linked to Baxter’s product. More »

Small amounts of a wide range of prescription and over-the-counter drugs have been found in drinking water used daily by 41 million Americans in 24 major cities. A major AP investigation found pain killers, anti-seizure drugs, angina and cholesterol medications, mood-altering drugs, and other pharmaceuticals in tap water, the water table and aquifers. More »

Despite rigorous testing, some drugs have side effects that only rear their ugly heads when introduced to the general population. Forbes catalogs some of the weirdest: Anti-smoking drug Chantix can cause insomnia and nightmares. Diet drug Alli can have unforeseen gastrointestinal side-effects; these can be counteracted by eating a low-fat diet , of all things. Mirapex, prescribed for Parkinson's and restless-leg-syndrome patients, can lead to compulsive-eating and gambling urges. More »