Food & Drug Safety

The Food and Drug Administration is now requiring drug companies to monitor suicide warning signs in clinical trials for experimental drugs, the New York Times reports. In the wake of studies showing that antidepressants might increase the risk of self-harm in children and teens, the agency is showing an awareness that a surprising variety of drugs can have psychiatric effects. More »

People who catch food-borne illnesses such as salmonella and E. coli can suffer related health problems years later, the AP reports. The numbers are small, and the research still growing, but doctors and health advocates are beginning to sound the alarm. "Folks often assume once you're over the acute illness, that's it, you're back to normal and that's the end of it," said one doctor. More »

Although cold and cough medicine manufacturers pulled their baby and toddler lines off the shelves in October, the FDA is issuing an official advisory today to warn parents of the risk of giving any such remedies to children under 2. The government worries that uninformed parents are simply dosing their sniffly little ones with old medicines still in their home or products aimed at older kids, AP reports. More »

Roughly half of the medical studies involving antidepressants that found little or no effect on patients have gone unpublished or had their findings mischaracterized as positive, a new study reveals. The emphasis on publishing only studies with glowing reviews gives patients and doctors a false sense of the effectiveness of drugs such as Zoloft and Effexor, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

Clones are just as safe to eat as any other animal, concludes a much-awaited, much-debated report from the FDA. Cloned animals studied were found to be as healthy as their normal counterparts, and their meat contained equal levels of nutrients, the Washington Post reports. The 968-page document provides mountains of raw data and methodology — more data, one researcher notes, than on any other animal we eat. More »

The Supreme Court has declined to hear what could have been a landmark case on whether terminally ill patients should be given access to experimental drugs not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The decision lets stand a lower court ruling that the terminally ill have no special right to experimental therapy. The White House had asked the court not to hear the case. More »

Those who chew too much sugar-free gum may face stomach pain, diarrhea and rapid weight loss, researchers warn. The culprit is sorbitol, an artificial sweetener widely used in sugar-free foods. The chemical's graver side effects kicks in for those who chew about 20 sticks of gum a day, the BBC reports. More »

The FDA approved only 19 new drugs in 2007, the lowest total in 24 years. Bloomberg takes a look at the reasons. Some drug companies accuse the FDA of setting the bar higher for drug approvals, a charge the agency denies. Many, however, say the issue lies with big pharma devoting more attention to developing existing products than to creating new drugs. More »

Parents looking for an alternative to cold medicines for their young kids might consider a sweet solution—honey. A new study suggests that a commonly available dark variety soothes children's coughs and helps them sleep better, the Houston Chronicle reports.  The study comes in the wake of the FDA's recommendation last month that children under 6 not be given over-the-counter cough and cold medicines. More »

Peanut allergies are showing up earlier in young children, researchers said today, cautioning parents to keep the legumes out of toddlers' diets. Older kids "can tell you right away if their mouths feel funny,” one doctor explained. The median age of a first reaction is now 14 months, down from 22 to 24 months less than a decade ago, Reuters reports. More »

American Foods Group voluntarily recalled 96,000 pounds of ground beef after two people in Illinois were sickened from possible E. coli contamination, the AP reports. The affected beef was distributed to companies in Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Virginia. Some of the recalled goods, produced on Oct. 10, have already expired. More »

The USDA has revoked permission for Tyson to label its chicken “raised without antibiotics,” a major blow to a company that has spent tens of millions trumpeting the tag it won in May. The government says it erred in granting the label, because Tyson’s poultry feed contains antimicrobials—which the company maintains aren't antibiotics. More »

Big Pharma is testing more drugs in China, where studies cost less and a big, aging population has more chronic ailments, Time reports. But critics question the country's product safety and ponder the fate of tested patients. Even Big Pharma is concerned—about intellectual property rights—but the lure of cheap testing and low salaries inspired them to double R&D in China last year. More »

US programs failed to make a dent in the number of Americans going hungry last year, and activists warned that rising costs and stagnant wages threaten to increase the army of citizens struggling to put food on the table. Nearly 13 percent of households—35.5 million Americans, with 12.6 of them children—went hungry last year, up slightly from the previous year. More »

Merck has agreed to shell out $4.85 billion to settle 27,000 Vioxx lawsuits brought by plaintiffs who argued that the pain medication damaged health and caused deaths. The agreement, one of the largest in history, must still be approved by 85% of the plaintiffs, but it's likely to go through, reports the New York Times. More »

The White House is set to roll out stiffer safety regulations governing imports today, reports the Wall Street Journal . The proposals, prompted by the wave of recalls this year, represent a move toward what the Journal calls "a prevention-based regulatory system that targets the riskiest products." The FDA could require manufacturers to take precautionary measures, certify that they meet standards, and provide more data. More »

E. coli fears led to a recall today of more than 1 million pounds of ground beef from Cargill Inc., Reuters reports. The USDA found the potentially deadly bacteria after testing meat produced October 8 in Pennsylvania and sold in 10 states at stores including Giant, Shop Rite, Stop & Shop, Wegmans, and Weis, the AP says. The recall is Cargill's second in a month. More »

The federal Food and Drug Administration's spotty record inspecting foreign drug manufacturers will be even worse next year as its budget drops just as developing countries are flooding the market with new medications, reports the Washington Post . Foreign drug plants are inspected only once every eight to 12 years because of budget restrictions, as opposed to every two years required for American makers. More »

The chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission doesn't like a Senate bill that would give her agency more clout, the Times reports. Nancy Nord opposes a measure that would amp up penalties for violators, smooth the public reporting of tainted products, protect whistleblowers, and ease prosecution. It would also double her agency's budget and increase its beleaguered staff. More »

Switching to organic food doesn't have to upend your family's eating habits or strain your wallet. In the New York Times , Dr. Alan Greene, author of Raising Baby Green, suggests starting with these five easy foods: Milk Potatoes Peanut butter More »