WASHINGTON--In an alarming trend, top selling drugs are being pulled from pharmacies after researchers find new, and often fatal, side effects.
Since 1997, 11 popular prescription drugs have been recalled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after causing deaths or serious injuries. Two weeks ago, Lotronex became the latest to be taken off the market for a reported intestinal side effect. It had been on the shelves for nine months.
Although the FDA, under congressional pressure, has sped up the approval process for new drugs, it is not willing to take all the blame. Officials with the administration say that doctors should be paying more attention. Too often doctors are ignoring, or just not reading warning labels.
Doctors counter that the FDA is not appropriately testing new drugs before releasing them to the public. Every medication is tested on a few hundred to a few thousand patients. There are 82 workers who track the side effects once these drugs reach the market. With such a small pool of test patients and researchers, the FDA often has to sit back and wait to see what side effects occur when millions of Americans start using a new prescription.
If a problem arises, the FDA tries to issue warnings, but they often go unheeded. For two years, the administration warned that heartburn drug Propulsid should not be prescribed to people with kidney or heart disease. However, the warning was ignored and the drug was taken off shelves last summer after a reported 80 people died.
The FDA and doctors agree that patients should ask more questions about new prescription drugs. Patients should also be cautious about taking drugs that have not been on the market for more than a year. Most side effects are spotted within the first year of sale.
Information from www.latimes.com
Stay prepared and protected with Infection Control Today's newsletter, delivering essential updates, best practices, and expert insights for infection preventionists.
Reducing Hidden Risks: Why Sharps Injuries Still Go Unreported
July 18th 2025Despite being a well-known occupational hazard, sharps injuries continue to occur in health care facilities and are often underreported, underestimated, and inadequately addressed. A recent interview with sharps safety advocate Amanda Heitman, BSN, RN, CNOR, a perioperative educational consultant, reveals why change is overdue and what new tools and guidance can help.
New Study Explores Oral Vancomycin to Prevent C difficile Recurrence, But Questions Remain
July 17th 2025A new clinical trial explores the use of low-dose oral vancomycin to prevent Clostridioides difficile recurrence in high-risk patients taking antibiotics. While the data suggest a possible benefit, the findings stop short of statistical significance and raise red flags about vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), underscoring the delicate balance between prevention and antimicrobial stewardship.
What Lies Beneath: Why Borescopes Are Essential for Verifying Surgical Instrument Cleanliness
July 16th 2025Despite their smooth, polished exteriors, surgical instruments often harbor dangerous contaminants deep inside their lumens. At the HSPA25 and APIC25 conferences, Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH, and her colleagues revealed why borescopes are an indispensable tool for sterile processing teams, offering the only reliable way to verify internal cleanliness and improve sterile processing effectiveness to prevent patient harm.
The Next Frontier in Infection Control: AI-Driven Operating Rooms
Published: July 15th 2025 | Updated: July 15th 2025Discover how AI-powered sensors, smart surveillance, and advanced analytics are revolutionizing infection prevention in the OR. Herman DeBoard, PhD, discusses how these technologies safeguard sterile fields, reduce SSIs, and help hospitals balance operational efficiency with patient safety.
Targeting Uncertainty: Why Pregnancy May Be the Best Time to Build Vaccine Confidence
July 15th 2025New national survey data reveal high uncertainty among pregnant individuals—especially first-time parents—about vaccinating their future children, underscoring the value of proactive engagement to strengthen infection prevention.