A government study to be published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, finds that so-called MRSA 'superbugs' are twice as common as was previously thought. Nearly 19,000 people died in 2005 after becoming infected with drug-resistant bacteria in hospitals and nursing homes.Beginning in 1970, doctor began to observe infections that weren't easily treatable with typical...
ConAgra Foods Inc. of Omaha, Nebraska stopped production of its Banquet turkey and chicken pot pies at a Missouri plant after linking over 165 cases of salmonella poisoning to the pies. While at least thirty people have ended up in the hospital as a result of eating the pies, ConAgra contends that the outbreak of salmonella is due to consumers undercooking the pies.Although the company...
The federal government is planning on requiring warnings for certain contrast agents used with ultrasound technology. These contrast agents are used to improve diagnoses of heart problems in patients evaluated with ultrasound imaging equipment.The contrast agents are sold under the brand name Definity, by Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Optison, of General Electric. Physicians inject the imaging...
Quong Hop & Co. of San Francisco, California is expanding its recall of tofu products due to the discovery of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The recall has been expanded due to discovery of Listeria bacteria during sampling in three of the company's twenty-nine tofu product lines. While Listeria may present only minor discomfort to healthy adults, children, the elderly, and...
The FDA released an 'early communication' to the public of an ongoing safety review regarding the drug class bisphosphonates due to potential atrial fibrillation with the use of this class of drug. The agency has requested that further data be obtained in order to assay the merits of the tendency.Bisphosphonates are a class of drug prescribed by physicians to treat osteoporosis. These...
The U.S. FDA indicated that it would start adding its strongest 'black box' warnings to gadolinium based contrast agents used in MRIs by May of next year. There are five different types of gadolinium based contrast agents, and the FDA has evidence enough to suggest a causal connection between the agents and a skin condition called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in patients with impaired...
