Food and Drug Administration

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FDA Slaps Strictest Warning Label on Botox

(Newser) - Botox will now carry the Food and Drug Administration’s strictest warning for pharmaceuticals after the agency raised concerns over the risk of botulism last year, Bloomberg reports. The approval of a rival botulinum toxin for cosmetic purposes prompted the review. The toxin can cause muscle weakness and breathing difficulty,...

Why Our Brains Want What's Bad for Us
 Why Our Brains Want 
 What's Bad for Us 
INTERVIEW

Why Our Brains Want What's Bad for Us

(Newser) - Former Food and Drug Administration chief David Kessler thinks Americans are victims of “conditioned hyper-eating,” and he’s written a book about it: The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite. The Wall Street Journal poked him for some answers about how food can “...

Longer-Lasting Botox Rival Nears US Approval

Reloxin's makers claim it lasts longer

(Newser) - After a 7-year run as the only show in town, Botox could soon face some competition. Awaiting FDA approval, Reloxin—the US version of a French product called Dysport—is being marketed as a quicker and longer-lasting treatment for botulinum toxin fans. But doctors themselves are confused about what differences,...

Salmonella Triggers Pistachio Recall

Huge pistachio recall issued after salmonella found at processor

(Newser) - Consumers have been warned to steer clear of pistachios and any product containing them until the FDA probes the extent of salmonella contamination, reports WebMD. A million pounds of possibly tainted pistachios from a California processor have been recalled and authorities expect that more recalls will follow. Affected products range...

Ex-NYC Health Chief Picked to Head FDA

Bioterror expert tapped for tough task of reforming agency

(Newser) - Bioterror expert and former New York City health commissioner Margaret Hamburg has been picked to head the FDA, insiders tell the Washington Post. Hamburg—who still must be confirmed by Congress—will be taking charge of an agency shaken by a series of high-profile failures that many lawmakers say is...

Peanut Corp Lied, Sold to Retailers
Peanut Corp Lied, Sold
to Retailers

Peanut Corp Lied, Sold to Retailers

Reversal means salmonella recall might have to expand

(Newser) - The Peanut Corporation of America, whose plant in Georgia is the sole source of a nationwide salmonella outbreak, has admitted selling peanut products directly to retailers, primarily dollar stores. The reversal of the company’s earlier claim that it sold only to institutions means the recall of almost 1,800...

Salmonella Outbreak Bares Lethal Flaws in Oversight

Preplanned inspections, loose oversight kept company in business

(Newser) - Angry salmonella victims and their families are asking how the government missed the Peanut Corporation of America's flagrant health violations that killed eight people, reports the New York Times. The company and government inspectors overlooked rodents, leaky roofs and lukewarm roasters, while minimum-wage temporary workers paid little attention to health...

Honey Packers Fail to Report Tainted Imports
 Honey Packers Fail to 
 Report Tainted Imports 
INVESTIGATION

Honey Packers Fail to Report Tainted Imports

Companies often simply send honey back to importer

(Newser) - US honey packers often don’t tell authorities about imports contaminated with banned antibiotics or other chemicals, and instead simply send the products back, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports after a lengthy investigation. Importers can then get the tainted honey into the American market through another packer, as two Chicago businessmen...

Widening Peanut Recall Now Includes Pet Treats

486 are sick following outbreak at Georgia single plant

(Newser) - Peanut-flavored pet treats are the latest addition to the recall list of at least 125 peanut butter products, USA Today reports. A salmonella outbreak at a Georgia peanut plant has so far sickened some 486 people and may have caused six deaths. Pets can get salmonella from the peanut treats,...

US Blocks Chinese Milk Products

FDA demands independent tests before products can enter

(Newser) - All Chinese products containing milk will be blocked at the US border until tests prove they're free of a widely used toxic contaminant, Bloomberg reports. The FDA is demanding independent testing to prove such products are not tainted with melamine like those which sickened 50,000 children in China. The...

Forget Sugar; That Dye Can't Be Good for You

Weighing link to kids' hyperactivity, FDA mulls ban on artificial colors

(Newser) - The FDA is weighing a ban on a handful of artificial food dyes in the face of mounting evidence that some of the chemical compounds trigger hyperactivity in children, reports the Los Angeles Times. "The safety testing on these [dyes] was done 30 to 50 years ago," says...

FDA Bans Indian-Made Drugs
 FDA Bans
Indian-Made Drugs 

FDA Bans Indian-Made Drugs

28 medications included in import ban

(Newser) - The FDA has banned imports of 28 products made in India by one of the world's biggest generic drug makers, Ranbaxy. The drugs include antibiotics and antiviral medication, as well as medicines for high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, allergies and acne, reports the Washington Post. There is no danger...

Tainted Baby Formula Kills 2 in China

Dairy farms probed after banned toxic found in milk powder

(Newser) - Two Chinese babies have died, 53 are in serious condition and 1,253 others are sick from widespread milk powder contamination, the New York Times reports. The baby formula laced with melamine—the same additive behind last year’s US pet-food recall—was recalled just last week by Sanlu Group,...

Made in China: Toxic Baby Formula

Dangerous food may be in some US markets

(Newser) - Baby formula made in China has been found to contain melamine, the same toxic substance that contaminated pet food and poisoned thousands of US dogs and cats last year. None of the formula is in the general US food supply—but some may be on the shelves in American Asian...

Scientists Still Question Popular Drugs Zetia, Vytorin

Much-prescribed cholesterol medicines may not reduce risk of heart disease, death

(Newser) - 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...

Beware the Word 'Natural.' It Means Nothing
Beware the
Word 'Natural.' 
It Means Nothing
Opinion

Beware the Word 'Natural.' It Means Nothing

The FDA won't define it, so it can be, and is, slapped on anything

(Newser) - "Is that natural artificial yellow coloring?" asks Barry Estabrook in Gourmet. Absurd as the question sounds, it's not, given that the Food and Drug Administration "can't be bothered to define the term at all." Eager to get on the "natural" bandwagon, manufacturers are "shamelessly slapping...

House Votes to Let FDA Regulate Tobacco

Cigarettes would be controlled by FDA

(Newser) - 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 ...

Step Away From the Green Lobster Goop

Crustaceans' guts may contain toxins: FDA

(Newser) - 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...

Key Salmonella Strain Found in Jalapeño

Mexico-grown peppers in Texas plant contain bacteria behind case

(Newser) - 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 jalapeñ...

Menthol Used to 'Hook' Young Smokers: Study

Menthol cigarettes go down easier with youngsters

(Newser) - 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...

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