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• FDA: tanning beds cause cancer Play Video

  May 6, 2013 9:31 PM

  BATON ROUGE - People who use tanning beds could soon see new warning labels on the popular machines. The Food and Drug Administration wants to warn young people about the dangers associated with ultraviolent radiation from indoor tanning. The agency wants to curb melanoma cases, which is the deadliest... more »

• FDA wants cancer warnings for tanning beds

  May 6, 2013 2:13 PM

  WASHINGTON- Indoor tanning beds would carry new warnings about the risk of cancer and be subject to additional regulations, under a proposal unveiled by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA wants all tanning beds to issue warnings to people under the age of 18 about the risks of indoor... more »

• FDA: Morning-after pill to move over-the-counter

  April 30, 2013 4:59 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Plan B morning-after pill is moving over-the-counter, a decision announced by the Food and Drug Administration just days before a court-imposed deadline. Tuesday, the FDA lowered to 15 the age at which girls and women can buy the emergency contraceptive without a prescription - and said it... more »

• FDA cites sanitary issues at specialty pharmacies

  April 12, 2013 9:44 AM

  WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration says it has uncovered troubling sterility problems at 30 specialty pharmacies that were inspected following a recent outbreak of meningitis caused by contaminated drugs. The agency said its inspectors targeted 31 compounding pharmacies that produce sterile drugs, which must be prepared under highly... more »

• Patients dealing with MS excited about new drug Play Video

  April 5, 2013 5:08 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Tecfidera is already showing up in medicine cabinets despite the fact it was just approved by the FDA last week. The drug is designed to reduce the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that disrupts the communication between the brain and other parts of the... more »

• FDA panel backs long-acting Boehringer inhaler

  January 29, 2013 2:58 PM

  WASHINGTON - A panel of federal health experts is overwhelmingly recommending approval for a long-acting inhaler to treat people suffering from chronic lung disease. The Food and Drug Administration panel voted 15 to one that Boehringer Ingelheim's once-daily inhaler is safe and effective for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a condition... more »

• FDA panel wants limits on hydrocodone

  January 25, 2013 7:39 PM

  Health advisors want new restrictions on hyrocodone because of abuses, ranking first or second in the U.S. each year. It is a highly addictive ingredient found in Vicodin and other widely abused prescription drugs. The FDA's panel of drug safety specialists voted to subject hydrocodone drugs to the same restrictions... more »

• FDA issues sweeping new food safety rules

  January 4, 2013 3:14 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration is proposing the most sweeping food safety rules in decades, requiring farmers and food companies to be more vigilant in the wake of deadly outbreaks in peanuts, cantaloupe and leafy greens. The long-overdue rules are aimed at reducing the estimated 3,000 deaths a... more »

• Consumer watchdog asks FDA to revisit compounders

  November 29, 2012 8:42 AM

  WASHINGTON - A government watchdog group is calling on the Food and Drug Administration to re-inspect more than a dozen specialty pharmacies with prior records of violations, in light of a recent deadly outbreak tied to compounded drugs. Contaminated pain injections from a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy have been blamed... more »

• FDA halts operations at peanut butter plant

  November 26, 2012 4:02 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration has halted operations of the country's largest organic peanut butter processor, cracking down on salmonella poisoning for the first time with a new enforcement authority the agency gained in a 2011 food safety law. FDA officials found salmonella all over Sunland Inc.'s New... more »

• FDA fights Web pharmacies selling unapproved drugs

  October 6, 2012 2:24 AM

  WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration is stepping up its fight against counterfeit and other potentially harmful medicine sold over the Internet. The agency is ordering operators of about 4,100 websites to immediately stop selling unapproved medications to U.S. consumers. The FDA has sent warning letters to three companies... more »

• FDA: Avoid drugs from company tied to meningitis

  October 4, 2012 2:53 PM

  NEW YORK - The government is warning doctors and hospitals not to use any product from the specialty pharmacy that made the steroid suspected in a meningitis outbreak. An official with the Food and Drug Administration said tests found contamination in a sealed vial of the steroid at the... more »

• FDA urged to set standards for arsenic in rice

  September 19, 2012 7:29 AM

  WASHINGTON - Consumer groups are pressuring the Food and Drug Administration to set federal guidance on allowable levels of arsenic in rice, prompting the agency to study the issue and consider possible new standards. So far, FDA officials say they have found no evidence that suggests rice is unsafe... more »

• FDA names Ind. farm tied to salmonella in melons

  August 23, 2012 7:39 AM

  OWENSVILLE, Ind. - The Food and Drug Administration has identified a southern Indiana farm that produces cantaloupes linked to a deadly salmonella outbreak and says the operation has recalled its melons. The FDA says Chamberlain Farms of Owensville could be one source of the multi-state outbreak. A Chamberlain... more »

• FDA approves highly anticipated weight-loss pill

  July 17, 2012 6:26 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration is approving a weight loss drug from Vivus Inc. that many doctors consider the most effective therapy among a new generation of anti-obesity pills. The agency cleared the pill Qsymia for adults who are obese or overweight and have at least one weight-related... more »

• FDA approves first rapid, take home HIV test

  July 3, 2012 11:28 AM

  WASHINGTON- The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first over-the-counter HIV test, allowing Americans to test themselves for the virus that causes AIDS in the privacy of their homes. The OraQuick test from Orasure is designed to detect the presence of HIV using a mouth swab within 20 minutes.... more »

• FDA approves first new weight loss pill in decade

  June 27, 2012 12:22 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration has approved Arena Pharmaceutical's anti-obesity pill Belviq, the first new prescription drug for long-term weight loss to enter the U.S. market in over a decade. The agency cleared the pill for adults who are obese or are overweight with at least one medical... more »

• A cigar isn't just a cigar

  June 20, 2012 7:43 PM

  Cigar makers and aficionados are fighting back against the FDA''s intention to regulate the industry under a 2009 law that gives the agency authority over tobacco products. That could mean banning certain flavors, requiring new health warning labels, limiting the sizes and shapes and imposing restrictions for marketing, advertising and... more »

• Safety bill won't track counterfiet prescription drugs

  June 19, 2012 8:12 PM

  Congress is poised to pass a bill to beef up the safety of U.S. prescription drugs but without a tracking system that public health advocates say is critical to weeding out counterfeits. The House and Senate agreed late Monday to legislation that helps supplement the FDA's budget after previously passing... more »

• FDA urges markets to pull shellfish from South Korea

  June 15, 2012 2:35 AM

  WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration is urging food distributors, retailers and food service vendors to remove from the market oysters, clams, mussels and scallops imported from South Korea because of possible contamination with human waste and norovirus. The decision follows an FDA evaluation that determined that the Korean... more »

• HIV advocate concerned about home testing Play Video

  May 17, 2012 6:23 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Giving yourself an HIV test in your own home could be a reality in the near future. An advisory panel recommended the FDA approve an over-the-counter version of a test widely used by health professionals. With the Baton Rouge the area now ranked number 1 in... more »

• FDA panel backs first pill to block HIV infection

  May 11, 2012 7:42 AM

  SILVER SPRING, Md. - A panel of federal health advisers has endorsed the first drug shown to prevent HIV infection in healthy people, clearing the way for a potentially landmark approval in the 30-year-old effort against the virus that causes AIDS. In a series of votes, the Food and Drug... more »

• FDA advisers recommend approving weight loss drug

  May 10, 2012 3:42 PM

  WASHINGTON - Advisers to government health regulators have recommended that that they approve sales of what would be the first new prescription weight-loss drug in the U.S. in more than a decade, despite concerns over cardiac risks. A panel of expert advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted 18-4... more »

• FDA: Kids' medical tests need child-size radiation

  May 9, 2012 7:26 AM

  WASHINGTON - The government is taking steps to help ensure that children who need CT scans and other X-ray-based tests don't get an adult-sized dose of radiation. Too much radiation from medical testing is a growing concern because it may increase the risk of cancer later in life. Children are... more »

• FDA favors first drug for HIV prevention

  May 8, 2012 11:16 AM

  WASHINGTON- Federal drug regulators affirmed that a landmark study showing that a popular HIV-fighting pill already on the market can also help people avoid contracting the virus that causes AIDS in the first place. The Food and Drug Administration will hold a meeting Thursday to discuss whether Truvada should... more »

• Packaging error leads to birth control recall

  February 28, 2012 11:13 AM

  NEW YORK- Drugmaker Glenmark Generics says it is recalling seven lots of birth control pills because in some packages, the pills were in the wrong order. Glenmark announced a voluntary recall of seven lots of its Norgestimate and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets USP, 0.18 mg/0.035 mg, 0.215 mg/0.035 mg, 0.25... more »

• FDA Workers Sue over Spying

  January 30, 2012 7:42 PM

  Some current and former members of the FDA sued saying the agency secretly monitored their private email after they raised concerns that approved medical devices might be a risk to public safety. The doctors and scientists went to members of Congress and the incoming Obama Administration to express alarm the... more »

• Pot-based prescription drug looks for FDA OK

  January 22, 2012 10:15 AM

  SAN FRANCISCO - A British pharmaceutical company is working its way toward FDA approval for the world's first prescription drug developed from raw marijuana instead of synthetic equivalents, a medical milestone that could presage a new era for the plant and the nation's uneasy relationship with it. GW Pharma has... more »

• FDA approves flu vaccine for coming season

  July 18, 2011 12:19 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration says it has approved a new flu vaccine for the season beginning this year that will be manufactured by a half-dozen drug companies. Each year the FDA works with other federal agencies and global health experts to design a vaccine to protect... more »

• FDA finds salmonella during egg farm inspections

  February 1, 2011 3:33 PM

  WASHINGTON - A series of Food and Drug Administration inspections at the nation's largest egg farms has found at least one operation contaminated with salmonella. The FDA is inspecting the country's 600 largest egg farms in the wake of a salmonella outbreak in eggs last summer that sickened at least... more »

• FDA warns makers of alcoholic energy drinks

  November 17, 2010 1:01 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration has issued warning letters to four manufacturers of alcoholic energy drinks, saying the caffeine added to their beverages is an "unsafe food additive." FDA Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein said Wednesday that the agency has decided the combinations of caffeine and alcohol in... more »

• FDA: Johnson & Johnson business breaking law

  August 24, 2010 10:33 AM

  The FDA says a Johnson & Johnson business that makes joint replacements, is breaking the law with its marketing of two products. Johnson & Johnson's DePuy Orthopaedics is selling one product that was never approved for sale and is selling another product for uses that have not been specifically... more »

• FDA finds low risk of dispersants on seafood

  August 5, 2010 3:47 PM

  The Food and Drug Administration says chemical dispersants used to break up oil in the Gulf of Mexico have a low potential for accumulating in seafood, and do not pose a public health concern. The agency issued that analysis in a letter to Rep. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat... more »

• Vitter likens FDA recommendation to death panels

  July 28, 2010 11:44 AM

  Senator David Vitter suggests an FDA advisory panel's negative recommendation on a contested breast cancer drug, amounts to rationing health care. The allegations revive allegations of government death panels. In a statement, Vitter said the recommendation on the drug Avastin was "sickening," likening it to a government panel withholding... more »

• FDA panel: Diabetes drug should stay on market

  July 14, 2010 3:36 PM

  A majority of federal health experts has voted to keep the controversial diabetes pill Avandia on the market despite evidence that it increases the risk of heart attack. A panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers voted 20-12 against withdrawing GlaxoSmithKline's once-blockbuster drug. Panelists who voted to keep the... more »

• Two-day hearing to decide fate of diabetes pill

  July 13, 2010 7:18 AM

  Hearings begin today on whether the drug Avandia should stay on the market. FDA scientists have blasted a study by drug maker GlaxoSmithKline used to defend the safety of the once high-riding diabetes drug, which fell out of favor because of potential ties to heart attacks. In fact, one FDA... more »

• FDA to review first of 3 new weight loss drugs

  July 12, 2010 5:53 AM

  The first of a trio of new weight loss drugs gets officially unveiled this week, carrying hope of success where others failed -- safely delivering significant weight loss. None of the new prescription drug therapies represents a breakthrough in research. Two of the drugs submitted for approval simply combine existing... more »

• FDA panel backs new Morning After Pill

  June 17, 2010 9:53 PM

  Federal health experts say a new type of morning-after pill is safe and effective and it works longer than existing products. A FDA panel voted unanimoulsy that ellaOne reduces the chance of pregnancy for up to five days after sex. Plan B, the most widely used emergency contraceptive pill, is... more »

• FDA questions effectiveness of so-called "female Viagra"

  June 16, 2010 10:35 AM

  Federal health regulators say a pill designed to boost a woman's sex drive has failed to make any significant impact on libido. The Food and Drug Administration will ask a panel of experts to weigh in on the drug's safety and effectiveness on Friday. Drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim has... more »

• FDA concerned about too much medical radiation

  June 14, 2010 6:00 AM

  The Food and Drug Administration is taking a look at radiation treatment because of evidence that Americans get too much of it from tests. The average American's dose has grown sixfold in the past few decades. Americans get the most medical radiation in the world, accounting for half of the... more »

• BR company will make generic drugs in Europe

  June 2, 2010 12:40 PM

  A pharmaceutical company based in Baton Rouge plans to begin manufacturing protein-based drugs in Europe over the next two years. TransGenRx CEO William Fioretti says the company will boost its employment in Baton Rouge from 38 to about 60 during that time. The company was founded in 2002.... more »

• FDA puts liver damage warning on weight loss pill

  May 26, 2010 2:24 PM

  A warning today for consumers that take the weight loss pill Alli. Federal health officials say the drug may cause severe liver damage in rare cases. The FDA says it has added a warning to the label of the drug, which is sold over-the-counter. The FDA identified... more »

• FDA approves swine flu test for permanent use

  May 24, 2010 10:50 AM

  The Food and Drug Administration says it has approved the first diagnostic test for 2009 swine flu under its traditional approval system. The FDA previously cleared several tests on a limited basis for use during the declared public health emergency related to swine flu. The new Simplexa Influenza... more »

• FDA probes diabetes risk with prostate cancer meds

  May 3, 2010 12:55 PM

  The Food and Drug Administration is looking into data suggesting a group of prostate cancer drugs increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease. The drugs are used to suppress the hormone testosterone, which fuels the growth of prostate cancer tumors. Occasionally the drugs are used by women to... more »

• FDA Cancer drug

  April 29, 2010 8:40 PM

  The FDA approved a drug to stimulate a patient's immune system in fighting prostate cancer. It's called Provenge and is marketed by Dendreon Corp. It is intended to treat prostate cancer that has spread elsewhere in the body and that is not responding to hormone therapy. The drug encourages cells... more »

• Report says FDA should force rollback in salty foods

  April 20, 2010 8:52 AM

  The Food and Drug Administration is considering regulating the amount of salt in food. Americans eat about 1½ teaspoons of salt daily, more than double what they need for good health - and high enough to increase risk of high blood pressure and other problems. Most of that sodium comes... more »

• Maalox name change

  February 17, 2010 3:21 PM

  The maker of Maalox Total Relief is changing the name of its most potent over the counter medication because health regulators say consumers are confusing it with other medicines. The Food and Drug Administration says Maalox Total Relief can cause internal bleeding and is often confused with traditional Maalox,... more »

• 2 Your Health for Jan. 18

  January 18, 2010 5:44 PM

  A warning about a counterfeit weight-loss drug, new concerns about BPA, diabetic retinopathy, and how a combination of supplements may help prevent fractures are all discussed in this 2 Your Health report. more »

• FDA warns consumers about counterfeit weight-loss drug

  January 18, 2010 11:09 AM

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about a counterfeit and potentially harmful version of Alli 60 mg capsules (120 count refill kit). Preliminary laboratory tests conducted by GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of the FDA approved over-the-counter weight-loss product, revealed that the counterfeit version did not contain orlistat, the... more »

• Counterfeit Alli

  January 18, 2010 10:57 AM

  http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm197857.htm more »

• FDA says popular inhaler not linked to heart risk

  January 14, 2010 9:37 PM

  The Food and Drug Administration says there is no heart risk connected with the Spiriva respiratory inhaler. Its used for chronic onstructive pulmonary disease which causes coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. The FDA began investigating Spiriva's safety last March, after reports of slightly higher rates of stroke and heart... more »

• FDA backs off oyster ban

  November 13, 2009 1:52 PM

  Facing fierce resistance, the FDA backed off a plan to ban sales of raw oysters from the Gulf of Mexico during warm weather. The agency told lawmakers from Louisiana it will put the proposal on hold while it studies ways to make consumption of raw oysters more safe. State leaders... more »

• Spine implant questions

  November 4, 2009 8:38 PM

  Some independent experts from a Food and Drug Administration panel say they have lingering questions about whether an implant from Zimmer Holdings Inc. is safe and effective for treating a painful spinal condition. The panel says Zimmer's studies have yet to clearly show which patients would benefit from its titanium... more »

• Mississippi raw oyster lovers may soon pay more

  October 30, 2009 9:17 PM

  Oyster lovers in Mississippi may have to pay more for them, if the Food and Drug Administration moves ahead with a proposal to ban the sale of raw oysters from the Gulf Coast during the summer months. Oyster dealers don't know how much the costs would go up from the... more »

• 2 Your Health for Oct. 27

  October 27, 2009 5:39 PM

  Elective deliveries, exercising while you're sick and FDA drug approval are all discussed in this 2 Your Health report. more »

• FDA bans flavored cigarettes

  September 23, 2009 5:06 PM

  Flavored cigarettes, including flavors like candy, fruit and clove, have been banned from stores across the country. The Food and Drug Administration's ban went into effect yesterday. more »

• FDA approves new swine flu vaccine

  September 15, 2009 1:00 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration approved the new swine flu vaccine Tuesday, a long-anticipated step as the government works to get vaccinations under way next month. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the vaccine's approval to Congress - and says she hopes to get... more »