FDA warned consumers to immediately stop using Hydroxycut products by Iovate Health Sciences, Inc. Hydroxycut products are associated with a number of serious liver injuries. Hydroxycut products are dietary supplements that are marketed for weight-loss, as fat burners, as energy-enhancers, as low carb diet aids, and for water loss under the Iovate and MuscleTech brand names.

Colon cleansing. It's a popular health trend. But a recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcement urges cleansers to steer clear of OTC laxatives as a way to bowel cleanse.

In response to the Food and Drug Administration's stern safety warning last December about the risk of a rare form of kidney failure associated with two oral sodium phosphate medicines prescribed to cleanse the colon prior to a colonoscopy, C.B. Fleet Company Inc. announced a voluntary recall of its over-the-counter Fleet Phospho-soda and Fleet Phospho-soda EZ-Prep Bowel Cleansing System.

The FDA announced that ION Labs has issued a voluntary recall of all Influend Cough and Cold products in Alabama, sold on or after May 30, 2008. The recalled products did not meet proper testing specifications and may have a possibility to be super-potent, posing possible health risks.

Postarthroscopic glenohumeral chondrolysis (PAGCL) is an extremely painful condition marked by the deterioration of articular cartilage in the shoulder joint. The loss of this protective cartilage, which prevents bone from rubbing against bone, normally results in a marked weakness of the afflicted joint, constant pain whether at rest or in motion, diminished range of motion, and clicking, grinding or popping sounds when the arm is moved.

Controversy surrounding Vytorin continues to escalate, this time as federal and state prosecutors investigate Merck and Schering-Plough's conduct in marketing the drug. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, many government officials suspect that the companies' marketing of Vytorin may have been misleading and improper.

Both Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barak Obama and Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain say they support drug reimportation - or the importing of prescription drugs from other countries - however both say that the safety of those drugs should be paramount.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), a watchdog group that researched data dating back to 2004 and yearly totals from the early 1990s, found more than 4,800 deaths and more than 21,000 adverse drug reactions were reported to the FDA during the first three months this year. The number of adverse reactions was 38 percent higher than the average for the previous four calendar quarters and the highest for any quarter, according to the report. There was a 3 percent increase in the number of deaths compared to the last calendar quarter of 2007.

ETHEX Corporation announced Oct. 16 that it is voluntarily recalling lots of Dextroamphetamine Sulfate 5 mg tables due to oversized pills that may contain as much as twice the labeled amount of its active ingredient, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The recalled lots were distributed under the ETHEX label between January 2007 and May 2008.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced it is investigating a possible link between the drug Vytorin, manufactured by Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough, and an increased risk of a variety of cancers. An FDA MedWatch Alert released Thursday, Aug. 21, informed healthcare professionals that the agency is investigating a report from the Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis (SEAS) trial of a possible association between the use of Vytorin and a potentially increased incidence of cancer.