http://officialpharma.com/blog Tue, 06 May 2008 11:40:05 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en More than 70 employees at the 10 state mental hospitals in Texas have been fired and dozens others disciplined since 2005 over accusations of brutal beatings and other physical abuse, according to a newspaper report on Sunday. http://officialpharma.com/blog/firings-at-mental-hospitals-over-abuse/ Medical experts will consider Tuesday whether use of a painkiller made by Cephalon Inc. should be expanded, despite government concerns about increased risks for abuse.Cephalon's drug Fentora is already approved to treat severe pain flare-ups in cancer patients taking opioids, a type of prescription painkiller. On Tuesday the FDA will ... http://officialpharma.com/blog/cephalon-drug-gets-fda-panel-review/ American children take anti-psychotic medicines at about six times the rate of children in the United Kingdom, according to a comparison based on a new U.K. study.Does it mean U.S. kids are being over-treated? Or that U.K. children are being under-treated? Experts say that's almost beside the point, because use is ... http://officialpharma.com/blog/anti-psychotic-drug-use-soars-in-uk-children/ Officials issue warning on meat products Local health officials are warning consumers to avoid certain fresh and frozen meat and poultry items after a New York company voluntarily recalled more than 286,000 pounds of its products. Officials said certain products labeled Gourmet Boutique, Jan's and Archer Farms may be contaminated with Listeria ... http://officialpharma.com/blog/officials-issue-warning-on-meat-productsofficials-issue-warning-on-meat-products/ A coalition of health care groups sued the state Monday to prevent pay cuts to doctors, dentists, pharmacists and others who treat the poor, elderly and disabled. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of California health care providers seeks an injunction to halt 10 percent cuts ... http://officialpharma.com/blog/health-care-workers-sue-state-over-pay-cut-plan/ Every day thousands of Americans rely on the blood thinner Heparin to survive. Now that drug is under suspicion for 21 deaths and hundreds of allergic reactions. Baxter International, a major manufacturer of the drug, has stopped selling almost all forms of Heparin. CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay reports that ... http://officialpharma.com/blog/blood-thinning-drug-under-suspicion/ According to a study published in the March issue of the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, vitamin E can increase the risk of developing lung cancer. The study used data on 77,126 men and women between the ages 50 and 76 from the Washington ... http://officialpharma.com/blog/vitamin-e-supplements-linked-to-lung-cancer/ The FDA approved esomeprazole (Nexium) to help short term gastroesophagel reflux disease (GERD) in children between the ages of 1 and 11. The drug was approved in 2 forms: the delayed release capsule and a magnesium liquid, in 10 and 20 mg doses. This proton pump inhibitor was already approved for ... http://officialpharma.com/blog/nexium-for-children-approved/ There's no reason why the Legislature can't vote next week to ban smoking statewide and force insurance companies to cover autism, Gov. Jim Doyle said Monday. Even though Doyle called on the Legislature to pass both proposals, that is highly unlikely to happen next week given strong opposition to each and ... http://officialpharma.com/blog/doyle-calls-on-legislature-to-pass-smoking-ban-autism-coverage/ The California Nurses Association has delivered a 10-day strike notice to Sutter Health hospitals in Northern California for a strike that could take place Dec. 13 and 14, reprising an earlier two-day walkout in October. http://officialpharma.com/blog/cna-issues-strike-notice-to-sutter-health-hospitals/