• FDA Warns Consumers Not to Use Dangerous Black Salve or Similar Products (October 15, 2020)

  View the entire October 2020 issue in PDF format

• Public Citizen Calls on FDA to Require Black-Box Warning for Newest Diabetes Drugs
  (October 2020)
  Learn why patients with type 1 diabetes should never use any of the type 2 diabetes drugs known as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, which are often referred to as “flozins” or “gliflozins.”
• “Male-Enhancing” Dietary Supplements Were Tainted With Dangerous Drugs
  (October 2020)
  In his editor’s column, Dr. Michael Carome discusses a recent report published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports that hammers home the potentially life-threatening dangers of using these illegal dietary supplements.
• Gabapentinoid Drug Use Is Exploding Despite Poor Safety and Efficacy Profiles
  (October 2020)
  Marked increases in the prescribing of the gabapentinoids gabapentin and pregabalin, particularly for uses not approved by the FDA (so-called off-label uses), indicate that these drugs are widely overprescribed and misused in the U.S. In this article, we review three recent studies that characterized the growth and extent of gabapentinoid overuse during the past two decades.
• Adults Often Inadvertently Put Children at Risk of Oral Medication Poisoning, Study Finds
  (October 2020)
  Ingestion of prescription medications or over-the-counter products is a common cause of poisoning among children. A recently published study found that adults frequently are to blame for this avoidable problem.
• Important Drug Interactions for the Stomach-Acid–Suppressing Drug Omeprazole
  (October 2020)
  Patients taking the commonly used stomach-acid–suppressing drug omeprazole should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
• News Brief: Shortages in Albuterol Asthma Inhalers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
  (October 2020)
  In this month’s news brief, we report on shortages of the inhaled asthma drug albuterol that have occurred because of the coronavirus pandemic.

  View the entire September 2020 issue in PDF format

• Key Takeaways From the Updated CDC Report on Antibiotic Resistance
  (September 2020)
  An updated report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention underscores the continued threat of antibiotic resistance in the U.S. and highlights the emerging areas of concern and actions needed to combat this major public health problem.
• Evidence Lacking to Support Use of Compounded Topical Pain Creams
  (September 2020)
  In recent years, there has been a surge in the use of compounded topical pain creams as an alternative to oral pain medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioids. However, a committee of experts convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently concluded that there is a lack of evidence to support the safety and effectiveness of these compounded products.
• Testosterone Therapy for Men: More Evidence of Blood Clot Risk
  (September 2020)
  In this article, we discuss the results of a recent large observational study that provide added support for the concern that testosterone therapy heightens the risk of dangerous blood clot formation.
• Review of Phenytoin, a Best Pill for Seizures
  (September 2020)
  Medications are the mainstay of treatment for most patients with seizure disorders, and more than two dozen such drugs have been approved by the FDA. We review one of the oldest seizure drugs, phe¬nytoin (DILANTIN, PHENYTEK). Patients using the drug need to be aware of its many potentially serious adverse effects.
• Driving Under the Influence Caused by Medications
  (September 2020)
  Although impaired driving usu¬ally is caused by alcohol or marijuana, many commonly used prescription and over-the-counter medications also can impair one’s ability to drive safely. Learn about several classes of medications that can cause this serious problem to protect yourself, your passengers and others who share the road with you.

  View the entire August 2020 issue in PDF format

• Recent FDA Safety Warnings About Schizophrenia Drug Clozapine, Asthma/Allergy Drug Montelukast
  (August 2020)
  Learn about important new safety warnings issued by the FDA regarding the schizophrenia medica¬tion clozapine (CLOZARIL, VERSA¬CLOZ) and the asthma/allergy drug montelukast (SINGULAIR).
• Beware of Companies Promoting Bogus COVID-19 Cures
  (August 2020)
  Soon after the novel coronavirus began infecting people in the U.S., unscrupulous companies rushed to sell products not approved by the FDA with fake claims that they could prevent, treat or cure coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Consumers need to be aware that such products are fraudulent, a waste of money and potentially harmful.
• Important Drug Interactions for the Anticoagulant Warfarin
  (August 2020)
  Patients taking the commonly used blood thinner warfarin (COUMADIN, JANTOVEN) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with numerous other prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as some dietary supplements.
• Vitamin D and Calcium Dietary Supplements: Do They Prevent Bone Fractures?
  (August 2020)
  In this article, we discuss whether vitamin D and calcium dietary supplements are useful for promoting bone health and preventing bone fractures.
• Allergists’ Group Recommends Newer Antihistamines Over Older Antihistamines for Nasal Allergies and Hives
  (August 2020)
  Because of the better safety profile of newer second- and third-generation antihistamines, Public Citizen’s Health Research Group has previously recommended their use over older first-generation antihistamines for both allergic rhinitis and urticaria. A recent position statement by the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology that summarized the research evidence about these drugs reinforces our recommendation.

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• Comments on the FDA’s Proposal to Exclude 19 Bulk Drug Substances From the 503B Bulks List for Pharmacy Compounding by Outsourced Facilities (HRG Publication #2545) (September 29, 2020)
  Public Citizen strongly supports the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) proposal to exclude 19 bulk drug substances from the list of bulk drug substances for which there is a clinical need under Section 503B of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act for pharmacy compounding by outsourcing facilities.
• Testimony Before the FDA’s Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee and Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee Regarding Reformulated Oxycontin (HRG Publication #2543) (September 11, 2020)
  In testimony before a joint meeting of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee, Public Citizen emphasized that there is a serious question as to whether introducing abuse deterrent opioids such as reformulated Oxycontin (oxycodone) may have worsened overall public health.
• Press Release: NIH Agrees With Public Citizen, Will Conduct Preclinical Trials of the Potential COVID-19 Treatment GS-441524 (HRG Publication #2539) (August 24, 2020)
  The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will expeditiously conduct preclinical studies of GS-441524 as a treatment for COVID-19 and will make the results readily available to the scientific community, as requested in a letter sent to the agency by Public Citizen.
• Letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and Senior FDA and NIH Officials Opposing Emergency Use Authorization for Any COVID-19 Vaccine (HRG Publication #2536) (August 6, 2020)
  Public Citizen strongly urged the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to promptly end the current dangerous consideration being given to issuing Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for COVID-19 vaccines.
• Letter to Gilead and Senior Federal Health Officials Calling for Immediate Study of the Antiviral Drug GS-441524 as a Potential Treatment for COVID-19 (HRG Publication #2535) (August 4, 2020)
  The letter asks Gilead and the federal agencies either to work collaboratively to promptly pursue the development of GS-441524 as a treatment for COVID-19 or to publicly explain and provide evidence as to why doing so is not scientifically or medically feasible.