• FDA Warns of Serious Breathing Problems with Use of Seizure and Nerve Pain Medications Gabapentin and Pregabalin (January 30, 2020)

  View the entire April 2020 issue in PDF format

• Beware of Piracetam-Containing Dietary Supplements Touting Unproven Brain Benefits
  (April 2020)
  In this article, we explain why consumers need to beware of dietary supplements containing the illegal drug piracetam that are promoted to enhance cognitive performance, mood, sleep and longevity.
• Protecting Yourself from Life-Threatening Pharmacist Errors
  (April 2020)
  In his editor’s column, Dr. Michael Carome discusses findings of a recent exposé published in The New York Times that highlighted how overworked pharmacists at major national pharmacy chains — such as CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens — have endangered patients by making potentially fatal errors when filling and dispensing prescriptions.
• Important Drug Interactions for the Antibiotic Clarithromycin
  (April 2020)
  Patients taking the commonly prescribed antibiotic clarithromycin (BIAXIN XL) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
• Avoid the ‘Pink Pill’ Flibanserin (ADDYI) for Low Female Sexual Desire
  (April 2020)
  Learn why flibanserin is the wrong choice for women who are burdened by persistent low sexual desire.
• FDA Warns of Serious Breathing Problems with Use of Gabapentin and Pregabalin
  (April 2020)
  For patients taking opioid analgesics and other drugs that depress breathing and those with lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, use of gabapentin (GRALISE, HORIZANT, NEURONTIN) or pregabalin (LYRICA) could have deadly consequences.

  View the entire March 2020 issue in PDF format

• Important Drug Interactions for the Calcium Channel Blocker Verapamil
  (March 2020)
  Patients taking the widely prescribed calcium channel blocker verapamil — which is used to treat high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and certain abnormal heart rhythms — should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
• Court Documents Expose Purdue’s Plans to Mislead Doctors About Oxycontin’s Risks
  (March 2020)
  Recently released court documents reveal the great lengths to which senior executives at Purdue Pharma — including members of the billionaire Sackler family who founded and own the company — went to downplay Oxycontin’s risks of addiction and abuse.
• Study Bolsters Evidence Linking Menopausal Hormone Therapy to Breast Cancer
  (March 2020)
  New research linking menopausal hormone use to an increased risk of breast cancer reaffirms the importance of using such hormone therapies at the lowest effective dose and for the shortest duration needed.
• Do Not Use Paroxetine (BRISDELLE) for Treatment of Hot Flashes
  (March 2020)
  Learn why women should avoid using BRISDELLE, the first and only nonhormonal drug approved by the FDA for treatment of hot flashes associated with menopause.
• Public Citizen Urges FDA to Ban Medication Used to Prevent Preterm Birth
  (March 2020)
  We discuss why pregnant women who have a history of spontaneous preterm birth should not take the injected synthetic hormone hydroxyprogesterone caproate (MAKENA) to prevent another preterm birth.

  View the entire February 2020 issue in PDF format

• Commonly Used Oral Drugs That Can Cause Eye Problems; Second of a Two-Part Series
  (February 2020)
  In this second of a two-part series, we review some of the many commonly prescribed medications that can damage your eyes and the steps that you can take to protect yourself from these adverse effects. The first part in this series appeared in our December 2019 issue.
• Dollar Tree’s Over-the-Counter Drugs: Cheap, But Potentially Dangerous
  (February 2020)
  A recent warning publicized by the FDA suggests that although purchasing medications from Dollar Tree may appear to be good for your pocketbook, doing so may be dangerous to your health.
• Available Evidence Shows Selenium Supplements Not Useful for Preventing Cancer But May Cause Harm
  (February 2020)
  Dietary supplements containing the trace mineral selenium for many years have been widely touted for the prevention of cancer. But the available scientific evidence shows that selenium is not useful for preventing cancer.
• The Heart Rhythm Drug Amiodarone and Its Adverse Effects
  (February 2020)
  Public Citizen’s Health Research Group has designated amiodarone as Limited Use because long-term use of this drug can cause many types of adverse effects that can range from mild to life threatening. The drug should be used only when other therapies are ineffective or cannot be tolerated.
• FDA Reapproves Primatene Mist Inhaler for Asthma Despite Concerns
  (February 2020)
  Learn why Primatene Mist, an over-the-counter form of the bronchodilator drug epinephrine, is a poor choice for treating asthma.
• News Brief: Public Citizen Seeks Tighter Restrictions on Opioid Tramadol
  (February 2020)
  In this month’s news brief, we discuss Public Citizen’s recent petition to the FDA to move the opioid tramadol to a more restrictive classification of controlled substances because it is overprescribed, often misused, highly addictive and potentially deadly.

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• Press Statement: FDA Refuses to Ban Heart-Toxic Dietary Supplements Containing Cesium, Endangering Patients and Ignoring Agency’s Own Expert Assessment (HRG Publication #2505) (February 5, 2020)
  By denying our request to remove dietary supplements containing cesium chloride (or any other cesium salt) from the market, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ignored its obligation to protect public health. It also has allowed consumers to continue to be exposed to life-threatening dietary supplements that have been promoted without basis to vulnerable cancer patients.
• Letter to the FDA Urging the Agency Not to Approve the New Drug Application for a Tramadol-Celecoxib Fixed-Dose Combination Product for Management of Acute Pain (HRG Publication #2504) (January 31, 2020)
  We strongly urged the FDA not to approve the new drug application submitted by Esteve Pharmaceuticals for a tramadol-celecoxib fixed-dose combination product for management of acute pain in adults because evidence from recent studies strongly counters the false assumption that tramadol, which was placed in schedule IV under the Controlled Substances Act in 2014, is safer; less likely to cause misuse, dependence, and addiction; and has a better safety profile than schedule II and schedule III opioids.
• Testimony Before the FDA’s Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee and Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee Regarding the Opioid Oxycodegol (HRG Publication #2503) (January 14, 2020)
  In testimony before a joint meeting of the FDA’s Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee and Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee, Public Citizen urged the committees to recommend that the FDA not approve the new opioid oxycodegol, which is closely related to oxycodone, for treatment of chronic low back pain because the medication is not effective for treating this condition but has oral abuse potential comparable to currently approved oxycodone products.