• Foreign Regulators Act After Evidence of Harm for Fetuses of Women Users of Wakefulness Drugs Armodafinil (NUVIGIL) and Modafinil (PROVIGIL) (June 27, 2019)

  View the entire September 2019 issue in PDF format

• Antibiotics Not Always Necessary for Acute COPD Exacerbations
  (September 2019)
  Doctors often prescribe antibiotics to treat acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which are characterized by increased shortness of breath, cough, sputum production and wheezing. But for some patients, the risks of such antibiotic treatment outweigh the benefits.
• FDA Sued for Dangerous Delay on Petition Seeking Stronger Drug Warnings
  (September 2019)
  In his editor’s column, Dr. Michael Carome discusses Public Citizen’s most recent legal maneuver to force the FDA to respond to our June 2016 petition seeking stronger warnings about the risk of compulsive or uncontrollable behaviors in the product labeling for a class of drugs known as dopamine agonists.
• Oral Itraconazole and Terbinafine: Too Dangerous for Fungal Nail Infections
  (September 2019)
  Fungal infections of the toenails and fingernails, a condition known as onychomycosis, are common. Learn why you should never take oral itraconazole or terbinafine to treat these cosmetic, non-health-threatening nail infections.
• Important Drug Interactions for the Seizure Drug Phenytoin
  (September 2019)
  Patients taking the commonly prescribed epilepsy drug phenytoin (DILANTIN, PHENYTEK), one of the oldest epilepsy drugs, should be aware that it has clinically impor¬tant interactions with many other prescription and over-the-counter medications. Some of these interactions can lead to phenytoin toxicity, and others can lead to ineffective seizure control.
• An Updated Look at the Treatments for Rosacea
  (September 2019)
  Rosacea is a chronic skin condition affecting 13 million Americans. Find out steps to take to prevent symptom flare-ups and learn which topical drug therapies are most effective and safest for treating this condition.

  View the entire August 2019 issue in PDF format

• Numerous Drugs Have Dangerous Interactions with Alcohol
  (August 2019)
  Most U.S. adults drink alcohol at least occasionally. Many also take prescription or over-the-counter drugs that have the potential to inter¬act adversely with alcohol. Avoid serious harm by knowing which drugs should not be taken in combination with alcohol.
• 44 States Sue Generic Drugmakers for Price-Fixing Scheme
  (August 2019)
  Allegations made in a recent lawsuit filed in federal court by 44 states suggest that 20 generic drug companies perpetrated a multi-billion-dollar fraud on the American public over the past decade.
• Do Not Take Central Nervous System Stimulants for Weight Loss!
  (August 2019)
  Learn why Public Citizen’s Health Research Group advises against using any central nervous system stimulant drugs for weight loss.
• Use of Tramadol for Arthritis Linked to Increased Risk of Death
  (August 2019)
  The FDA has approved five medications for treatment of cold sores — sometimes referred to as fever blisters, oral herpes or herpes labialis. Find out which of these drugs offer the most benefit.
• Treatments for Cold Sores: An Updated Review
  (August 2019)
  Accounting for approximately 41 million prescriptions dis¬pensed in the U.S. in 2017, the opioid analgesic tramadol is among the most widely used painkillers. New research linking tramadol to an increased risk of death reinforces our long-standing Do Not Use designation for this drug.

  View the entire July 2019 issue in PDF format

• Review of the Popular Stomach-Acid Suppressant Proton Pump Inhibitor Drugs
  (July 2019)
  Learn why the widely used proton pump inhibitors should be reserved for certain patients with stomach-acid disorders and only taken at the lowest possible dose for the shortest possible duration needed.
• Rare Justice for Pharma Execs Who Illegally Marketed Dangerous Opioid
  (July 2019)
  Too often, senior executives of leading pharmaceutical companies that engage in illegal marketing of drugs and other serious crimes escape criminal prosecution. But this was not the case for the billionaire founder of Insys Therapeutics.
• Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics Can Increase the Risk of Aortic Rupture, FDA Warns
  (July 2019)
  Read about the growing body of evidence showing that the commonly prescribed fluoroquinolone antibiotics increase the risk of potentially fatal ruptures or tears of the aorta, the largest blood vessel in the body.
• Question & Answer
  (July 2019)
  A reader asked whether the FDA reviews and approves homeopathic drugs. Our answer should make you think twice about using these products.
• Potentially Dangerous Interactions Between Erectile Dysfunction Drugs and Other Medications
  (July 2019)
  Find out about the many prescription medications that can interact in dangerous ways with the four drugs approved by the FDA for treating erectile dysfunction in men.
• Patients Infrequently Screened Before Immunosuppressive Specialty Drug Therapy, Study Finds
  (July 2019)
  More and more patients are being treated with an expanding array of potent immunosuppressive drugs that require special screening and monitoring to minimize the risk of serious harm. But new research reveals that too many patients receiving these drugs are not undergoing the appropriate screening and monitoring tests.

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