The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Ragwitek, the first allergen extract administered under the tongue (sublingually) to treat short ragweed pollen induced allergic rhinitis (hay fever), with or without conjunctivitis (eye inflammation), in adults 18 years through 65 years of age.

In a safety communication notice issued today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration discouraged the use of laparoscopic power morcellation for the removal of the uterus (hysterectomy) or uterine fibroids (myomectomy) in women because, based on an analysis of currently available data, it poses a risk of spreading unsuspected cancerous tissue, notably uterine sarcomas, beyond the uterus.

Los Genuinos, Inc., a Bayamon, Puerto Rico, food manufacturer, has agreed under terms of a court order not to process or distribute food until it addresses the unsanitary conditions found by U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigators. The company must also correct its product labels to accurately reflect the ingredients used in its products.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Tanzeum (albiglutide) subcutaneous injection to improve glycemic control, along with diet and exercise, in adults with type 2 diabetes.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved an application from Medtronic for revised labeling for two cardiac resynchronization pacemakers (CRT-P) and eight cardiac resynchronization defibrillators (CRT-D), expanding the indication for use to patients with atrioventricular (AV) block and less severe heart failure.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to immediately stop using Zi Xiu Tang Bee Pollen, marketed as a product for weight loss and body reshaping. The product contains at least one potentially harmful active pharmaceutical ingredient that is not listed on the product’s label.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a prescription treatment that can be used by family or caregivers to treat a person known or suspected to have had an opioid overdose. Evzio (naloxone hydrochloride injection) rapidly delivers a single dose of the drug naloxone via a hand-held auto-injector that can be carried in a pocket or stored in a medicine chest.

For more than a decade, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been working to address the important public health problems associated with the misuse, abuse, addiction and overdose of opioid analgesics, while at the same time working to ensure continued access to effective and appropriate medications for millions of Americans currently suffering from pain. I firmly believe that these goals are compatible, and that actions to address one should not be at the expense of the other.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today released a draft report that includes a proposed strategy and recommendations for a risk-based regulatory framework for health information technology (health IT) that promotes product innovation while maintaining appropriate patient protections and avoiding regulatory duplication. The congressionally-mandated report proposes to clarify federal regulatory oversight of health IT products based on a product’s function and the potential risk to patients who use it.

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed marketing of an expandable, multi-sponge wound dressing to control the bleeding from certain types of wounds received in battle. For military use only, the XSTAT is a temporary dressing for wounds in areas that a tourniquet cannot be placed, such as the groin or armpit. The dressing can be used up to four hours, which could allow time for the patient to receive surgical care.