Category Archives: Food Safety News

Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. – FDA is carefully evaluating prescription opioid medications approved to treat cough in children

There’s perhaps no more important mandate that we have at the FDA than safeguarding the health and safety of children. For that reason, I believe it’s important that parents and health care providers have the best information available to inform the decisions they make about a child’s health. There are few more common decisions that parents and providers are asked to make than the question of how to appropriately treat a child’s cough and cold symptoms. Sometimes symptoms can be severe enough that prescription medication is needed, but some of these medications pose their own risks – especially for younger children – because they may contain opioids. Other times medication might not be necessary at all.

FDA warns of potential contamination in multiple brands of drugs, dietary supplements

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers and health care professionals not to use any liquid drug or dietary supplement products manufactured by PharmaTech LLC of Davie, Florida, and labeled by Rugby Laboratories, Major Pharmaceuticals and Leader Brands, due to potential contamination with the bacteria Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia) and the risk for severe patient infection.

FDA to expand public education campaign to focus on prevention of youth e-cigarette use

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it would pursue a strategic, new public health education campaign aimed at discouraging the use of e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) by kids. The agency plans to expand its “The Real Cost” public education campaign to include messaging to teens about the dangers of using these products this fall while developing a full-scale campaign to launch in 2018. These efforts are part of the agency’s new comprehensive plan for tobacco and nicotine regulation, as well as ongoing efforts to educate youth about, and protect them from, the dangers associated with using all tobacco products. It is the first time the FDA will be utilizing public health education to specifically target youth use of e-cigarettes or other ENDS.

Freshtex Produce Recalls “Valery” Brand Maradol Papayas Due to Possible Health Risk

Freshtex Produce of Alamo, TX is voluntarily recalling “Valery” brand Maradol Papayas grown and packed by Carica de Campeche, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
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Federal judge enters consent decree against outsourcing facility Isomeric Pharmacy Solutions

U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby entered a consent decree of permanent injunction yesterday between the United States and Isomeric Pharmacy Solutions of Salt Lake City, Utah, two of the company’s co-owners, William O. Richardson and Rachael S. Cruz, and chief operating officer Jeffery D. Brown.

FDA approves Mavyret for Hepatitis C

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Mavyret (glecaprevir and pibrentasvir) to treat adults with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1-6 without cirrhosis (liver disease) or with mild cirrhosis, including patients with moderate to severe kidney disease and those who are on dialysis. Mavyret is also approved for adult patients with HCV genotype 1 infection who have been previously treated with a regimen either containing an NS5A inhibitor or an NS3/4A protease inhibitor but not both.