January 6, 2010
Nationwide Recall of AccuSure Insulin Syringes
These syringe needles may detach from the syringe
Qualitest Pharmaceuticals is recalling all lots of AccuSure insulin syringes because the syringe needle may detach from the syringe. If that happens, the needle could get stuck in the insulin vial, or get pushed back into the syringe, or even stay in the skin after injection.
The recalled AccuSure insulin Syringes were distributed to wholesale and retail pharmacies nationwide between January 2002 and October 2009. Anyone who has AccuSure insulin syringes should stop using them. For more information , call Qualitest at 1-800-444-4011.
December 17, 2009
Many drugs can increase seniors’ risk of falling
www.PeoplesPharmacy.com
If you watch the evening news on television, you are likely to see commercials for osteoporosis drugs. Sally Field will tell you that Boniva builds strong, healthy bones to help prevent fractures.
Strong bones are desirable, but preventing fractures also means preventing falls. When you see a child or teenager in a cast, ask how that bone got broken. It was almost always broken in a fall.
Elderly people often fear falling, and justifiably so. Falls account for more than four-fifths of the injuries that result in hospitalization and two-fifths of nursing- home admissions.
The complications of falls are a leading cause of death among the elderly in industrialized countries. Can they be prevented?
For older people, avoiding drugs that increase the likelihood of falling may be just as important as taking drugs that can make bones stronger.
A met-analysis published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (Nov. 23, 2009) demonstrates that certain medications significantly increase the risk of falling among people older than 60.
Careful statistical analysis of 22 studies showed that sedatives and sleeping pills increased the risk of falls by almost 50 percent. Benzodiazepines are prescribed to ease anxiety and help people sleep.
They include medications such as Ativan (lorazepam), Dalmane (flurazepam), Halcion (triazolam), Klonopin (clonazepam), Librium (chlordiazepoxide), Restoril (temazepam), Valium (diazepam) and Xanax (alprazolam).
This type of medicine was associated with a 57 percent increased risk of falls.
Other drugs that put older people at risk of falling include antidepressants (68 percent), antipsychotic medications (59 percent) and, surprisingly, NSAIDs, aka nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (21 percent).
NSAIDs include over-thecounter drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen, as well as popular prescriptions like diclofenac and meloxicam.
Such pain relievers are among the most commonly used medications for alleviating arthritis and other painful inflammation so common among the elderly.
Most providers focus on the stomach upset that is common with NSAIDs. Probably few are warning patients about the possibility that these drugs also could pose a risk of falling.
Some people experience drowsiness, dizziness, lightheadedness or vertigo when taking this kind of medicine.
People who care for older relatives must be especially vigilant about preventing falls. When an elderly person breaks a hip, it can change everybody’s life.
Reduced mobility and severe pain can lead to nursing-home admission. Serious complications, such as blood clots in the lungs, can even cause death.
For more information on drugs that can pose problems for seniors, we offer our Guide to Drugs and Older People.
Anyone who would like a copy, please send $2 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (61 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. O-85, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 277172027.
It also can be downloaded for $2 from our Web site: www.peoplespharmacy. com.
Physicians who prescribe bone-building drugs such as Actonel, Boniva and Fosamax also should be cautious about prescribing medications that might increase the risk of falls.
Write to Joe and Teresa Graedon in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
December 9, 2009
Bayer Consumer Care Voluntarily Recalls One Lot of Combination Package of Alka-Seltzer Plus® Day & Night Cold Formula Liquid GelsSingle Lot Affected by Package Labeling Issue
In consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Bayer’s Consumer Care division has begun a voluntary recall of a single product lot of the combination package of Alka-Seltzer Plus® Day & Night Cold Formula Liquid Gels. Bayer initiated the recall after identifying that the labeling on the foil blister card of certain packages within the lot (less than 4 percent) were printed with the label reversed. All individual liquid filled capsules are imprinted correctly.
The affected Alka-Seltzer Plus product lot number can be found on both the interior blister package (in black text adjacent to the expiration date) as well as on the exterior carton containing the blister packaging (embossed on the side panel under the Bayer logo)
Product Name: Alka-Seltzer Plus Day & Night Liquid Gels
Package size: 20 liquid filled capsules per carton (12 day formulation capsules and 8 night formulation capsules)
UPC#: 016500537779
Lot #: 296939L
Expiration: 5/11
This product was sold only in the U.S. at retail outlets nationwide.
This recall does not impact any Alka-Seltzer Plus Day & Night Cold Formula Effervescent products, individually packaged Alka-Seltzer Plus Day Non-Drowsy Cold Formula products, individually packaged Alka-Seltzer Plus Night Cold Formula products, or any other lot of Alka-Seltzer Plus Day & Night Cold Formula Liquid-Gels.
The company initiated an investigation following consumer reports and found that in a limited number of combination packages of Alka-Seltzer Plus Day and Night Cold Formula Liquid Gels from a single lot, the information on the underside of the blister package was reversed. Therefore, the label for the green Night product appears under some of the blue Day product and vice versa. As such, there is a risk that consumers may not be aware of the warnings of an antihistamine in the product that could cause drowsiness.
Consumers who purchased combination packages of Alka-Seltzer Plus Day and Night Cold Formula Liquid Gels from the lot included in this recall (details below) should stop using the product and contact Bayer with any questions or for instructions on a refund or replacement. Consumers should contact our Consumer Relations Call Center at 1(800) 986-3307 (available Monday – Friday 8:30 AM – 5:30PM eastern standard time.) Any consumer with a medical concern or questions should contact their healthcare provider.
About Bayer Consumer Care
The Consumer Care division of Bayer HealthCare, is headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, USA. Bayer Consumer Care is among the largest marketers of over-the-counter medications and nutritional supplements in the world. Some of the most trusted and recognizable brands in the world today come from the Bayer portfolio of products. These include Aspirin, ALEVE®, Alka-Seltzer®, Midol®, One A Day® Vitamins, and Flintstones™ vitamins.
Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The pharmaceuticals business operates under the name Bayer Schering Pharma and as Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals in the US and Canada. Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide.
