Each year, the Office of Pharmaceutical Quality (OPQ) releases a report on the state of pharmaceutical quality. This year’s report was released yesterday and can be found here. Every year we try to pick out key issues and highlight some of the statistics outlined in the report, and this year is no different! Some important […]
We have written a lot about fraudulent drugs over the years. Some examples of these include counterfeit drugs, dietary ingredients that are unsafe, dietary drugs that contain undeclared prescription drugs in them, and the list goes on and on. In his presentation titled “Fraudulent Drugs: You’re Taking What?” (here), Brad Pace, Associate Director, Office of […]
In a press release issued yesterday (here), the FDA warned six companies about topical lidocaine products that can cause serious health effects and are also unapproved new drugs. The products are recommended for use after certain dermatological procedures “such as microdermabrasion, laser hair removal, tattooing and piercing.” These products are being marketed at concentrations above […]
Yesterday, the FDA advised consumers not to use QUICK Rheumatism Capsule, Tiger Wang Biaod (here) or SNAKE BONES Anti-Rheumatic Capsules (here). The FDA confirmed by its laboratory analysis that both products contain piroxicam, a prescription drug ingredient for treating pain and arthritis-related symptoms. Serious adverse events can occur with taking any of these unapproved drugs […]
Since the implementation of the CARES Act reporting requirement, the question continues to be asked: Is it really a requirement? The answer is yes, and now it is no longer recommended, but is stated as “should” in the newly published Final version of the Guidance for Industry (GFI) “Reporting Amount of Listed Drugs and Biological […]
Today, the FDA is warning consumers of potentially contaminated copycat eye drops that are unapproved new drugs that “copy the Bausch + Lomb’s Lumify brand eye drops, an over-the-counter product approved for redness relief.” While the FDA notes that it has not received any specific reports of adverse events with the three products named below, […]
Some of the big-ticket items mentioned in the FY 2023 report are Office of Compliance (OC) actions taken regarding the “contamination from diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol (DEG/EG), potentially harmful eye products, and mitigating risks from drug shortages while ensuring the safety our drug supply.” These issues caused the OC to “pivot” from its business as […]
Just like the FDA says on its warnings and notifications page (here): “It is clear from the results of our decade of testing that retailers and distributors, including online marketplaces, do not effectively prevent these types of potentially harmful products from being sold to consumers. FDA cannot test all products on the market that contain […]
Today FDA has warned consumers (here) that the products listed below that are offered for sale in the US contain undeclared active ingredients that can be dangerous for some users. This is not really a surprise as unscrupulous manufacturers and distributors try to cash in on patients with erectile disfunction or on users that merely […]
On August 8, 2023, Axios reported (here) that the Pentagon began contracting with Valisure, a drug testing facility, to test the generic drugs that it is purchasing. On August 9, 2023, Bloomberg reported much the same thing in an article titled “Tainted Medicine Fears Spur Pentagon to Seek Outside Testing” (here; subscription required). Congress has been pushing […]
