Do you use Byetta?

It seems to me that more and more drugs are being pushed without adequate studies and warnings. If you take Byetta, please read this article that I found via ABCNEWS:


FDA Reports Deaths With Diabetes Drug Byetta
FDA working on new warning label for Amylin, Eli Lilly drug Byetta after deaths reported
By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Business WriterWASHINGTON August 18, 2008 (AP)

Federal regulators are working on a stronger label for a widely used diabetes drug marketed by Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Eli Lilly & Co. after deaths were reported with the medication despite earlier government warnings.

The Food and Drug Administration said Monday it has received six new reports of patients developing a dangerous form of pancreatitis while taking Byetta. Two of the patients died and four were recovering.
Regulators stressed that patients should stop taking Byetta immediately if they develop signs of acute pancreatitis, a swelling of the pancreas that can cause nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. The FDA warned that it is very difficult to distinguish acute pancreatitis from less dangerous forms of the condition

Are we ever going to admit

that somewhere along the line we have not kept track of our food supply the way we should. This comes from the New York Times article about the Salmonella outbreak reaching 1,000+. You can read the article at the NYT website by clicking this link.

All four items cited today are common ingredients in some of the building blocks of Mexican cuisine, and the C.D.C. told consumers to stay away from fresh salsa, guacamole and pico de gallo if they wish to reduce the risk of infection.

In the months since the outbreak was first detected in April, the agency has identified 1,017 people who were infected with the same strain, Salmonella Saintpaul. But officials warned that “it is likely that many more illnesses have occurred than those reported.”

The illness usually lasts less than a week without treatment, but 203 people were hospitalized with severe conditions. As with nearly any infection, the very young and the very old face the most risk. Indeed, the C.D.C. said that the death in Texas of a man in his 80’s was directly tied to salmonella.

In the News

I truly try to present a balanced blog. I think the best consumer is an educated consumer. The Wall Street Journal has an article about the industry's newest campaign. I think it is a good read. Please visit their site at this link to see the complete article. I am sharing just a bit of it now

High Fructose Corn Syrup Mixes It Up
Sweetener Advocate,
Soured by Obesity Links,
Targets Moms in Ads
By SUZANNE VRANICA
June 23, 2008; Page B7

The high-fructose corn-syrup business is fighting back.

In recent years, there have been a series of research papers and studies linking HFCS to the rise in obesity in the U.S. While sugar has to some degree also been blamed for America's growing weight problems, HFCS, because it is manufactured, has come under greater criticism by consumers and some health professionals.

Now a Washington trade group is trying to rehabilitate the reputation of the longtime sweetener. Beginning today, the Corn Refiners Association is launching a big ad and public-relations campaign to convince consumers that HFCS isn't the evil it has been made out to be.