FDA Banned Obesity Drug for the Risk of Heart Attack!!

Abbott Laboratories has agreed to voluntarily withdraw its obesity drug Meridia (sibutramine) from the U.S. market because of clinical trial data indicating an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today.

Meridia was approved by the FDA in November 1997 for weight loss and maintenance of weight loss in obese people, as well as in certain overweight people with other risks for heart disease. The approval was based on clinical data showing that more people receiving sibutramine lost at least 5 percent of their body weight than people on placebo who relied on diet and exercise alone.

The FDA requested the market withdrawal after reviewing data from the Sibutramine Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial (SCOUT). SCOUT was initiated as part of a postmarket requirement to look at cardiovascular safety of sibutramine after the European approval of this drug. The trial demonstrated a 16 percent increase in the risk of serious heart events, including non-fatal heart attack, non-fatal stroke, the need to be resuscitated once the heart stopped, and death, in a group of patients given sibutramine compared to another given placebo. There was a small difference in weight loss between the placebo group and the group that received sibutramine.

For more info: Please visit: meridia.

Calorie info on menus & total calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates, sugars, dietary fiber, a

July 7, 2010

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced the opening of a docket to gather public comment and information to help the agency implement a new federal law that requires the posting of calorie content and other nutrition information on menu items at certain chain restaurants and similar retail food operations and vending machines.

The new law, Section 4205 of the Affordable Care Act signed into law March 23, 2010, sets new federal requirements for foods sold at certain restaurants, coffee shops, delis, movie theaters, bakeries, ice cream shops, and vending machines.

Prior to the new law, federal law already required nutrition labeling on many packaged foods, which may be purchased in supermarkets and at other locations, and some states and local governments required nutritional labeling by restaurants in their jurisdictions.

The new law requires restaurants and similar retail food establishments which are part of a chain with 20 or more locations that offer substantially the same menu items to list calorie content information on menus and menu boards, including drive-through menu boards.

Other nutrient information – total calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates, sugars, dietary fiber, and total protein – must be made available in writing on request. The act also requires vending machine operators who own or operate 20 or more vending machines to disclose calorie content for certain items.

The FDA is required by law to issue proposed regulations to carry out these provisions by March 23, 2011. The agency also expects to issue guidance concerning the requirements of Section 4205 of the Affordable Care Act.

For more information:
Docket No. FDA-2010-N-0298

What we are eating!

DAILY STAR

Nothing is pure in the world of foods

Availability of unadulterated food items in the local markets is difficult as wholesalers mix everything - from brick dust, soap ingredients to textile dyes – with commonly eaten foods, writes Pianki Roy. The article says that dishonest producers use textile and leather dyes to change the colour of confectionary products, beverage, sweet meats and other snacks. It quotes officials from the Consumer Association of Bangladesh as saying that most of the red chilli powers used in the marker are adulterated with brick dust.

Interest of Tk 8000 for Less than 1 Taka

A Mr. Mojammel Haque has sent his opinion in the Daily Ittefaq on March 09, 2009 stating that, he obtained a credit card from BRAC bank namely “Free for Life” card. He alleged that he had been using the card for several years while paying the monthly bills regularly. He further mentions that in his card there was an unpaid balance of Tk 0.96, which is less than Tk 1.00. As the amount was very small he did not care for paying any bills further. Lately in the month of March he has found that his credit card has a bill of Tk Tk 8069.77. Shocked with this balance he called the Call Center and got a reply that he has to pay the bill and he has no other option. …

The above is the extract taken from “Letters to Editor” page of The Daily Ittefaq. I personally think, the matter which has been published as above, does not provide sufficient information to justify the facts, because the Mr. Haque did not provide when he had an unpaid balance of Tk 0.69 and when he received the bill for unpaid amount. Yet, whatever time period passed in between, I think a bill of Tk 8069.77 is an impossible bill for an amount less than One taka. If the thing is true, we the consumers should go tough against this kind of fees and charges of credit card in our country. Dear readers, if you have any relevant or similar experience with your credit card bills, please share it here. Thanks.

Please be aware of Small Pet Turtles!

The following article is extracted from FDA's website. Link is here.

Turtles may look like cute pets, but it is estimated that they are responsible for over 70,000 cases of Salmonella infections every year in the USA.

Some of these infections can be serious or even fatal. In one case, a four week-old infant died of a Salmonella infection that was traced to a pet turtle in the home. In another case, two teenage girls became very ill after they swam in an un-chlorinated family pool where pet turtles had been allowed to swim.

Children, people with compromised immune systems, the elderly and pregnant women are especially susceptible to Salmonella infections. In addition to their susceptibility from an immune standpoint, young children are at high risk because they are likely to handle the turtles, and then without washing their hands, handle food or touch their mouths which increase the possibility of ingesting the bacteria.

It does not require touching the turtle to be exposed to the Salmonella, because the turtle sporadically sheds the bacteria into its water and housing. So people cleaning the turtle’s bowl can become infected, too. Salmonella is also carried by other reptiles and amphibians.

FDA’s primary recommendation is to not buy small turtles as pets or gifts. For those who already own a turtle, reptile, or amphibian, here are some basic rules to help prevent illness:

• If your family is expecting a child, remove the animal from the home before the baby arrives.
• Keep turtles out of homes with children under five, the elderly, or those with weakened immune systems.
• Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after touching the turtle or any object it has come in contact with.
• Do not clean turtle tanks or other supplies in the kitchen sink, and use bleach to disinfect the area where the turtle tank is cleaned.
• Be aware that children can contract Salmonella infections from turtles in petting zoos, parks, classrooms and daycare facilities.
  
• If you do have a turtle, watch for symptoms of Salmonella infection, such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and headache, and call a doctor if these occur.