The FDA has recalled and destroyed kratom, a plant-based supplement, manufactured under several brands. Divinity Products Distribution, the manufacturer of the products, did so voluntarily. The move follows a previous warning from the FDA indicating that kratom can potentially be addictive since it has opioid-like qualities. The agency has suggested that all other companies selling products containing kratom follow suit by taking them off the market completely. Posted February 21, 2018. Via FDA.
Patients receiving a popular eye drug known as Eylea (aflibercept) have been experiencing an alarming side effect. Physicians identified an increase in a rare side effect associated with the macular degeneration and macular edema medication. Some people have experienced a sharp decline in sight, pain and a sudden panic episode shortly after receiving the eye injection. Last year, 1 in 10,000 people who received Eylea reported that they experienced the rare side effect, which is less than what the company identified in the clinical trials. Although the side effect doesn’t result in long-term vision loss and is said to be treatable, eye doctors are still recommending that people take precautions. Posted February 21, 2018. Via Bloomberg News.
The FDA expanded the approval of AstraZeneca’s immunotherapy drug Imfinzi (durvalumab) for the treatment of a type of lung cancer. The agency OK’d the drug to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients with stage III lung cancer, where the disease has not spread throughout the entire body. The biologic was already approved for bladder cancer. Some of the serious side effects associated with Imfinzi include immune-mediated side effects, where the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells or organs, such as the lungs, liver, colon, hormone-producing glands and kidneys. Posted February 16, 2018. Via FDA.
