Saying youth smoking of e-cigarettes is reaching “epidemic proportions,” the FDA has ordered the manufacturers of the 5 top e-cigarettes to come up with plans on how to curb use by teens. The agency also threatened to pull flavored e-cig – which are especially appealing to young people – from the market if they can’t demonstrate how they can keep the devices away from children. The manufacturers receiving letters are Juul Labs Inc., Vuse, MarkTen XL, Blu and Logic. Data from Nielsen Research indicates that Juul has more than two-thirds of the e-cigarette market. About 2.1 million middle and high school students used e-cigarettes last year, according to the CDC. Over the summer, the FDA said it issued more than 1,300 warning letters and fines to retailers who illegally sold e-cig products to minors as part of an undercover operation, the largest coordinated enforcement effort in the agency’s history. Posted September 12, 2018. Via FDA.
Elderly people that take several medications for sleeping, pain or incontinence are twice as likely to fall and suffer broken bones compared to those not taking any drugs. Researchers analyzed data on more than 70,000 older adults living in New Zealand. Those who were taking more than 3 Drug Burden Index medications – drugs that sedate or affect one’s cognition – were twice as likely to break their hip than those on no drugs, researchers reported in the Journals of Gerontology. Between 20% and 30% of those who broke their hip died within a year. Lead author Hamish Jamieson, PhD, of the University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand, said that multiple medications can cause falls in the elderly because of side effects in each of the medications and drug-drug interactions than can create additional side effects. Posted September 11, 2018. Via University of Otago.
The FDA has issued warning letters to 2 companies for making unsubstantiated medical claims in selling products containing the herb kratom. The agency says that Chillin Mix Kratom and Mitra Distributing make claims that their kratom products can relieve opioid withdrawal and treat conditions including depression, anxiety and high blood pressure. The FDA noted that kratom may contain substances that contain opioids and the plant may have a high potential for abuse. Over the last year, the FDA has issued several public warnings about potential dangers associated with kratom. In February, the agency said it identified 44 deaths associated with the use of kratom. Posted September 11, 2018. Via FDA.
