Health trends

Anti-seizure drug linked to meningitis

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning doctors and patients that an anti-seizure drug, Lamictal, can cause rare inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. The FDA said last Thursday it was working with the British drugmaker, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, to add new warnings and labelling information to Lamictal.

The FDA said it has received reports of 40 cases of aseptic meningitis between 1994, when Lamictal was approved, and last November. Thirty-five patients needed to be hospitalised, the agency said in a statement. The symptoms usually emerged within the first month and a half of treatment.

GlaxoSmithKline said in a statement it will add language about the risk to a medication guide distributed to patients. According to the company, aseptic meningitis is a "very rarely reported event."

Aseptic meningitis is a dangerous inflammation of the brain and spinal cord that can cause headache, fever, chills and vomiting. The problem can be caused by viruses, toxins and certain medications. Treatment for the illness, which usually resolves itself in two weeks, generally involves pain medications. Lamictal is part of the anti-seizure family of medications and is also approved by the FDA to treat manic depression.

- Source: The Associated Press

Emergency contraception approved

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week approved ella (ulipristal acetate) tablets for emergency contraception. The prescription-only product prevents pregnancy when taken orally within 120 hours (five days) after a contraceptive failure or unprotected intercourse. It is not intended for routine use as a contraceptive.

ella is a progesterone agonist/antagonist whose likely main effect is to inhibit or delay ovulation. Since May 2009, the prescription product has been available in Europe under the brand name ellaOne. An FDA Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs discussed ella in June, 2010. The committee unanimously voted that the application for ella provided compelling data on efficacy and sufficient information on safety for the proposed indication of emergency contraception.

The safety and efficacy of ella were demonstrated in two Phase III clinical trials. One study was a prospective, multi-centre, open-label, single-arm trial conducted in the United States; the other was a randomised, multi-centre, single-blind comparator-controlled trial conducted in the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland.

- Source: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Infected eggs recalled

An outbreak of salmonella enteritidis that has sickened hundreds of people across the United States has led to a recall of eggs in their shell (or shell eggs). Working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state public-health partners, the United States Food and Drug Administration reviewed epidemiologic and environmental investigation documents and identified three best-case clusters of salmonella enteritidis illnesses. Tracebacks revealed Wright County Egg in Iowa as the common shell-egg supplier in these clusters.

On August 13, Wright County Egg voluntarily conducted a nationwide recall of shell eggs on three of its five farms. Further epidemiologic and traceback information led to Wright County Egg expanding its recall on August 18 to cover all five farms and 380 million eggs, according to company figures.

Healthy persons infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhoea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

Source: US Food and Drug Administration

Seven Seas immune builder

For health freaks interested in boosting immune strength, Seven Seas has produced a new product, Haliborange Immune PLUS. The new high-potency vitamin C effervescent also contains zinc, echinacea and B vitamins which can help provide extra support and protection to the immune system when it is most needed. The product will also boost energy levels, according to a release from Seven Seas.

Seven Seas is recommending the product at this time when there is increased vacation and business travel.

A recent study published in the Journal of Environmental Health Research says you may be 100 times more likely to catch a cold on a plane than in normal life. Part of the risk is linked to increased stress that travelling places on the body. Even if you are going on vacation, travelling can be stressful - from the couple who block the moving walkway in the airport, the person who reclines their seat in front of you to the child who insists on kicking the back of your seat for the duration of the flight, according to the Seven Seas release.

Source: Seven Seas