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Marijuana Industry’s Fate In D.E.A. Hands

June 25, 2016 By Sebastian Mc’Mannen Leave a Comment

Medicinal Marijuana Could be DEA Approved in the following weeks

Medical Marijuana has been legal in California for 20 years.

STATES CHRONICLE – $3.1 billion is what the United States would earn in 2016 from sales tax revenue if medical marijuana would be legalized nationwide. Revenue comes from much more than sales taxes, it also comes from licensing fees. Medical marijuana growers, processors, businesses all require permits.

As of now, medical marijuana sales for 2016 will be estimated to sum up close to $6.7 billion. In 2020, this number will go higher than $22 billion. In less than five years, if nothing changes in the world of medical marijuana, sales will triple.

If it were legalized, the economic boom would be exponentially proportionate. The marijuana industry has one of the highest growth potentials in the history of the United States. So why is marijuana not legalized?

Marijuana is not legalized because the federal government still regards it as a schedule 1 drug. A schedule 1 drug is considered to have no beneficial medical qualities. It is also deemed illicit.

Schedule 1 drugs also imply some nasty tax implications, as all business need to pay taxes on gross profits and not net profits.

And if that in itself does not stop any would-be cannabis entrepreneurs in their tracks, banking systems are also not allowed to work well with schedule 1 drugs. Business owners are not allowed to handle their economics through banking, due to cannabis being illicit.

Businesses have the highest difficulty in making and receiving payments in cash invariably. It requires additional accounting, supervising, and security. Also, without the aid of banking transactions, other businesses might find it too much of a hassle to cooperate.

In order to legally demonstrate that cannabis does, in fact, have beneficial medicinal qualities, researchers have been on the case. Currently, several studies prove cannabis can help with reducing the frequency of epilepsy seizures. Cannabis is also being shown to be beneficial, in a medical way, to people suffering from type 2 diabetes, ulcerative colitis, cancer, and those are just the afflictions most people know.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants marijuana to be rescheduled, and the Drug Enforcement Agency now finds itself in the position where they need to make a decision. In the couple of weeks to follow, the DEA will either keep marijuana as a schedule 1 drug, decide current medical research is relevant enough to move it, either to schedule 2 or anywhere else down to schedule 5.

The dream, of course, is that they unschedule it complete, in which case the United States has an overnight economic boom and everybody wanting to partake in legalized recreational marijuana can do so.

Image Courtesy of Pixabay.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: cannabis, dea, FDA, Health, industry, legalize, marijuana

The Artificial Sweetener Xylitol Deadly for Dogs

May 14, 2016 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

"artificial sweetener xylitol"

Artificial sweetener xylitol. Xylitol gum

STATES CHRONICLE – The artificial sweetener Xylitol, mostly found in chewing gum, sugarless candy, mouthwash, and toothpaste, has been found dangerous to dogs.

The FDA has just published a consumer update saying the consequence of your dog eating a pack of sugarless gum can be death.

Apparently sugarless gum can contain xylitol or sugar alcohol, an artificial sweetener safe for human digestion, but not for pets.

Martine Hartogensis, a veterinary doctor at the FDA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Veterinary Medicine says they have received over the past years several reports of xylitol poisoned dogs – many of them related particularly to chewing gum.

Xylitol can also be found in chocolate bars, mints, cough syrup, chewable vitamins and much more products specifically because of its sugar-free, low calories properties.

Exactly how is this artificial sweetener harming our beloved pets? It turns out the release of insulin from the pancreas controls the levels of sugar in the blood, both in humans and dogs. For humans, xylitol doesn’t stimulate insulin release, but for dogs, it’s another story.

For dogs, the artificial sweetener Xylitol is rapidly absorbed, and this quick insulin release determines hypoglycemia – a low level of blood sugar. This condition may be life-threatening to canines and lead to death if not properly treated, says Hartogensis.

A xylitol poisoned dog might vomit and present weakness, incoordination, staggering or even collapse and seizures. It is advised to take immediately the animals showing these symptoms to the local vet or an emergency animal hospital.

The animal might need to be monitored because the effects in some cases may not occur for up to half a day or 24 hours.

Cases of cats being poisoned with xylitol have not yet been documented, but they might be out of danger giving their known disdain for the sugary stuff.

To prevent poisoning your dogs, the FDA advises keeping products containing xylitol as far as you can from your pet and “remember that some dogs are adept at counter surfing.”

Use toothpaste for pets, never human toothpaste and check the label of the nut butter or chewing gum for the xylitol ingredient.

Veterinarians have actually been trying to warn people of the artificial sweetener Xylitol poisonings even before this recent FDA release.

Image courtesy of Kyle Lam

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: artificial sweetener xylitol, artificial sweeteners and dogs, Center for Veterinary Medicine, chewing gum, dog hypoglycemia, dogs poisoned by chewing gum, FDA, human food poisoned dogs, poisoned dogs, poisonous chewing gum for dogs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, vomiting dogs, xylitol, xylitol chewing gum

Special Infant Formulas Have No Effect on Allergies

March 9, 2016 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

"hydrolyzed formula allergies"

Hydrolyzed formulas might not protect against allergies after all

STATES CHRONICLE – Products get verified and have to pass many tests and meet many requirements, but there are still many labels out there that try to trick us. Some of them don’t mention the risks of consuming that said product, and others boast having effects they don’t actually have.

Such products can often be dangerous, and when it comes to the ones directed at children, the problem becomes even more concerning. There are several infant formulas claiming they protect kids from autoimmune disorders such as allergies, asthma or type 1 diabetes.

Learning that these formulas could protect their infant, many parents turn to them as alternatives. However, the latest research shows the “hydrolyzed” formulas don’t really have a protective role.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers at the Imperial College London. Despite the belief that hydrolyzed formula should be consumed by infants with a family history of allergies, the scientists didn’t manage to find the benefits of such formulas.

In other words, although the FDA approves of hydrolyzed formulas, it appears that data supporting these formulas is inconclusive and not compelling. And the FDA is not the only organization supporting these types of formula, but also agencies in Europe and Australia share their view.

In order to see whether hydrolyzed formulas work or not, the researchers put together data from 37 studies which included over 19,000 subjects. The studies were conducted from 1946 to 2015. It turned out that the infants fed with hydrolyzed milk did not show a lower risk of allergies, asthma or type 1 diabetes in comparison with the infants who consumes standard formula or human breast milk.

Since it appears that hydrolyzed cow milk does not fulfill its supposed role of protection against allergies and autoimmune disorders, it is recommended that both scientists and the FDA revisit the guidelines which made them support this type of formula in the past.

However, the formulas showed no side-effects, so they can be safely used in the future, except parents shouldn’t expect their children to be protected from allergies.

All in all, no matter how good formulas can be and how much they can offer, they will never compare to the advantages that breast milk brings. Therefore, mothers should take into consideration breastfeeding and that for as long as possible.

Image source:www.bing.com

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: allergies, asthma, autoimmune, breast milk, Diabetes, FDA, formula, hydrolyzed formula, infants, Parents

Medical Testing Devices Need Thorough Lab Tests, FDA States

July 31, 2014 By Troy Rubenson Leave a Comment

Regulations in the medical field are generally tougher than in most other areas. For example, Xultophy, a new drug which will control blood sugar much better, will probably be available in more than one year, because of extensive trials.

When we take the results provided by medical testing devices to presume help us get healthy. One of the crucial stages of developing medical testing devices and release them on the market is the laboratory testing. But are the companies doing enough to provide products which only improve patients’ health? Are the lab tests designed safe enough to avoid future harm? The FDA is not sure they do. This is why the regulators released an announcement on Thursday by which they reinforce their goal ensuring only accurate, consistent and reliable results will back medical diagnostics.

“Ensuring that doctors and patients have access to safe, accurate and reliable diagnostic tests to help guide treatment decisions is a priority for the FDA,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “Inaccurate test results could cause patients to seek unnecessary treatment or delay and sometimes forgo treatment altogether. Today’s action demonstrates the agency’s commitment to personalized medicine, which depends on accurate and reliable tests to get the right treatment to the right patient.”

Medical testing devices must be produced under stricter regulation

Of course, companies producing medical testing devices are not keen on the announcement. They usually argue that more regulation stifles innovation and lengthens the product development process. The FDA is aware of this and said it will introduce the regulations in a wide timeframe to allow industry adjustment, the Washington Post notes. There is one exemption to the new set of directives. Medical testing devices used to diagnose rare diseases will be exempted from the new set of regulations, if the rules render the development costs unsustainable.

Medical testing devices will pass more extensive lab tests prior to market release

FDA noticed some problems in the recent past with medical testing devices released on the market. The breast cancer risk test taken with a device produced by Myriad Genetics, produced some legal concerns over patent issues last year. The problem is that some medical testing devices go through extensive lab testing, while others do not. So to level the field, the FDA wants to impose regulations so the market will only have thoroughly tested medical machines. In the same time, companies will not think about skipping or skimming the lab test to cut costs. The patients will only gain from such a measure on the long run.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: FDA, lab tests, medical devices, regulation

Medication for teething babies can harm them, FDA states

June 27, 2014 By Deborah Cobing Leave a Comment

As a parent it is very tempting to try to diminish your infant’s pain at any cost, but the FDA announced today that lidocaine is dangerous for teething babies. The local anesthetic called viscous lidocaine must not be used to treat infants younger than two years old, without a strict medical indication. Best is to avoid at all medication for teething babies as long as the teething process goes normal.

The viscous lidocaine is usually administered to chemotherapy patients who often suffer from associated mouth ulcers. The numbing gel has been given to babies has produced incidents in 22 cases involving children under the age of three and a half. The FDA decided to require warning labels on all viscous lidocaine products confining the application of the drug to toddlers. Michael Cohen, President of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, warned that viscous lidocaine can produce swallowing difficulties and even chocking, besides affections to the heart and nervous system.

Other over-the-counter drugs are included in the warning: Anbesol, Hurricaine, Orajel, Baby Orajel, and Orabase. Although it is a low probability, the contained benzocaine can lead to methemoglobinemia, a fatal condition involving the alteration of oxygen in the blood stream. While trying to provide medication for teething babies without proper medical indication, there is a high risk of hurting them.

Avoiding medication for teething babies

Babies grow teeth and is a normal process. Some of the symptoms are low-fever, mild irritability and the urge to chew hard materials. According to Ethan Hausman, M.D, “FDA does not recommend any sort of drug, herbal or homeopathic medication or therapy for teething children“. Infants might show signs of pain during the teething process, so for well-intended parents, the FDA recommends the following actions:

The FDA warning regarding medication for teething babies

– “gently rub or massage the gums with your finger, and

– give your child a cool teething ring or a clean, wet, cool washcloth to chew on.”

It’s as simple as that. Well, it is so as you keep the infant under the regular supervision. Viscous lidocaine, even if it is available in the household from other family members, is too strong for infants’ organisms and should be used in their case only under strict medical supervision. Administering medication for teething babies should be avoided, if no specific medical indication, especially for lidocaine and benzocaine based drugs. Be a good friend and warn the other parents you know as well!

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: Drugs, FDA, medication for babies, medication for infants, teething babies

Electronic Cigarette Smoking Among Teens Rising In US: Study

September 6, 2013 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Amid the US government leaving no stone unturned to check use of electronic cigarettes among teenagers, a government study indicates a sharp rise in the use of these modern cigarettes by the adolescents.

The trend tends to be troubling, public-health authorities stressed.

Notably, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is mulling over proposing a policy to regulate these battery-powered devices, which turn nicotine-laced liquid into vapor and represent a small but fast-growing alternative to traditional cigarettes. The proposals for regulations for e-cigarettes are likely to arrive by next month. The findings may influence the FDA decision heavily.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of high-school students who have tried an e-cigarette rose to 10% in 2012 from 4.7% in 2011. Some 2.7 percent of middle school students surveyed had used e-cigarettes in 2012, up from 1.4 percent in 2011. Last year, nearly 1.8 million middle and high school students nationwide tried e-cigarettes, the report said.

o-TEENAGER-BUYING-TOBACCO-570

Since 2010, more than two dozen states have moved to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors amid an absence of federal oversight.  The twelve states that have laws preventing e-cigarette sales to minors includes- California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin. New York banned e-cigarette smoking within 100 feet of an entrance to a public or private school.

Meanwhile, federal rules already prohibit the sale of traditional tobacco products such as regular cigarettes to anyone under 18.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: Electronic Cigarette, FDA, Smoking, tobacco

Electronic Cigarettes – How Healthier are the Modern E-Cigarettes?

August 13, 2013 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

Electronic cigarettes that are considered as a good way to quit smoking or a better and healthy alternative to traditional cigarettes, are raising concerns among the researchers as they are finding health woes related to it.

How far these e-cigarettes healthy is a matter that needs to be addressed. There’s a little research on how safe they are and their efficiency on kicking the smoking habit is also doubtable.

A survey says more people are giving e-cigarettes a try every day. About one in five adult cigarette smokers in the US had tried electronic cigarettes in 2011, nearly twice as many as in 2010. Sales reached nearly USD 500 million in 2012 and are expected to double to USD 1 billion this year. An estimated 43.8 million people, or 19 percent of adults, in the United States smoke cigarettes.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., accounting for more than 440,000 deaths annually.

The tobacco market has also seen a remarkable increase over the years. R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. launched its Vuse electronic cigarette this summer in Colorado. Altria Group Inc., parent company of the nation’s largest cigarette maker, Philip Morris USA, is also going to make debut in the sector with its product, MarkTen, in Indiana.

VAPOR BAR

What is E-Cigarette?

Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes are a smoke-free alternative to the traditional paper cigarette. It is comprised of a liquid cartridge attached to a white cylinder containing a battery. The liquid is a mixture of propylene glycol (a common chemical used in many in food products), vegetable glycerin, flavoring and nicotine. The battery heats the liquid into a vapor that the user inhales. Instead of the tradition term ‘smoking’, having e-cigarettes is called “vaping.”

E- cigarettes range from around USD 10 to as much as USD 70 depending upon the manufacturers. Although prices of the complete set of electronic cigarettes vary, pre-filled liquid cartridges usually cost a few dollars. , These cartridges usually last about as long as a pack of regular cigarettes. Flavoured e-liquid are also available for the vaping lovers at a price ranging from a few dollars to more than USD 10 depending on size.

Electronic Cigarettes Health Concerns

So far, no sincere research has been carried to trace the health effects of inhaling a nicotine-laced vapour. There’s a lot scientists still don’t know about these modernized method of smoking. These includes the actual chemical exposure that users receive compared with traditional smokers’ intake; the way vaporized nicotine is absorbed by the body; and the effects of secondhand vapour.

The e-liquids themselves are not required to meet any federal standards, although the FDA is expected to exercise its regulatory authority over the products later this year. For now, e-cigarettes are in a gray area and are not regulated as tobacco products or medical devices, even though they share similarities with both product categories.

Approval by the FDA means that a nicotine product, such as a patch or gum, has met standards of safety and effectiveness, said

Dr. Anne Joseph, a tobacco researcher at the University of Minnesota. Joseph adds that electronic cigarettes may not be all bad for current tobacco users, with a couple of important caveats: Nonsmokers shouldn’t start, and e-cigarette consumers should use them only with the goal of quitting.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: E-cigarettes, Electronic cigarettes, FDA, quit smoking

Rapid HIV Test gets Nod by FDA to Battle Against AIDS

August 12, 2013 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

The first rapid test for HIV that detects viral antigens as well as antibodies to the virus has received green signal from Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The pioneering rapid HIV test has the ability to simultaneously detect HIV-1 p24 antigen as well as antibodies to both HIV Type 1 and Type 2. This will help in earlier detection of HIV infection that is possible with purely serological tests, according to the FDA.

“This test helps diagnose HIV infection at an earlier time in outreach settings, allowing individuals to seek medical care at an early stage,” the FDA statement reads.

hiv-aids_3

The test is a remarkable development in the medical field as earlier diagnosis of these deadly viruses may also help to reduce additional HIV transmission. The advantages of this test have huge implications for combating AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and other underdeveloped areas of the world.

The test may be used with serum, plasma, or venous or fingerstick whole blood samples and can be used in remote locations “to identify HIV-infected individuals who might not be able to be tested in traditional health care settings,” the statement reads.

By detecting a viral antigen along with anti-HIV antibodies, the test can distinguish new from established HIV-1 infections, the FDA noted.

The FDA cautioned that the test does not distinguish between antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2, and that it is not suitable for screening potential blood donors.

HIV infection further leads to deadly disease called AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) which damages natural defense mechanisms of the human body by destroying CD4+ T cells. It is a type of white blood cell which helps the body fight diseases.

The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year around 50,000 people are infected with HIV in the US.

 

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: AIDS, FDA, HIV, HIV test

FDA: Sterile Products by Specialty Compounding Should be Avoided by Pharmacy

August 12, 2013 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

The complete of sterile products by Specialty Compounding Inc is recalled by the company itself, quoting major concerns regarding bacterial infection to blood streams. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) followed the statement and further publicized it with their own press release to increase the reach of the statement mire widely.

The statement, firstly, is released directly by the manufacturer company’s panel concerning the health objectives of the patients. The statement further cited that the products bought after May 9 should not put into use. The products are suspicious of carrying a contagious disease and should be returned immediate without further delay.

Sterile Products that are being recalled by Specialty Compounding Inc were distributed to patients at almost all US states except the hospitals and pharmacy located in Texas and North Carolina. The press release by FDA also describes the infections developed on patients using this sterile range of products by Specialty Compounding.

FDA pharmacy

Specialty Compounding accounts for making the specialty range of products that are employed for injecting personalized drugs for patients and their contamination may cause immediate health hazards to patients using such products. Compounding pharmacies were checked after fungal infections that killed 63 people in Massachucetts, last year.

Further notifications are also forwarded to every patient by the means of telephonic calls, fax and e-mails. All the users are asked for immediate discontinuation of these products and return them to Specialty Compounding.

In case you are experiencing any problem after use of any concerned product, you can immediately report the reaction to FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online by the means by fax or mail.

Usage of these products can develop a highly deplorable risk for the patients”, said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

More details are available Specialty Compounding Numbers 512-219-0724, Monday to Friday, between 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: FDA, Pharmacy, Specialty Compounding

Acetaminophen Side Effects include Skin Disorders, Reports FDA

August 3, 2013 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

Acetaminophen, a drug which comes under anti inflammatory and analgesic category has come under the scanner of FDA, the United States Food and Drug Administration.

FDA has issued a new warning that patients who have been using acetaminophen for a reasonable period might experience minor or serious skin disorders.  FDA has advised all the patients who have been using this anti inflammatory drug to stop taking the drug if they experience any symptoms of skin reactions.

acetaminophen_warning

The deputy director of FDA’s Division of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Addiction Sharon Hertz, M.D said ‘’This new information is not intended to worry consumers or health care professionals, nor is it meant to encourage them to choose other medications.”

He was also seen quoting “However, it is extremely important that people recognize and react quickly to the initial symptoms of these rare but serious, side effects, which are potentially fatal.”

“A search of FAERS uncovered 107 cases from 1969 to 2012, resulting in 67 hospitalizations and 12 deaths. Most cases involved single-ingredient acetaminophen products; the cases were categorized as either probable or possible cases associated with acetaminophen.”

Interestingly, the drug acetaminophen is also taken by many students who would like to stay awake during nights for the purpose of studies, especially during exams. There were also reports that the drug acetaminophen was having link to serious liver disorders as well.

Diseases like Stevens – Johnson Syndrome (SJS), Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) were already reported in individuals who were on acetaminophen for a long period of time. The early symptoms of such disorders are dark colored urine, pale stools, yellowish discoloration of the skin, itchiness, etc.

So those who were on acetaminophen and are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned are strongly advised to get their liver tests done.

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Acetaminophen, FDA, Skin Disorders

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