Content about Maryland

February 11, 2011
Makena receives FDA approval

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug for preventing preterm births.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug for preventing preterm births.

The agency announced Friday the approval of Baxter Pharmaceutical Solutions’ Makena (hydroxyprogesterone caproate) injection, for reducing the risk of preterm delivery before 37 weeks of pregnancy in pregnant women with a history of at least one spontaneous preterm birth.

February 10, 2011
FDA reconsiders safety of OSP use for bowel cleansing as an OTC indication

The Food and Drug Administration will propose an amendment to the over-the-counter laxative monograph that sodium phosphate salts are not generally recognized as safe for bowel cleansing.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration will propose an amendment to the over-the-counter laxative monograph that sodium phosphate salts are not generally recognized as safe for bowel cleansing.

A request for public comments will be published in Friday’s Federal Register.

February 10, 2011
Probiotics have a home at Wegmans

Wegmans hosts a bevy of natural solutions (gluten-free foods, supplements and homeopathic solutions) just outside the grocer’s produce department, including this refrigerated unit replete with probiotics and flax-seed oil supplements.

HUNT VALLEY, Md. — Wegmans hosts a bevy of natural solutions (gluten-free foods, supplements and homeopathic solutions) just outside the grocer’s produce department, including this refrigerated unit replete with probiotics and flax-seed oil supplements.

Probiotics contain live bacteria cultures that can die if exposed to too much heat. Beyond probiotics, many liquid supplements need to be refrigerated to prevent spoiling.

February 9, 2011
Wegmans highlights nature with clothing

Located within Wegmans' “Nature’s Marketplace” is this 16-ft. aisle of good-for-you clothing (made from hemp, organic cotton, bamboo and/or soy), including the nearby array of yoga products from Gaiam in the background.

LANHAM, Md. — Located within Wegmans’ “Nature’s Marketplace” is this 16-ft. aisle of good-for-you clothing (made from hemp, organic cotton, bamboo and/or soy), including the nearby array of yoga products from Gaiam in the background.

February 7, 2011
Wegmans customers increase hunger relief donations in 2010

Wegmans last week announced that its customers boosted hunger relief donations by 12% during the company's 2010 checkout campaign.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Wegmans last week announced that its customers boosted hunger relief donations by 12% during the company's 2010 checkout campaign.

Hunger relief contributions at 20 Wegmans stores in New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and eastern Pennsylvania totaled $692,756, a 12% increase above the previous record total raised in 2009.

Wegmans also said that customers in Wegmans’ 22 Rochester, N.Y.-area stores generously contributed in a fall 2010 campaign held earlier in the season, raising $688,214, with all proceeds going to Foodlink in Rochester.

February 4, 2011
Are you ready for some football?

There’s no mistaking the emphasis of this Pepsi display here at a Shoppers (a Supervalu banner) located between Baltimore and Washington in the week leading up to the National Football League’s main event.

LAUREL, Md. — There’s no mistaking the emphasis of this Pepsi display here at a Shoppers (a Supervalu banner) located between Baltimore and Washington in the week leading up to the National Football League’s main event. 

The eye-catching soda wall is conveniently located opposite the salty snacks display, making chips, dip and soda all an easy grab for the Super Bowl partygoer.

February 1, 2011
Survey: Tech helps relieve care burden on sandwich boomers

BETHESDA, Md. — It’s technology, and lots of it, that will be relieving the burden of caregiving for today’s sandwich generation — those baby boomers faced with caring for their senior parents while at the same time managing a teenager at home.


A new survey released last month by the National Alliance for Caregiving and UnitedHealthcare found that more than two-thirds of family caregivers are interested in technology to help them with caregiving.


January 31, 2011
Influenza widespread across 25 states

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday updated the nation’s influenza status.

ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday updated the nation’s influenza status. Nine states are reporting high influenza-like activity (a metric that captures the severity of a flu outbreak) and 25 states are reporting widespread activity (a metric that captures the estimated level of spread of influenza activity through state and territorial epidemiologists reports.)

January 31, 2011
Shopping for blood-glucose meters made easy

Comparison shopping across blood-glucose meters couldn’t be easier than at Walgreens.

LUTHERVILLE, Md. — Comparison shopping across blood-glucose meters couldn’t be easier than at Walgreens. 

Pictured here at a store just outside of Baltimore, customers can hold and feel the individual monitors and review individual bullet points as part of this pull-box display. Located just outside the pharmacy waiting area, the display also is ideal for quick and easy pharmacist recommendations.

January 31, 2011
Welmedix’s First Degree taps into burn cream market

Welmedix’s First Degree therapeutic burn cream provides a unique solution for minor burns that the company suggests is an unmet need at retail.

LUTHERVILLE, Md. — Welmedix’s First Degree therapeutic burn cream, pictured here, provides a unique solution for minor burns that the company suggests is an unmet need at retail.

Sold almost exclusively through Walgreens for the past year, the burn cream is beginning to expand distribution through such grocers as Pathmark and Food City, as well as regional pharmacy operators Kinney Drugs and Kerr Drug.

 

January 27, 2011
FDA reports possible link between breast implants, rare cancer

The safety of silicone breast implants has long been a subject of controversy, but a review by the Food and Drug Administration indicated another possible health risk.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The safety of silicone breast implants has long been a subject of controversy, but a review by the Food and Drug Administration indicated another possible health risk.

The FDA said Thursday that it had found a possible association between saline and silicone gel-filled breast implants and a rare cancer called anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, and that patients with implants may have a “very small but significant” risk of ALCL in the scar capsule adjacent to the implant.

January 24, 2011
Viibryd gets FDA approval

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for treating major depressive disorder, the agency said Friday.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for treating major depressive disorder, the agency said Friday.

The FDA announced the approval of Viibryd (vilazodone hydrochloride), made by New Haven, Conn.-based PGxHealth.

January 19, 2011
Government obtains permanent injunction against Deltex

A permanent injunction was granted to the federal government Tuesday against a contract manufacturer and distributor of prescription and over-the-counter products, as well as two of its executives.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — A permanent injunction was granted to the federal government Tuesday against a contract manufacturer and distributor of prescription and over-the-counter products, as well as two of its executives.

January 18, 2011
FDA OKs Natroba

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for head lice, the agency said Tuesday.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for head lice, the agency said Tuesday.

The FDA approved Natroba (spinosad) topical suspension, made by ParaPro, a privately owned drug company based in Carmel, Ind. The drug is used to treat head lice infestation in patients ages 4 years and older.

January 18, 2011
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy names senior associate dean

William Cooper has been promoted to senior associate dean of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, the school announced Tuesday.

BALTIMORE — William Cooper has been promoted to senior associate dean of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, the school announced Tuesday.

Cooper, who has worked at the school since 1999, will continue his duties of general administration and overseeing its $50 million budget, human resources, information technology, multimedia and facilities, and also will oversee entrepreneurial activities while helping bring new resources into the school.

January 14, 2011
FDA warns consumers of liver injury risk when taking Multaq

The Food and Drug Administration and drug maker Sanofi-Aventis are warning healthcare professionals and patients about the possibility of severe liver injury in patients taking a Sanofi heart drug.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration and drug maker Sanofi-Aventis are warning healthcare professionals and patients about the possibility of severe liver injury in patients taking a Sanofi heart drug.

January 13, 2011
FDA limits amount of acetaminophen in prescription drugs

The Food and Drug Administration is capping the amount of the painkiller acetaminophen in prescription drugs due to the risk of liver toxicity, the agency said Thursday.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration is capping the amount of the painkiller acetaminophen in prescription drugs due to the risk of liver toxicity, the agency said Thursday.

January 10, 2011
Abstral OKed as breakthrough pain treatment for cancer patients

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for treating pain in cancer patients, the agency said Friday.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for treating pain in cancer patients, the agency said Friday.

The FDA announced the approval of ProStrakan’s Abstral (fentanyl) transmucosal tablets for the management of pain that appears suddenly for short periods and is not alleviated by a patient’s normal pain-management plan, also known as breakthrough pain. The tablets are designed for administration on the soft surfaces of the mouth, including inside the cheek, gums and tongue, as well as the nasal passages or the throat.

January 7, 2011
FDA on lookout for tobacco violations in Mississippi

Nearly 500 retailers in Mississippi had to submit to Food and Drug Administration inspections concerning alleged tobacco sales to minors, the FDA said Friday.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Nearly 500 retailers in Mississippi had to submit to Food and Drug Administration inspections concerning alleged tobacco sales to minors, the FDA said Friday.

The FDA said it visited 493 retailers and issued 25 warning letters over the last three months using state inspectors the agency had commissioned. Mississippi was the first state to participate in the FDA’s State Enforcement Program, which started in the summer and is designed to enforce provisions of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 and implement regulations.

January 7, 2011
Giant Food recaps 2010 hunger-relief efforts

Giant Food this week said that over the course of 2010, the supermarket chain donated more than 2.4 million lbs. of food to local hunger-relief organizations.

LANDOVER, Md. — Giant Food this week said that over the course of 2010, the supermarket chain donated more than 2.4 million lbs. of food to local hunger-relief organizations.

The chain said that its support for area food banks will continue throughout 2011 as it celebrates 75 years in the Washington metropolitan region.

January 7, 2011
Warning issued to consumers over extortionists posing as FDA agents, federal officials

International criminals are posing as Food and Drug Administration special agents and other law enforcement officers in order to extort money from consumers, the FDA warned Friday.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — International criminals are posing as Food and Drug Administration special agents and other law enforcement officers in order to extort money from consumers, the FDA warned Friday.

January 5, 2011
FDA to require 'substantially equivalent' reviews of new tobacco products

Certain tobacco products introduced to the market or changed after Feb. 15, 2007, are subject to enhanced scrutiny by the Food and Drug Administration, the agency said Wednesday.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Certain tobacco products introduced to the market or changed after Feb. 15, 2007, are subject to enhanced scrutiny by the Food and Drug Administration, the agency said Wednesday.

January 5, 2011
Report: Sharfstein to leave FDA

Food and Drug Administration principal deputy commissioner Joshua Sharfstein will leave the agency to become head of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, according to published reports.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Food and Drug Administration principal deputy commissioner Joshua Sharfstein will leave the agency to become head of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, according to published reports.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Sharfstein, the FDA’s top official after commissioner Margaret Hamburg, had received an invitation to head the state health department from Gov. Martin O’Malley.

Before assuming his position at the FDA, Sharfstein served as head of the Baltimore City Health Department.

January 5, 2011
Students make strides in adherence among elderly

BALTIMORE — If the government paid for drug cost incentives for Medicare patients with congestive heart failure, the program could recoup those costs and more by spending less on expensive hospitalizations for patients. 


That finding was one of several to emerge from research conducted by pharmacy students at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. The four students presented their findings on elderly drug adherence at the annual meeting of the Gerontology Society of America in New Orleans.

January 3, 2011
FDA announces recall of two adulterated drugs available online

The Food and Drug Administration last week prompted the recall of two more products sold as supplements but adulterated with prescription medicines.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration last week prompted the recall of two more products sold as supplements but adulterated with prescription medicines.

Drive Total Energy, headquartered in San Diego, recalled its Rock Hard Extreme and Passion Coffee dietary supplements. The FDA found that the products contained sulfoaildenafil, an analogue of sildenafil that is an FDA-approved drug used in the treatment of male erectile dysfunction.