FDA notified healthcare professionals and patients that companies that manufacture and distribute pergolide have agreed to withdraw the drug from the market. Pergolide is a dopamine agonist (DA) used with levodopa and carbidopa to manage the signs and symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Results of two new studies showed that some patients with Parkinson's disease treated with pergolide had serious damage to their heart valves when compared to patients who did not receive the drug.

Inhaled corticosteroids used to treat asthma can cause a number of oropharyngeal adverse events, including candidiasis and dysphonia, US researchers report in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology for March.

The oropharyngeal side effects that arise with inhaled steroid use can affect adherence to these medications. However, these adverse events have received much less attention than the drugs' systemic side effects, note Dr. Gary S. Rachelefsky from UCLA School of Medicine, and colleagues

In agreement with European Regulatory Authorities, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is informing you of recent safety data concerning rosiglitazone-containing products, i.e., Avandia® (rosiglitazone maleate) Tablets, Avandamet® (rosiglitazone maleate and metformin hydrochloride) Tablets, and Avaglim® (rosiglitazone maleate and glimepiride) Tablets. The information could be summarized as follows:

Amgen notified the oncology medical community of the results of a large, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled study showing that Aranesp ® (Darbepoetin alfa) was ineffective in reducing red blood cell transfusions or fatigue in patients with cancer who have anemia that is not due to concurrent chemotherapy.

Takeda and FDA notified healthcare professionals of recent safety data concerning pioglitazone-containing products. The results of an analysis of the manufacturer's clinical trial database of pioglitazone showed more reports of fractures in female patients taking pioglitazone than those taking a comparator (either placebo or active). The majority of fractures observed in female patients were in the distal upper limb (forearm, hand and wrist) or distal lower limb (foot, ankle, fibula and tibia).

The Singapore Health Sciences Authority found Urat Madu capsules to be adulterated with the prescription drug sildenafil. Sildenafil citrate is indicated for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, and has been associated with serious adverse reactions. Sildenafil is not intended for self-care, and should only be taken under the guidance of a health care professional.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is launching a special Web page to warn consumers about the dangers of buying isotretinoin (Accutane) online. Isotretinoin is a drug approved for the treatment of severe recalcitrant nodular acne that does not respond to antibiotics. Improperly used, isotretinoin can cause severe side effects, including birth defects. Serious mental health problems have also been reported with isotretinoin use.

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Thursday called for new warnings and additional safety studies on anemia drugs commonly used to treat patients undergoing kidney dialysis or chemotherapy.

These medications have been the subject of controversy since some of their dangerous side effects -- including the risk of heart attacks and stroke -- came to light earlier this year. In March, the FDA issued stronger label warnings for the popular drugs.