Generic Drug Problems
Generic drugs are supposed to be identical to their brand-name counterparts, but many people report problems with generic drug quality. Share your own story.
Can You Manage Your Blood Sugar Naturally?
Metformin is a first-line medication for people with type 2 diabetes. Although doctors also prescribe it for different disorders, from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) to prostate cancer, the majori…
Several Metformin Diabetes Drugs Contaminated wi…
Metformin (Glucophage) is one of the most prescribed drugs in the United States. According to our calculations, it is #5 on the list of top 100 pharmaceuticals dispensed in America. That means that me…
Can You Prepare for Drug Shortages Resulting fro…
On February 18, 2020, we wrote an article titled: “Will There be Drug Shortages Resulting from the Coronavirus?” Is there a possibility of worldwide drug shortages? China makes key ingredients for…
COVID-19 Forces FDA to Stop Inspections in China
The Food and Drug Administration has announced that it has stopped inspections in China of drug manufacturing facilities because of the COVID-19 epidemic. The FDA is, however, monitoring the drug supp…
Wellbutrin XL Antidepressant Is Affordable in Ca…
Several years ago we shook up the Food and Drug Administration when we complained about a generic form of the Wellbutrin XL antidepressant. We had received hundreds of complaints about a branded gener…
Importing Medicine from Canada Is Illegal but Is…
Politicians of every stripe complain about the high cost of prescription drugs. So far, though, all they do is talk. Nothing has been done to help patients deal with skyrocketing drug costs. The admin…
Generic Antibiotic Doxycycline Did Not Work!
For decades, most of the medicines Americans took were made in the U.S. That was true for brand-name drugs as well as generics. Over the last decade or two, though, drug companies realized that they c…
Breaking Health News | Metformin and Nitrosamine…
Not again! Another nitrosamine scare has just been announced for one of the most popular drugs in the pharmacy. Metformin is the number one most prescribed diabetes drugs in the U.S., if not in the wo…
FDA Embraces Generic Drugs from India Despite Qu…
2019 has been a year of many drug recalls because of concerns about quality and safety. The FDA announced a number of recalls involving blood pressure pills called ARBs. Angiotensin receptor blockers …
Pharmacists Are Worried About Foreign Drug Probl…
Pharmacists have been caught in a terrible double bind. On the one hand they want to dispense safe and effective pharmaceuticals. On the other hand, they have had to contend with unprecedented recalls…
How Can You Tell if Your Drug Is Recalled?
If you buy a can of tomatoes or infant formula, you will find a Lot Number and a Use By/Expiration Date. This allows you to instantly identify a product that might have a problem. Supermarkets scan pr…
Another BP Nitrosamine Drug Recall and Zantac (R…
Are you getting drug contamination fatigue? We would not blame you. There is a new blood pressure nitrosamine drug recall. This time it is from Torrent Pharmaceutical Limited of Ahmedabad, India. The …
Has the FDA Not Approved Armour Thyroid?
Levothyroxine, a synthetic version of the thyroid hormone known as T4, is at or near the top of the list of most prescribed medications. Millions of Americans need to take this medication because thei…
Can You Overcome Trouble with Generic Antidepres…
Have you ever had trouble with generic antidepressants? We have heard from many readers who report difficulties in switching from brand-name to generic or between different generic medications. I…
How to Get Migraine Relief Without Spending a Fo…
Everyone who suffers from migraine headaches would like to know how to get migraine relief. For the past two and half decades, drug manufacturers have offered effective medications for these severe he…
Will New Epinephrine Shot Be More Affordable?
A few years ago, there was quite a fuss about high prices and shortages affecting EpiPen emergency allergy injections. This epinephrine shot is used to avert anaphylactic shock that can be life threat…
Why Are Pharmacists Silent about Generic Drug Qu…
10 Reasons Why Pharmacists Are Silent about Generic Drug Quality: Two recently published books (Katherine Eban’s Bottle of Lies and Rosemary Gibson’s China Rx) spell out in graphic detail the…
A New Carcinogen DMF Discovered in Valsartan BP …
And now there are FOUR potential carcinogens found in blood pressure medicines called ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers). For almost a year, Americans have faced repeated recalls of BP pills like ir…
Why Aren’t Docs Outraged by Inadequate Generic…
Doctors, pharmacists and nurses are directly responsible for patient care. They prescribe, dispense and oversee treatment. Why aren’t they more concerned about generic drug quality? We are confounde…
Generic Furosemide Disappoints | How to Afford L…
Ask any doctor about the importance of furosemide (Lasix) and you are likely to get an earful. The FDA approved this diuretic in 1966. It is considered an essential medicine by the World Health Organi…
Show 1169: What Are the Problems with Generic Dr…
You may not be aware that the vast majority of medications Americans take are generic drugs. This helps hold down the costs that patients have to pay, especially if you are taking one of the medicines…
Why Americans Don’t Trust the Pharmaceutical I…
Both brand name drug companies and generic drug manufacturers have earned the distrust of the American public. In just the last week we have learned about another lawsuit filed against some of the lea…
Generic Drugs Hammered | Are AUTHORIZED Generics…
This has been a very bad week for generic drug manufacturers and the FDA. Here are just a few of the stories that have made headlines. “A New Book Argues That Generic Drugs Are Poisoning Us” (New …
Show 1163: Should You Trust Your Prescription Dr…
Do you use mail order for your prescription drugs to get a better price? Many insurance companies strongly encourage people to order online from preferred sources so they can control how much they hav…
Another Week Another Losartan Recall | Will It E…
OK, we admit that we are beyond fed up. There have been so many blood pressure drug recalls since last July that we have totally lost count. It was only about a week ago that we wrote about a recall o…
Why Is This Pharmacist Complaining About Levothy…
Let’s get one thing straight. We are mad as hell about drug shortages. There is no question that important medicines have been in short supply for years and the FDA has done very little to help corr…
Will It Hurt to Switch Generic Levothyroxine?
Levothyroxine, or T4 thyroid hormone, is a very old medication. Scientists first extracted this compound from pig thyroid glands more than 100 years ago, but no drug maker marketed the synthetic form …
Generic Escitalopram (Lexapro) Bombs Out Against…
Escitalopram (Lexapro) is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor). That means it is a lot like fluoxetine (Prozac). We have lost confidence in the FDA’s ability monitor generic drug quality…
Another ARB Recall Translates into Bad BP Contro…
Yup, you guessed it. The FDA has issued another ARB recall. This time it is for losartan…again. On March 15, 2019 and again on March 19, 2019 the FDA announced that Legacy Pharmaceutical Packaging, …
Physicians Finally Fed Up With the FDA and ARB R…
Week after week, month after month, we have been learning about ARB recalls. These angiotensin receptor blockers have been taken by at least two million Americans to control blood pressure or treat he…
Why Is Your Prescription Drug Label A Disaster?
Do you remember the book, Catch-22, by Joseph Heller? Airmen in World War II were faced with a no-win situation. To be exempted from a suicidal bombing mission you had to plead insanity. But if you as…
Are Fears About FDA’s Generic Drug Oversight J…
A year-long investigation by Bloomberg News has revealed substantial concerns about the quality of generic drugs. The four-part series is mind-boggling in its revelations. Here are the first three art…
Critical Shortages Resulting from Recalled Valsa…
Over the last six months the FDA has announced numerous recalls of blood pressure medicines. You can read about them here on the FDA’s website. We wouldn’t blame you for zoning out. There have b…
Unbelievable! Yet Another Drug Recall | Amlodipi…
OK, we admit it, we're starting to sound like a cracked record when it comes to drug recalls. We apologize. It is really sad that we have to issue regular reports about FDA oversight and pharmaceutica…
Failing After Switching from Concerta to Generic…
We first began to suspect the quality of generic drugs nearly two decades ago. That's because a mother complained to us about a generic form of the brand name Ritalin aka methylphenidate. She knew her…
Another Day Another Losartan Recall | Can We Tru…
Are you becoming numb to FDA generic drug recalls? We wouldn't blame you if you were. The ARB debacle came to light on July 5, 2018. That's when the European Medicines Agency (EMA) started warning cou…
Generic Drug Companies Played Nice in the Sandbo…
A large antitrust suit against generic drug companies has been building for a few years. When we first heard about this situation in November, 2016, approximately a dozen generic firms were implicated…
Is Your Blood Pressure Medicine Safe? Valsartan …
The ongoing saga of contaminated valsartan continues with another valsartan recall. In July, European drug regulators recalled Chinese-made valsartan because it was contaminated with a probable carcin…
Chinese-Made Losartan Recall | More Cancer Conce…
No, no, no, no no! Not again!! Just last week we said "Not Again" when we learned that that some formulations of the blood pressure drug irbesartan were contaminated with the impurity NDEA (N-nitrosod…
Should You Worry About Mail-Order Prescriptions?
Many people are encouraged by their insurance company or their pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) to buy their medicines through the mail. They are told they will save money. Mail-order prescriptions are …