News by Wendi Lewis

FMCSA stops short of Chantix ban

Following the release of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration () public health advisory on Chantix in May, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration all but outright banned the use of Chantix for commercial drivers.

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Doctors support drug safety litigation

Attorneys who take on the pharmaceutical industry as a voice for consumers injured by medications found an unlikely ally this week, in doctors. Noting that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration is often “overwhelmed” by drug safety problems ranging from serious to unsafe manufacturing facilities, editors of the New England Journal of Medicine said patients benefit from information uncovered by attorneys during liability investigations, according to an Associated Press report released Friday.

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Military pharmacy pulls Chantix

According to a report in today’s Stars & Stripes, a daily newspaper published for the U.S. military, Department of Defense (DoD) civilians, contractors and their families, the anti-smoking medication Chantix (varenicline) has been pulled from at least one military pharmacy following reports of serious adverse reactions.

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More than 3,000 side effect reports

According to an article published by Bloomberg news service, a recent review of voluntary adverse event reports associated with Pfizer’s stop-smoking drug Chantix reveals more than 3,000 reports of serious in the U.S. alone. Among problems cited by the nonprofit Institute for Safe Medication Practices, which conducted the study, are , heart trouble and aggression.

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Charge dropped due to Chantix use

A man who disrupted a Thanksgiving Day flight and forced an emergency landing has been let off the hook for federal charges after a judge determined the man was emotionally disturbed as a result of taking the stop-smoking drug Chantix, according to an Associated Press report. The man, Andrew James Smith, 25, of California, was prescribed the drug a few weeks before the flight.

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Dark side of Chantix comes to light

Once hailed as a miracle drug for helping people to stop smoking, Pfizer’s Chantix has recently raised concerns as reports surface that it may have a disturbing side effect – suicidal thoughts and actions. A report in the New Jersey Star-Ledger notes that the is investigating reports of a number of serious psychological . In additon to suicidal actions, reports include agitation and depression.

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