Drugs

Ketek (telithromycin) is a ketolide antibiotic to enter clinical use. It is used to treat community acquired pneumonia of mild to moderate severity.

Ketolides are a developing type of antibiotic that are designed to be more potent and capable of working against resistant bacteria. They are targeted to improve upon traditionally marketed antibiotics and make up for some of their limitations.

Fosamax is an oral biphosphonate prescribed to millions of osteoporosis sufferers over the years. It is supposed to increase bone density by slowing down the body’s process of bone breakdown over time.

However, researchers have now found that this drug can actually cause bones to weaken and crumble.

Fenfluramine/Phentermine, commonly called Fen-Phen, is a powerful diet drug that was taken by millions of Americans to combat obesity.

However, clinical research showed that the fenfluramine portion of the combination can cause heart disease in otherwise healthy patients.

Studies concluded that this drug could cause potentially fatal pulmonary hypertension and heart valve problems, which led to its eventually being pulled from the market.

Letrozole is a drug approved for use only in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. But there is evidence some doctors have prescribed it as a fertility treatment because it suppresses estrogen and can promote ovulation. It is marketed under the name Femara.

The manufacturer of a breast cancer drug, letrozole, has warned fertility doctors that it has been associated with birth defects, a caution prompted by reports that the drug was being used to help a woman become pregnant.

Ephedra is an herbal stimulant that was used as a dietary supplement for both weight loss and athletic performance enhancement. However, it was linked to heart attacks, strokes and other health problems, which ultimately led to its ban by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Products containing ephedra and ephedra extract, also known as ma-huang, were widely promoted for losing weight and enhancing physical performance, with its popularity peaking in the early 2000s.

Enteryx is an injection used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD is a chronic digestive disease where stomach acid flows back into the esophagus irritating its lining.

Enteryx is injected as a liquid that solidifies into a spongy material that cannot be removed. When it is injected properly, it strengthens the lower esophagus, helping prevent stomach acid from entering it and causing pain.

Antidepressant drugs such as Effexor (venlafaxine) have been shown to increase the chance of suicidal thoughts and attempts in adults under age 25, while reducing the risk among older adults. Effexor is licensed for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder and social phobia.

Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis is painful and troublesome form of skin inflammation. One major type of drug used to treat this condition is the topical immunosuppressant. This category of medication is applied to the skin of patients who do not respond to steroids.

Two specific drugs, Elidel (pimecrolimus) and Protopic (tacrolimus), approved for treatment of eczema, are not without controversy. They have been closely associated with a possible cancer risk in studies done on animals.

Duragesis pain patches are a delivery method of the painkiller fentanyl that are able to provide up to three days' relief from severe chronic pain, such as that experienced by bone cancer patients. However, the active ingredient, as well as faulty construction of the patches themselves led to serious risks to patients and an FDA ban.

Dozens of overdoses and deaths were linked to use of Duragesic patches before they were pulled from the market. An overdose of the morphine-like drug can put a patient into a coma and shut down breathing.

Darvocet is a powerful painkiller that combined the opioid drug dextropropoxyphene with acetaminophen. It was removed from the market due to a variety of unforeseen side effects.

One of the primary risks of Darvocet was the fact that it contained acetaminophen. Overdose of acetaminophen could happen all too easily, leading to potentially fatal liver toxicity.