Tag: side effects

FDA Launches New AI-Powered System to Track Drug and Vaccine Side Effects

For decades, the system designed to catch dangerous side effects from drugs, vaccines, and consumer products has been failing. Not because the problems weren’t happening — but because the infrastructure meant to track them was too fragmented, too slow, and too burdensome to keep up.

The result was a growing gap between what patients experienced and what showed up in federal safety records. Patterns of harm went undetected or took far too long to surface, and the public was left making health decisions based on an incomplete picture.

Now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is attempting to close that gap with a sweeping technology overhaul — one that could fundamentally change how quickly you see safety signals and how much control you have over your own health choices. Here’s what the new system does, what it replaces, and why it matters.

Keep reading

New ‘unusual’ side effect of weight-loss drugs becoming more common, research suggests

A new “unusual” side effect of weight-loss drugs is becoming more common, research has suggested.

Weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy have soared in popularity. About one in eight U.S. adults said they’ve taken a GLP-1 drug, used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll published in May 2024.

But like with any other drugs, there are side effects, including a newly found one that could interfere with medical imaging.

Researchers from ​​Alliance Medical, a European imaging service provider, reviewed oncologic FDG PET-CT scans in patients taking GLP-1 drugs.

With an FDG PET scan, a patient gets an IV injection of a radiotracer called fluorodeoxyglucose. Diseased cells in the patient’s body absorb more of the radiotracer than healthy ones do, and the PET scanner detects these “hot spots”, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Healthcare providers may perform a PET scan and a CT scan, which uses X-rays, at the same time to produce more accurate 3D images.

Alliance Medical researchers found several abnormal patterns of FDG uptake in patients taking GLP-1 drugs, according to a September presentation at the Annual Congress of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine. These abnormal patterns could be misinterpreted by doctors if a patient’s medication history is not considered.

“We noticed unusual uptake in one of our patients on a GLP-1 agonist, which prompted a wider review across our network,” lead author Dr. Peter Strouhal, Medical Director at Alliance Medical, said in a statement published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Keep reading

50 Bizarre Side Effects of Common Medicines

Medicine saves lives every day, combating everything from infections to chronic pain. But the little-discussed reality is that adverse drug reactions are the third leading cause of death in the US, claiming over 250,000 lives annually.

Even more insidious, side effects can emerge months or years after starting—or stopping—a medication, long after you’ve forgotten about it, as seen with delayed tendon damage from antibiotics or bone issues from osteoporosis drugs.

These delayed reactions highlight how drugs can ripple through the body in unexpected ways, affecting organs and systems far beyond their intended target.

From hormonal havoc to bizarre behavioral shifts, here are 50 peculiar side effects that remind us: while medicine helps, it can also unleash chaos we never saw coming.

Keep reading

Drugs taken by millions in US can cause ‘deviant’ sexual behavior including pedophilia — but patients aren’t warned by doctors

A class of drugs commonly used to treat movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease and restless leg syndrome is pushing people into risky sexual behavior. 

Patients taking dopamine agonists say the drugs have triggered uncontrollable impulses, including flashing, sex addiction and even pedophilia — leaving them struggling with feelings of shame and confusion.

Reports reviewed by the BBC suggest drugmaker GSK has known about the risk of so-called “deviant” sexual behavior since 2003, yet patients claim their doctors continue to fail to warn them about these potentially devastating side effects.

Dopamine agonists mimic dopamine, a key brain chemical that controls movement and is activated by pleasure. However, these drugs can overstimulate feelings of pleasure while dulling the brain’s ability to recognize the consequences of our actions.

This can lead to impulse control disorders, with studies showing 13% to 24% of Parkinson’s patients on dopamine agonists develop them. While a warning about these risky behaviors is listed alongside common side effects like nausea and insomnia, research suggests they often go unnoticed or undiagnosed.

In the US, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends the drugs only be used for short-term treatment, such as end-of-life care.

Keep reading

Blind! This is what happens when you inject yourself with reptile venom peptides marketed as FDA-approved weight loss drugs

As weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy become popularized by pill-pushing allopathic doctors, new evidence suggests there are serious, life-altering risks with these new drugs. According to a new study, Ozempic an Wegovy users are at an elevated risk of developing a “potentially blinding eye condition.” This is what happens when you inject reptile venom peptides.

Venomous Ozempic and Wegovy increase risk of blindness

The study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, has raised concerns about an association between semaglutide, a medication used to manage type 2 diabetes and obesity, and an increased risk of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) This serious condition (NAION) can lead to sudden vision loss and is characterized by damage to the optic nerve.

The study, led by Jimena Tatiana Hathaway, MD, MPH and colleagues, investigates a link between semaglutide use and the incidence of NAION. The researchers conducted a retrospective matched cohort study using data from a centralized registry covering patients who were evaluated by neuro-ophthalmologists at an academic institution between December 2017 and November 2023.

The study included 16,827 patients who had no prior history of NAION. Among these, 710 patients had type 2 diabetes (T2D) and 979 were overweight or obese. Within these groups, patients were either prescribed semaglutide or non–glucagon-like peptide receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) medications for managing their conditions.

“The study found people with diabetes who had been prescribed semaglutide by their physician and then filled the prescription were more than four times more likely to be diagnosed with NAION,” the authors wrote in a press release, adding, “Those who were overweight or obese and were prescribed this drug were more than seven times more likely to get the diagnosis.”

Keep reading

Pfizer Hired 600 Employees Due To ‘Large Increase Of Adverse Event Reports’: Document

Pfizer hired 600 employees in the months after its COVID-19 vaccine was authorized in the United States due to the “large increase” of reports of side effects linked to the vaccine, according to a document prepared by the company.

Pfizer has “taken a multiple actions to help alleviate the large increase of adverse event reports,” according to the document. “This includes significant technology enhancements, and process and workflow solutions, as well as increasing the number of data entry and case processing colleagues.”

At the time when the document—from the first quarter of 2021—was sent to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Pfizer had onboarded about 600 extra full-time workers to deal with the jump.

“More are joining each month with an expected total of more than 1,800 additional resources by the end of June 2021,” Pfizer said.

Keep reading