Drugs and Devices

NWHN in Action – May/June 2014

By NWHN Staff | May 1, 2014 | Comments Off on NWHN in Action – May/June 2014

What is the NWHN doing to fight for women’s rights? Read on to find out.

Has Your Hip Been Recalled?

By Kate Ryan | Jan 1, 2014 | Comments Off on Has Your Hip Been Recalled?

When cars, baby cribs, or even microwaves are recalled because there’s a safety problem or the product doesn’t work, you can check the unique serial number on your car, crib, or microwave to immediately discover if the one you own has been recalled, or if there’s no need for you to worry.

Let the Sunshine In! New Law Ends Secret Drug Industry Payments & Gifts to Doctors

By NWHN Staff | Sep 1, 2013 | Comments Off on Let the Sunshine In! New Law Ends Secret Drug Industry Payments & Gifts to Doctors

On August 1, 2013, a new law went into effect that’s intended to protect patients and improve the public perception of medicine and the health care system. No, it’s not the new health care system, sometimes called “Obamacare.” But it was enacted as part of health care reform.

Changed “For Good”

By NWHN Staff | Jul 1, 2013 | Comments Off on Changed “For Good”

Last year, the NWHN received a generous donation from For Good, an endeavor established by Megan Williams in memory of her sister, Melissa, who passed away in 2007 from pulmonary embolisms (blood clots) in her lungs. Melissa’s family believes the clots were caused by Yaz, the birth control Melissa used.

Direct-to-Consumer: Fertility Clinic Advertising on the Web

By Rachel Walden | Mar 1, 2013 | Comments Off on Direct-to-Consumer: Fertility Clinic Advertising on the Web

The National Women’s Health Network has long argued for stricter regulation and elimination of direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertising due to its tendency to overstate drugs’ benefits and understate risks in order to increase pharmaceutical companies’ profits.

Device Marketing to Doctors, In and Out of the OR

By NWHN Staff | Jan 1, 2013 | Comments Off on Device Marketing to Doctors, In and Out of the OR

By her early 30s, bone disease had deteriorated Katie Korgaokar’s hip so, in 2006, she had surgery to get a DePuy ASR™ metal-on-metal prosthetic hip replacement.

Avast Avastin!

By Charlea T. Massion, MD, and Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD | Sep 22, 2011 | Comments Off on Avast Avastin!

Why won’t ineffective treatments go away? The story of the use of Avastin for breast cancer treatment is a cautionary tale about how pharmaceutical companies dupe health care providers and consumers into accepting — even demanding — inferior drugs, and bully Federal agencies trying to protect the public.

Not Your Mother’s IUD: Risks and Benefit’s of Modern IUDs

By NWHN Staff | Jan 1, 2011 | Comments Off on Not Your Mother’s IUD: Risks and Benefit’s of Modern IUDs

I had an Intrauterine Devices (IUD) in the 70s, when a feminist outcry exposed serious problems caused by the Dalkon Shield IUD, including infertility, uterine perforation, and death. The Dalkon Shield was removed from the market and its manufacturer declared bankruptcy after paying millions of dollars in malpractice settlements.

Friends Don’t Let Friends Take Avandia

By Charlea T. Massion, MD, and Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD | Sep 22, 2010 | Comments Off on Friends Don’t Let Friends Take Avandia

In mid-July, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee voted to keep the diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone) on the market, while simultaneously acknowledging not only that the drug increases the risk of heart attacks, but also that there are many other, safer medications available — including Actos (pioglitazone), a close sibling of Avandia made by a competing manufacturer.