Medicine

Equivalence of Generic Drugs
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
After a scandal rocked the generic drug industry, FDA tightened up its regulation of the manufacture of medications that duplicate brand-name products but usually cost much less. Although not all approved drugs are available in a generic version

On FDA's Front Lines : Part Cop, Part Counselor
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
In fact, the oxygen repacker MacLaughlin inspected was in Richmond. FDA has five investigators in Richmond, but one was preparing for a three-week assignment inspecting European drug firms, another was handling seafood inspections, and the other three

On FDA's Front Lines : Trust and Verify, Making the Grade
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
How do investigators get this proof? First they observe actual manufacturing practices to see if the process is being done correctly and according to the company's and FDA's manufacturing standards.

On FDA's Front Lines: Investigators Protect Public
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Responding to emergencies, as well as inspecting more than 90,000 establishments in this country, is part of FDA investigators' work. And there's no college in the world that can fully prepare them for it.

When Do You Need an Antacid?
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Used according to directions and in moderation, over-the-counter antacids can help relieve occasional heartburn and indigestion symptoms. But improper use can cause irreparable harm to your heart, kidneys or bones.

Teens: Using Over-the-Counter Medications Wisely
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Medicines you can buy without a prescription need to be taken with the same cure as those a doctor prescribes. And teenagers looking for help for chickenpox or flu need to be especially aware of the ingredients in the products they buy.

How to Protect Yourself Against Drug Tampering : Part 2
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
But while FDA laid down the law concerning tamper-resistant features, its regulations stress that these features cannot prevent tampering; they simply help to alert the consumer if tampering has occurred.

How to Protect Yourself Against Drug Tampering
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Packaging has made tampering with over-the-counter drugs more difficult and more obvious. But consumers still need to look carefully at the package and the product. For years, most OTC drug products came in containers that were easy to open.

New Ways to Deliver Drugs
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
High tech is enabling us to get drugs to the body in unconventional ways. These methods can bring increased convenience and decreased side effects. But in a few cases, there have been unexpected problems.

Drug Testing in Children
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
It's that children need medicines. Some drugs have already been well studied and approved for use in adults. To use one of these drugs for the same disease in children, it's important to figure out what doses work best in kids and what kinds of adverse

Adrenergic Bronchodilators
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Inhalers that can alleviate the symptoms of asthma, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema are discussed in this continuation of a series on proper drug use. While they are not a cure for asthma, adrenergic bronchodilators can temporarily relieve the classic

ACE: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
All angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are used to treat high blood pressure. In addition, captopril and enalapril are used to treat heart failure, usually only after other medications, such as digitalis, have been tried.

Cephalosporins
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Cephalosporins are anti-infective agents (as antibiotics are also known) used to treat infections occurring in a variety of places in the body. In general, they are used either after other often less expensive anti-infective agents have been tried

Rx to OTC: The Switch Is On
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Toxicity is the major issue in deciding whether to switch a drug from prescription to OTC status. Because almost any drug, if misused, can have some adverse side effect, one way to evaluate possible harm in switching is to consider the drug's overall

Acetaminophen-Codeine
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
How you take a drug can be very important to both its effectiveness and safety. Sometimes it can be almost as important as what you take. Timing, what you eat and when you eat, proper dose, and many other factors can mean the difference between feeling

Pharmacists Help Solve Medication Mysteries
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Whenever a patient comes in with a new prescription or for the first refill, Gideon discusses with the client how and when to take the medication, common side effects, and foods and drugs (both prescription and over-the-counter) to avoid

Beta Blocker Drugs
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
All beta blockers are used to treat high blood pressure. Many are also used to prevent the heart-related chest pain or pressure associated with angina pectoris (a condition often occurring during exertion where too little blood reaches the heart).

Birth Control Pill Safety Concerns
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
When the birth control pill was first introduced in 1960, the response of many Americans was like love at first sight. But soon, safety concerns took the blush off the romance, leading to reformulation and the safer lower doses now available.

Estrogens Side Effects and Risks
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Estrogens cause the uterine lining, or endometrium, to thicken in preparation for possible pregnancy. In the absence of a fertilized egg, female hormones called progestins cause the lining to shed, as menstruation.

Estrogens
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Estrogens are the hormones mainly responsible for female sex characteristics. They assist in preparing girls' bones for rapid growth in adolescence. In women, estrogens maintain tone and elasticity of the urinary and reproductive organs and protect agains