(NaturalNews) Pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG has announced that it is withdrawing its drug Trasylol from the market in response to a request by the FDA, in the face of increasing evidence that the drug increases patients' risk of death.
"[The] FDA could not identify a specific patient population where the benefits of using Trasylol could outweigh the risks," an agency official said.
Trasylol, known by the generic name aprotinin, is given to patients before major heart surgeries in order to reduce bleeding. It was first approved by the FDA in 1993, and is prescribed to approximately 200,000 patients per year, 55 percent of those in the United States.
The FDA's request to Bayer came after the early abortion of a study by the Ottawa Health Research Institute, when researchers discovered that heart bypass and valve surgery patients given Trasylol were 50 percent more likely to die than patients not given the drug, even though they experienced less bleeding.
The study was halted early out of concern for the lives of other participants. Because of the early conclusion, however, researchers still do not know why taking Trasylol increases a patient's risk of dying.
Prior studies have also indicated that Trasylol is a risky drug. A 2006 study in the "New England Journal of Medicine" found that Trasylol is responsible for 10,000 to 11,000 cases of kidney failure each year, in addition to heart attacks and strokes. Another study, conducted by Bayer and initially concealed from the FDA, found that taking the drug increased the risk of stroke and death.
Because many doctors are used to prescribing Trasylol as a matter of course before heart surgeries, the FDA anticipates that phasing the drug out will be difficult. Two FDA panels convened after reports of health risks first surfaced and both concluded that the drug should remain on the market; only after the Canadian study results emerged did the agency ask Bayer to withdraw the drug.
In response to the same study and in contrast to the FDA's request for voluntary removal, German health regulators withdrew Trasylol's approval immediately.
###
Related Articles
• Drug-Coated Stents Boost Death Rate by Over 400% in Heart Attack Patients
• Childhood Vaccinations Hoax - Not Effective and at Worst, Harmful
• Pfizer's Cholesterol Drug Boosts Death Rate by 58 Percent
• More Kidney Cancer Is Detected and Treated Early, Yet Death Rate Rises (press release)
• Beta-agonist inhalers more than double death rate in COPD patients, analysis shows (press release)
 |
Popular Topics:
death rate, the FDA, Bayer, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Heart disease, Depression, High cholesterol, Osteoporosis, Vaccines, Autism, ADHD, Infertility, Weight loss, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Trans fats, Acrylamides, Fluoride, Mercury |
Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com
 Email this article to a friend
 Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us
Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/023065.html
Reprinting this article: Non-commercial OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link.
|
 |
 |
Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE
 Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber!
- Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more.
- Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.
|
|
 |
 |
Recommended Special Report:
 Seven Words that can Change the World
by Joseph R. Simonetta
Read this special report now...
"Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com
|
More on NaturalNews.com:
• Streaming Health Ranger Videos
• CounterThink Cartoons
• FREE Special Reports
• Podcasts
|
 |
|
 |
 |
NEW 6-CD audio set reveals amazing new protocol for reversing cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease and more. Click to learn more. |
 |
Own the first 8 Health Ranger Report audio programs on 6 CDs. Covers weight loss, ADHD, vaccinations, processed meats, bone health and more. Click to learn more. |
Featured Videos
Short clip on Aspartame
A short clip on aspartame from the documentary All Jacked Up.
Click here to view now...
Exclusive video on Aspartame
The dangers of aspartame! Exclusive interview footage from Cori Brackett of Sweet Remedy.
Click here to view now...
Exclusive Footage from All Jacked Up!
See interview footage featuring the Health Ranger in the upcoming junk food film, All Jacked Up.
Click here to view now...
Drug Ad Parody
See the Health Ranger's satire parody of Merck's cholesterol drug ad.
Click here to view now... |
The Plan for the Food Supply
Fidozac: Antidepressant Drugs for Dogs
Eco-Friendly Products
|
|
Read recommendations on supplement companies, health food manufacturers and personal care product makers that you can trust. Our 100% independent review list tells you who to trust and who to avoid in the natural health industry. Click to read. |
|
Printable Version
