FDA News Digest
October 11, 2005
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IN THIS WEEK'S ISSUE
-- FDA Proposes Additional 'Mad Cow' Safeguards
-- Databases Aimed at Boosting Safety Evaluations of New Drugs
-- FDA Offers Tips for Safe Halloween
-- Latest 'Patient Safety News' Video Now Available Online
-- Question of the
Week
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FDA Proposes Additional 'Mad Cow' Safeguards
FDA is proposing a change in its animal feed regulations that would prohibit the use of certain high-risk cattle materials in the food or feed of all animals. The proposed measures are intended to further protect consumers against the infectious agent that causes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow disease").
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2005/new01240.html
Databases Aimed at Boosting Safety Evaluations of New Drugs
FDA has awarded four contracts that will give the agency access to databases that should make evaluation of new drug safety faster and more effective. The databases will help the agency find connections between medicines and serious adverse effects, including rare side effects that often appear only after thousands or even millions of patients take the drugs.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/answers/2005/ans01368.html
FDA Offers Tips for Safe Halloween
Halloween should be a fun time for kids and not a source of anxiety for parents. By following tips FDA is offering on a special Web site, parents can help ensure that this year's trick-or-treating will be safe. The site gives safety advice for candy and other treats, Halloween makeup, and novelty contact lenses. Also included are safety tips on costumes and pedestrian safety from the Consumer Products Safety Commission.
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/kids/candyandtreats.html
Latest 'Patient Safety News' Video Now Available Online
FDA has posted the October edition of "Patient Safety News," a Web-based video news program aimed primarily at health professionals. The program features information on new drugs, biologics, and medical devices, as well as FDA safety notifications and product recalls. The program can be viewed through either of two common desktop players, and the Web site also contains the text of the program.
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/psn/index.cfm
To view an archive of past FDA news
releases, go to
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/hpnews.html.
To access the RSS feed of FDA news
releases, go to
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/rssPress.xml.
[What is an RSS feed?
See http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/newsfeeds.html.]
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RECALLS/SAFETY ALERTS
Certain lots of Three Rivers self-rising cornmeal mix; 2- and 5-lb. bags
Reason for recall: undeclared wheat flour
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/whitelily10_05.html
Orca Bay Foods' frozen red king crab legs and claws; 10- and 20-lb. cases
Reason for recall: possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/orcabay10_05.html
For a list of recalls, market
withdrawals, and safety alerts involving FDA-regulated
products from the past 60 days, go
to http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html.
To access the RSS feed of FDA
recalls information, go to
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/rssRecalls.xml.
[What is an RSS feed?
See http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/newsfeeds.html.]
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Oct. 20 -- Pediatric Oncology Subcommittee of the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee
Under discussion: pediatric oncology drugs
Location: Rockville, Md.
http://www.fda.gov/oc/advisory/accalendar/2005/cder12542d102005.html
Oct. 20-21 -- Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee
Under discussion: the benefits and risks of antiseptic products marketed for consumers
Location: Silver Spring, Md.
http://www.fda.gov/oc/advisory/accalendar/2005/cder12541dd10202105.html
Dec. 7-8 -- FDA will hold a hearing to obtain public input on the agency's current risk communications and outreach strategies, which include patient information sheets, press releases, public health advisories, and other tools.
Location: Washington, D.C.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/answers/2005/ans01367.html
For a list of FDA meetings,
seminars, and other public events, go to
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/hpmeetings.html.
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QUESTION OF THE
WEEK
Does "freezer burn" make
food unsafe?
Freezer burn is a food quality issue, not a food safety issue. It appears as grayish-brown leathery spots on frozen food. It occurs when air reaches the food's surface and dries out the product. This can happen when food is not securely wrapped in air-tight packaging. Color changes result from chemical changes in the food's pigment. Although undesirable, freezer burn does not make the food unsafe. It merely causes dry spots in foods. Cut away these areas either before or after cooking the food. When freezing food in plastic bags, push all the air out before sealing.
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