MONDAY, July 26, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Accidental exposure to fentanyl pain patches is putting children's lives at risk, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns.Fentanyl is a powerful opioid pain reliever; so powerful that fentanyl patches are typically only prescribed to patients who require round-the-clock, long-term pain relief, such as cancer patients. They're generally replaced every three days.Kids can overdose on new or used fentanyl patches by putting them in their mouth or on their skin. This drug can slow breathing and decrease levels of oxygen in a child's blood, potentially causing death.The FDA is calling on parents and caregivers to make sure these patches are stored, used and disposed of properly. The agency offers these tips:Keep fentanyl patches and other drugs...

FRIDAY, July 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- The controversial new Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm is creating something of a civil war in medicine, as health networks, hospitals, insurers and individual doctors weigh impending discussions with patients about whether they should take the medication.Many doctors believe the U.S. Food and Drug Administration "moved the goalposts" to approve Aduhelm (aducanumab) in early June, and they aren't inclined to recommend its use, said Dr. Ken Lin, a family physician with MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C."I think a lot of primary care physicians are going to be reluctant to prescribe or to refer patients to have this prescribed, because I don't think we believe the quality of the data is there yet," Lin said in a HealthDay Now...

THURSDAY, July 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- As he urged Americans who are still hesitant to get vaccinated, President Joe Biden told an Ohio town hall on Wednesday night that he expected the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would soon give final approval to COVID-19 vaccines.At the moment, all three vaccines being used in this country have only emergency use approval. But many medical professionals have pushed for the final approval, saying it could help ease people's concerns and boost vaccination rates."My expectation talking to the group of scientists we put together, over 20 of them plus others in the field, is that sometime, maybe in the beginning of the school year, at the end of August, beginning of September, October, they'll get a final approval" for the vaccines, Biden...