Januvia Linked to Increased Risk of Cancer

By Anne Bucher

Januvia, available by prescription, is a once-daily pill that helps lower blood sugar levels in patients with type-2 diabetes. More than 25 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes in the U.S. Patients with type-2 diabetes have cells that are resistant to insulin, the hormone that causes cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. Januvia works by stimulating extra production of insulin from the pancreas to lower the patient’s blood sugar.

Diabetes Patients at Risk of Developing Serious Januvia Side Effects

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is scrutinizing the type-2 diabetes medication Januvia, manufactured by Merck, amid concerns that the drug may increase the risk of patients developing Januvia thyroid cancer or pancreatic cancer. Januvia was initially approved by the FDA in 2006 to help patients with type-2 diabetes control their blood sugar.

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PGA Senior Tour Player Battles Back From Stevens Johnson Syndrome

By John Curran

It's perhaps a sign of how long the struggle can be to recover from Stevens Johnson Syndrome that after a promising early career that included three PGA wins, golfer Gene Sauers is now playing on the Senior Tour.

A number of common drugs have been linked to Stevens Johnson Syndrome and its more serious counterpart toxic epidermal necrolysis, including the antibiotic Zithromax. Sauers’ SJS was caused by a drug he was using to manage the pain of arthritis, but the mechanism of action is the same. The disorders are caused a person's own immune system to attack itself, primarily targeting mucus membranes in the eyes, throat and even the skin. As with the PGA player, skin grafts and other treatments are needed as sections of the skin die off.

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Up to 190 American Women Have Died from Taking Yaz Birth Control

By Jessica Tyner

Yaz birth control is strongly linked to deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which is a serious blood clot that can be lethal if not caught right away. According to some reports, up to 190 American women have died from taking the popular birth control pill, which has only been available in the U.S. since 2006. These ghastly numbers have led some critics to say that Bayer finds profits more important than the health of patients.

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Illinois Businessman Sentenced to 5 Months for Asbestos Violations

By Courtney Coren

An Illinois man is sentenced for five months in federal prison for violating the federal Clean Air Act, a move that has contractors rethinking whether or not to ignore asbestos laws.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Franklin "Al" Bieri, age 54, purchased what used to be the Emerson Electric Facility site in 2010 located in the Washington Park neighborhood of East St. Louis, Illinois.

Bieri hired untrained, unlicensed workers to remove materials containing asbestos from the buildings on the seven-acre campus.

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Chicago Man Blames Propecia for His Divorce

By Jessica Tyner

"Larry" from Chicago took Propecia for 15 years to treat his male pattern baldness, and didn't link his sexual dysfunction to the drug until it was too late. Like many men, he was worried about losing his hair at a young age and was prescribed Propecia -- one of the most popular anti-baldness drugs on the market. However, it's also been strongly linked to a slew of sexual dysfunctions, which is a big strain on any marriage. According to Larry, Propecia is the cause for his recent divorce.

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