Mark Your Calendar
Reversing Heart Disease
Feb. 27
Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound for Comprehensive Stroke Care
March 14—March 16
Virtual Medicine Symposium
March 28—March 29
Surgery Grand Rounds
See information about upcoming Surgery Grand Rounds.
Grand Rounds
Education Schedule
Surgery Scheduling
In This Issue:
- Affiliation of Cedars-Sinai and Torrance Memorial Official
- Two Minutes With …
- $50 Million Gift Goes to Create Smidt Heart Institute
- Easier, More Meaningful Advance Healthcare Directive
- Study Looks at Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Young People
- Transplant Saves Bishop at the Heart of His Community
- Stop the Bleed Class Trains its 500th Student
- Cardiac Surgery Resident Awarded Traveling Fellowship
- Hosting Summer Research Interns
- Circle of Friends Honorees for January
- Stenting System Benefits Certain Stroke Patients
- FDA Updates Warning About Antidepressant Pristiq
- FDA Issues Warning About Incorrect Dosing of Obeticholic Acid
- CS-Link Tip: Refilling Prescriptions
FDA Issues Warning About Incorrect Dosing of Obeticholic Acid
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning that the liver disease medicine Ocaliva (obeticholic acid) has been incorrectly dosed daily instead of weekly in patients with moderate-to-severe primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), a rare chronic liver disease, increasing the risk of serious liver injury. To ensure correct dosing and reduce the risk of liver problems, the FDA is clarifying the current recommendations for screening, dosing, monitoring and managing PBC patients with moderate to severe liver disease taking Ocaliva.
The FDA website has more information.
FDA: Agency Seeks Packaging Limits for Anti-diarrhea Drug Loperamide
In an effort to foster safe use of the over-the-counter anti-diarrhea drug loperamide, the FDA is working with manufacturers to use blister packs or other single dose packaging and to limit the number of doses in a package. The agency continues to receive reports of serious heart problems and deaths linked to much higher than recommended doses of loperamide, primarily among people who are intentionally misusing or abusing the product. Loperamide is a safe drug when used as directed and helps control symptoms of diarrhea.
The FDA website has more information.