Six Ways to Save on your Pet

Yonkers, NY — Despite the economic downturn, Americans have not cut back on spending on Fluffy and Fido. According to a survey from the Consumer Reports National Research Center, during the darkest days of the recession in 2009 and 2010, only 16 percent of Americans said they reduced the amount they spent on their pets.

On top of this, the price of pet food, veterinary care and other pet-related products and services has risen 4 percent since 2008. [Read more]

FDA Warns About Fraudulent Tamiflu

Fraudulent product is dangerous to patients allergic to penicillin

Silver Spring, MD — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers about a potentially harmful product represented as “Generic Tamiflu” sold over the Internet. FDA tests revealed that the fraudulent product does not contain Tamiflu’s active ingredient, oseltamivir, but cloxacillin, an ingredient in the same class of antibiotics as penicillin.

The agency reminds patients who are allergic to or may have experienced adverse reactions from penicillin products that they are at risk of experiencing similar reactions from cloxacillin. This includes a sudden, potentially life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis, with symptoms that include difficulty breathing, chest tightness, swelling of the throat or tongue, hives, dizziness, loss of consciousness, or a rapid or weak pulse. To date, the FDA is not aware of any reports of adverse reactions.

There is no FDA-approved generic drug for the prescription product Tamiflu. [Read more]