Health trends

Recall of TYLENOL caplets

McNeil is recalling TYLENOL 8 Hour caplets 50-count bottles to the retail level, following a small number of complaints of a musty or mouldy odour. The uncharacteristic odour is thought to be caused by the presence of trace amounts of a chemical called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole. This voluntary action is being taken as a precaution and the risk of adverse medical events is remote. To date, observed events reported to McNeil were temporary and non-serious.

The lot number (Lot number: BCM155) for the recalled product can be found on the side of the bottle label.

Consumers should stop using the affected product and contact McNeil Consumer Healthcare, either at www.tylenol.com or by calling 1-888-222-6036 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Eastern Time, and Saturday to Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Eastern Time) for instructions about receiving a refund or product coupon. Consumers who have medical concerns or questions should contact their health-care provider.

Source: The US Food and Drug Administration

Botox approved for migraines

On October 15, 2010, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Botox injection (onabotulinum-toxinA) to prevent headaches in adult patients with chronic migraine. Chronic migraine is defined as having a history of migraine and experiencing a headache on most days of the month.

"Chronic migraine is one of the most disabling forms of headache," said Russell Katz, MD, director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Patients with chronic migraine experience a headache more than 14 days of the month. This condition can greatly affect family, work, and social life, so it is important to have a variety of effective treatment options available."

To treat chronic migraines, Botox is given approximately every 12 weeks as multiple injections around the head and neck to try to dull future headache symptoms. Botox has not been shown to work for the treatment of migraine headaches that occur 14 days or less per month, or for other forms of headache. It is important that patients discuss with their physician whether Botox is appropriate for them. The most common adverse reactions reported by patients being treated for chronic migraine were neck pain and headache.

Source: The US Food and Drug Administration