The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) issued a stern warning yesterday against the use of a smuggled blood glucose meter in the Kingdom. According to an official from the SFDA, the warning goes to health care practitioners and all patients about the use of blood glucose meter CLEVER CHEK TD-4232 manufactured by TaiDoc Technology in Taiwan. “This meter does not have a blood glucose test strip under-fill detection mechanism, nor does it provide feedback to the users when sufficient blood has been applied. It does not alert users either when insufficient blood has been applied,” the official said.

 

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Rabeah: Four cases treated immediately

JEDDAH – The confirmation that four persons admitted to hospital Tuesday have contracted the little-known “Al-Khumra” fever – the first appearance of the potentially fatal illness in Jeddah for nearly 10 years – has raised the concerns of the minister of health and experts in contagious diseases.

 

The four cases, detected in residents of the north of the city Tuesday, were described by Health Minister Abdullah Al-Rabeah Wednesday as “only individual cases which were immediately treated”.

 

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JEDDAH – The Ministry of Health has banned two popular smoking cessation drugs as their side-effects include suicidal tendencies.

 

The drugs containing varenicline (trade name Champix from Pfizer) and buproprion (Yaba)) were banned after the US Food and Drugs Adminstration (FDA) issued a black box warning – the toughest warning on risks associated with a medicine — on serious mental health risks of the drugs.

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Diagnosis Failure Alleged in Second Swine Flu Death

RIYADH/DAMMAM – The Indonesian housemaid who died from swine flu Thursday left the Dammam Tower Hospital 10 days prior to her death with nothing more than standard medicine to reduce her fever.

 

Salim Al-Mirri, a relative of the family which employed the housemaid, said the woman had sought treatment at the hospital but was given no proper diagnosis and left with medicine for ordinary flu symptoms.

 

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JEDDAH – Five ministries have presented reports to King Abdullah on the situation of the 100,000 autistic children in the Kingdom as part of a Ministry of Social Affairs study conducted through the Saudi Autism Society in 22 major cities.

 

The figure of 100,000 autistic children was made known in a speech by Minister of Social Affairs Yousef Al-Otheiman and delivered by Ali Al-Hinaki, the General Director of Social Affairs in Makkah, at a graduation ceremony for autistic children at the Al-Faisaliya Charity in Jeddah

 

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...at Red Sea Mall in Jeddah on Saturday. The Health Affairs Management is organizing a mobile dental clinic that started on Wednesday and will continue till May 2. The mobile dental clinic will tour several malls and other areas of the city during the ongoing vacations. Each clinic has been provided with two medical teams of dentists and experts in mouth diseases. – By Diana Al-Jassem/SG

The Ministry of Health inaugurated a medical conference...

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Vote Follows Panel Recommendation From Last Month

The FDA has decided -- for now -- against allowing the new blood thinner Xarelto to be used to treat patients with blocked coronary arteries.

Federal officials issued a complete response letter late Thursday, which means they want more information from the drug manufacturer before making a final decision.

Xarelto (rivaroxaban) entered the market last summer and is already approved for the prevention of blood clots that form in the blood vessels of the legs and lungs during knee or hip replacement surgery. It is also approved to reduce stroke risk in patients with certain abnormal heart rhythms.

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ADHD isn't just for kids. Here's what it's like later in life.

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Memphis, New Haven, and Knoxville Top List of 'Asthma Capitals'

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