Recent Postings

Alcohol can have clinically important and potentially dangerous interactions with many prescription and over-the-counter medications. These drug interactions are important to keep in mind during the holiday season when even people who rarely drink beer, wine or liquor may drink more alcohol than usual.

Through November 2025 the FDA has convened about a third of the number of advisory committee meetings that it convened in 2024. The “From the Editor Column” discusses the essential roles of public FDA advisory committee meetings and why the deemphasis of the meetings should be reconsidered.

Learn about a recent evidence-based guideline from the United Kingdom about the diagnosis and management of vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 is a nutrient of particular concern for some older Americans because the body’s ability to absorb it may decrease with age or due to use of certain medications.

A comprehensive study published in JAMA Psychiatry in July 2025 found that although symptoms such as dizziness and nervousness are common when antidepressant medications are discontinued, these symptoms typically are not clinically significant and do not persist. If depressive symptoms develop later, they may indicate a relapse of depression and patients should seek medical attention.

In January 2025 the Food and Drug Administration approved meloxicam and rizatriptan (SYMBRAVO), a fixed oral combination drug for adults with acute migraine headache with or without aura. Public Citizen’s Health Research Group has designated the combination drug as Do Not Use because of the lack of adequate data about its efficacy and safety.

The From the Editor column discusses the improved public information that is now available about FDA rejection letters. Known as “complete response letters,” the rejection letters provide important information about the agency’s reasons for denying marketing applications, thus informing the public and allowing drug developers and other companies to avoid making similar mistakes.

Except for one drug for panic disorder, Public Citizen’s Health Research Group has long designated all benzodiazepines as Do Not Use for insomnia, anxiety or any other uses. Unfortunately, many patients take benzodiazepines for extended periods of time to treat conditions that can be managed with lower-risk therapies. A recent FDA-funded clinical practice guideline offers helpful evidence- and consensus-based strategies for clinicians to determine whether tapering benzodiazepines may be appropriate for patients and, if so, how to taper them.

In May 2025 the FDA approved a third COVID-19 vaccine (NUVAXOVID). Unlike the previously approved messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines, the main active ingredient of Nuvaxovid is the viral-surface spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. To prevent death or serious complications from COVID-19, Nuvaxovid is a good vaccine option, either as an initial two-dose series or as a booster immunization.

The FDA recently authorized the marketing of a medical device that analyzes a blood sample and concludes from the analysis whether amyloid plaques are present in the brain. Learn why the medical device has limited clinical uses and should not be used as a standalone diagnostic or screening tool for Alzheimer’s disease in asymptomatic older patients.

Learn about zoledronic acid (RECLAST and generics), a drug approved for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and for other uses. Based on a review of new evidence, Public Citizen’s Health Research Group has designated zoledronic acid as a Limited Use drug for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

The “From the Editor” column discusses the recent recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that children, pregnant women, and adults receive only single-dose formulations of the annual influenza (flu) vaccine that are free of thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, and the reasons why the recommendation was misguided.

Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2012, linaclotide (LINZESS) is an expensive drug for constipation and for symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. Based on our review, we have designated linaclotide as a Do Not Use drug because the randomized placebo-controlled trials supporting its approval demonstrated that its limited benefit (symptomatic relief of constipation in about one of five users) is offset by its diarrhea adverse effects (also reported by about one of five users).

A large observational study using data from Ontario, Canada, focuses attention on an increased risk of dementia in people with marijuana (cannabis) use that is intensive enough to require hospital-based care.

Benzoyl peroxide products, available in over-the-counter and prescription topical formulations such as creams, gels, lotions and washes, are used to treat acne due to their bactericidal activity. However, many of these products contain high levels of benzene, a chemical known to cause cancer and other blood cell cancers. Learn about additional evidence that supports a petition to the Food and Drug Administration to request a recall and suspension of. products containing benzoyl peroxide.