Five Drugs Panned by FDA Drug Reviewer

Five drugs cited by a government drug reviewer as the worst examples of those that remain on the market despite safety concerns, along with alternate products:

– Accutane, a treatment for severe acne linked to birth defects and fetal death when used by pregnant women. Alternatives, according to March of Dimes: topical preparations of the antibiotics erythromycin or clindamycin and the antibacterial agent benzoyl peroxide.

– Bextra, a painkiller found in a recent study to more than double the risk of heart attacks and strokes among patients with heart disease. Alternatives, according to Public Citizen: Enteric-coated aspirin or ibuprofen.

– Crestor, an anti-cholesterol drug linked to a muscle-destroying side effect and acute renal failure. Alternative statins: Lipitor, Lescol, Pravachol, Mevacor and Zocor.

– Meridia, an obesity treatment linked to heart problems and, among pregnant women, stillbirths, miscarriages and birth defects. Alternatives: There’s no other diet drug that works like Meridia.

– Serevent, an asthma medication that a study in England linked to increased deaths due to asthma. Alternate FDA-approved asthma drugs: Leukotriene blockers, inhaled corticosteroids and theophylline.