Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) along with OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Genetech has announced that new safety information has been added to the WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS sections of the prescribing information for the cancer drug erlotinib, known by the brand name Tarceva. The new labeling warns health care professionals of the risk of sometimes fatal conditions of gastrointestinal perforations, and bullous, blister and exfoliative skin conditions including cases suggestive of Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and its most serious form, toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), during the use of Tarceva.

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SpunkyRachel is back and she’s looking great. You may remember SpunkyRachel from previous posts. We’ve been following her recovery from Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) on YouTube. Her videos offer a personal insight into her emotional struggle as she copes with the physical recovery from the rare but life-threatening skin condition.

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When he was not quite 2 years old, James Lumasag was diagnosed with a rare but life threatening skin condition after receiving a round of antibiotics to treat a cough and fever. The toddler fought for his life in the intensive care unit of a hospital, where he received 22 bags of plasma as his skin peeled away from his body. “His whole body, except his head, looked totally burnt,” his mother Merlyn said. “James suffered too much.”

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You’ve likely seen the commercials for Detrol. A woman is sitting in her doctor’s office and a woman-shaped figure similar to the ones seen on bathroom doors, is encouraging her to talk to her doctor about her frequent and sudden urges to go to the bathroom. The treatment has helped women find relief from overactive bladder.

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“This is not right and could have been prevented,” writes someone who commented on Cloanne Andrus Pesquera’s obituary in The Spectrum. Cloanne, 41, died May 30, 2009, after battling a rare but life-threatening condition called Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS. The woman who commented on the story said she had lost her mother to SJS/TEN in 2006. She believes Cloanne’s death, like her mother’s, could have been prevented.

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