FDA CONSUMER HEALTH INFORMATION UPDATES: Fraudulent H1N1 flu products, hearing aids, sound amplifiers, tobacco regulation, FDA's international posts, LASIK eye surgery, and FDA MedWatch safety alerts

November 2, 2009

FDA NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS

SILVER SPRING, Md., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today released a listing of eight recent consumer health information updates concerning the safety of FDA-regulated products. These updates can be accessed from the agency's Web page for consumers at http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/default.htm You can sign-up for e-mail notices of new consumer updates on an immediate, weekly, or monthly basis at https://service.govdelivery.com/service/subscribe.html?code=USFDA_9.

An RSS feed is also available at http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/ContactFDA/StayInformed/RSSFeeds/Consumers/rss.xml

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-- The Word is Out on Unapproved H1N1 Products

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm187728.htm

FDA cautions consumers about buying unapproved products on the Web that claim to protect against H1N1 flu, and summarizes actions it has taken against these illegally marketed products.

-- A New Online Guide to Hearing Aids

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm185723.htm

FDA launches a new Web site to help consumers find out about the latest types of hearing aids and what to consider before purchasing one.

-- Hearing Aids and Personal Sound Amplifiers: Know the Difference

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm185459.htm

FDA's recently issued guidelines will help consumers from mistaking amplifying devices for approved hearing aids.

-- Regulating Tobacco: Q&A with Lawrence Deyton, M.S.P.H., M.D.
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm183919.htm

The director of FDA's new Center for Tobacco Products discusses the agency's role in regulating tobacco products.

-- FDA's International Posts: Improving the Safety of Imported Food and Medical Products

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm185769.htm

FDA's posting of staff in overseas regions, such as China, India, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, expands the agency's capacity to oversee imported food and medical products.

-- LASIK: Quality of Life Project, Warning Letters to Facilities

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm187351.htm

FDA has launched a study of the impact of LASIK on patients' quality of life, and has issued warning letters to 17 LASIK surgery centers that release patients the same day as their surgery.

-- FDA's MedWatch Safety Alerts: September 2009

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm184092.htm

This update provides a collection of the most recent safety alerts prompted by reports received by FDA from health care professionals and their patients.

Updates may be published elsewhere without permission. Please credit "FDA Consumer Health Information" (http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/default.htm) as the source. FDA values feedback on its consumer Web page. Send questions, comments, or story ideas to: consumerinfo@fda.hhs.gov.

Contact: Jason Brodsky, (301) 827-6251 or consumerinfo@fda.hhs.gov

SOURCE U.S. Food and Drug Administration