A 2009 survey conducted on over 600 Australians on blood pressure medications found that 9% were still taking common painkillers despite warnings. People on blood pressure-related medications can suffer acute kidney failure if they also take Nurofen, or other drugs in the same class, often sold through supermarkets and pharmacies.

Montreal’s Noveko International Inc, which is commercializing antimicrobial filter technology across the world, has until October 23, 2009 to file extra data on its surgical masks with the US regulators. Noveko’s chief operating officer, Alain Bolduc, believes that the company’s proprietary product will be the first one among the antibacterial surgical mask products to receive the FDA approval.

European regulators have approved Boston Scientific Corp’s plans to market a system that remotely monitors patients that have been implanted with cardiac defibrillators. Boston Scientific’s patient management system, dubbed Latitude, incorporates a blood pressure monitor and collects data on the performance of person’s heart and that of the defibrillator itself. Latitude reports information it collects back to doctors.

Omega-6 fatty acids that is found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds are a beneficial part of a heart-healthy eating plan, according to a science advisory published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. The association has recommended consumption of a minimum of 5%-10% of daily calories from omega-6 fatty acids. It also recommended that the omega-6 comes from foods, not supplements. Most Americans actually get enough of these oils in the foods they are currently eating, such as nuts, cooking oils and salad dressings, the advisory reports.

The FDA has implemented rules that require drug companies to place stronger warnings on the labels of common over-the-counter pain relievers about the risk of liver damage and stomach bleeding. The FDA’s Matthew Ray Holman, PhD, says the new warnings are necessary “to raise consumer awareness about the potential for liver damage when using acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) and the potential for stomach bleeding when using a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug,” commonly called an NSAID. NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and ketoprofen.