The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that it is requiring manufacturers to put a Boxed Warning on the prescribing information for the smoking cessation drugs Chantix (varenicline) and Zyban (bupropion). The warning will highlight the risk of serious mental health events including changes in behavior, depressed mood, hostility, and suicidal thoughts when taking these drugs.

“The risk of serious adverse events while taking these products must be weighed against the significant health benefits of quitting smoking,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director, the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States and we know these products are effective aids in helping people quit.”

Similar information on mental health events will be required for bupropion marketed as the antidepressant Wellbutrin and for generic versions of bupropion. These drugs already carry a Boxed Warning for suicidal behavior in treating psychiatric disorders.

Government experts say prescription drugs like Vicodin and Percocet that combine a popular painkiller with stronger narcotics should be eliminated because of their role in deadly overdoses.

A Food and Drug Administration panel on Tuesday voted 20-17 that prescription drugs that combine acetaminophen with other painkilling ingredients should be pulled off the market.

The FDA has assembled a group of experts to vote on ways to reduce liver damage associated with acetaminophen, one of the most widely used drugs in the U.S.

Despite years of educational campaigns and other federal actions, acetaminophen remains the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S., according to the FDA.

Panelists cited FDA data indicating 60 percent of acetaminophen-related deaths are related to prescription products. Acetaminophen is also found in popular over-the-counter medications like Tylenol and Excedrin.

And here's the video...

Sources tell TMZ an extremely dangerous and potent drug used for surgical anesthesia was found at Michael Jackson's house after he died ... and this may well be the drug that killed him.

We're told the drug Propofol was discovered at the residence. The drug is used to put people under anesthesia before surgery. It is an extremely powerful drug that is only available to medical personnel. As one source said, "There is no conceivable way this drug can be properly prescribed for home use."

The drug can only be administered with an IV. Interestingly, Propofol burns and the drug Lidocaine is used to reduce the pain associated with the Propofol injection. As we first reported, Lidocaine was found near Jackson's body.

One of the major side-effects of Propofol is cardiac arrest if it's taken in combination with narcotic painkillers, however, Propofol is so powerful it can stop someone's heart on its own.

A registered nurse has come out and said Jackson begged her for the drug Diprivan -- the brand name for Propofol. She says he needed it for insomnia but she declined to supply it.

Sources say the drug is so inappropriate and reckless for home use, if a doctor facilitated it for Jackson and it caused his death, he or she could be prosecuted for manslaughter.

This story just gets weirder and weirder. Next we'll hear that Jackson was shooting formaldehyde to prematurely embalm himself in the case of sudden death...

Revelers across Asia who snort the animal tranquilizer ketamine for a hallucinogenic high may face incontinence and other health problems as new dangers of this cheap party drug start showing up in long-term studies.

Doctors in Hong Kong, where ketamine took off as a party drug about a decade ago, have recently found that heavy users have poor bladder control and are prone to long-term liver damage.

"The worst cases are in young people who have to empty their bladders every 15 minutes. They can't even take a bus ride without alighting and going to the toilet," said Ben Cheung, a psychiatrist who works with ketamine users.

"Their kidney functions are affected and they are so young. This is a serious health consequence that we never expected because it has never been seen anywhere else."

Incontinence is not the only problem for these drug users, who sniff the powdery hallucinogenic that looks much like cocaine but costs 10 percent of the price.

A recent study in Hong Kong of 97 drug users, most of whom primarily took ketamine, found that over 60 percent of them suffered depression, 31 percent complained of poor concentration and 23 percent had memory problems.

"It shocked the users. Never did they think it would affect brain function and they care about that," said Tatia Lee, who was a member of the team conducting the study.

Ketamine users usually mix the drug, synthesized in 1962 as an veterinary anesthetic, with other substances. To increase profits, dealers add powder from paint scraped off walls, chalk and crushed glass which gives the same shimmer of good quality ketamine.

Um... So are the bladder problems due to ketamine or the crushed glass? Either way this story does not look like it's going away anytime soon.

Pop legend Michael Jackson was battling with numerous disorders and was spending 30,000 pounds (50,000 dollars) a month on prescription drugs like narcotic pain relievers, muscle relaxants and anti-depressants before his death.

The ailing "Thriller" star, who died last week, was said to have consumed "mountains of medication" as he battled numerous disorders in the year leading up to his death, reported thesun.co.uk.

Along with narcotic pain reliever Vicodin, 50-year-old Jackson gorged on other drugs like muscle relaxant Soma and sedative Xanax, antidepressant Zoloft, anti-anxiety drug Paxil and heartburn pill Priolosec.

The revelations on the true scale of the tragic star's pills habit came as his family said they now wanted an investigation into the quantity of drugs he was prescribed.

Dr Jonathan Chahal of the Ormskirk District General Hospital used to inhale the anesthetic Entonox and air while on duty, the General Medical Council (GMC) was told on Monday.

GMC counsel Craig Sephton QC said that Dr Chahal had admitted to using the gas on at least four occasions and had told staff that it caused a "floaty" sensation. "He asked if they had ever tried it. He said it was fun and made you feel floaty," Mr Sephton told the panel.

It has also emerged that four female nurses were persuaded by the doctor to inhale the gas, which is generally used to relieve pain during labour.

Entonox is a medical mix of half nitrous oxide and half oxygen.

A 20-year-old man has been arrested for misusing 911 after asking police to escort him to a concert in Miami.

Deputies say Michael Kruse of Jacksonville initially called 911 because he felt sick on June 21.

The call went into the 911 call center in St. Johns County.

Kruse’s speech was slurred and the dispatcher had difficulty understanding him.

Dispatch: “Are you sure you haven’t taken something sir? Because you’re not making a whole lot of sense.”

Caller: “I’ve been smoking marijuana.”

Dispatch: “You’ve been smoking marijuana?”

Caller: “Yes.”

Dispatch: “Do you want a deputy to come and take you to jail?”

Caller: “Why?”

Dispatch: “You just told me on a taped line you just got done smoking marijuana.”

Caller: “Awww. Are you serious?”

Sgt. Chuck Mulligan, spokesman with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, said deputies located Kruse, took him to a family member, and gave him a stern lecture about 911.

Hours later on June 22, Kruse called 911 again. This time he was driving on I-95. He told the dispatcher he wanted a police escort to see the rapper, Lil Wayne, in concert in Miami.

Dispatch: “You want a police escort to take you to Miami?”

Caller: “Or, you have a helicopter?”

Dispatch: “We don’t just send helicopters up for rappers.”

Caller: “Well, I’m driving there right now. I just wanted the fastest way to get there. I didn’t want to get pulled over on the highway.”

The dispatcher had Kruse pull off the interstate and deputies arrested him for misuse of 911.

The advertising media used by the campaign combined low cost national cable and Ohio News Network. For added exposure element a PR bonus blitz was distributed via PRweb.com.

Initially, it was difficult t get approval to run NORML’s PSA/Commercial. Ohio News Network was quick to be first but other media outlets passed. Finally, a national media vendor with homes in every market in the country, gave the go ahead.

The National Cable Homes buy (April 20-April 22, 2009) reached homes with ’smart cableboxes’, which tracks the precise networks and advertising spots watched. NORML only paid for the audience reached and who stayed tuned to the ads.

-97.5% of people who watched the stay tuned in.

-Average length of time they viewed was 59.2 seconds

NORML’s ad buyers viewed the PSA as being very effective, and for the very high percentage of the public who watched the ad, they apparently could not turn away.

The Numbers

7,700 spots ran across 210 markets over three days, in each market, 38 spots ran on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, CNN-Headline News, FX, Spike and Fuse.

-A total of 2,428,858 total viewing households were reached

-A total of 2,394,690 actual viewers watched the commercials live

-34, 168 additional viewers recorded the networks and watched the commercials within 7 days

-75 spots ran in 1.5 million homes on the Ohio News Network from April 23-April 28.

NORML’s PR package reached 30,000 journalists, 30,000 websites and 225,000 RSS subscribers, resulting in over 136,313 viewed packages, and 2,118 media outlets tracked the story.

The avg. cost was $2.07 per 60 second TV ad