Sinus Antibiotic Causes Skin Rashes

The powerful antibiotic Factive (gemifloxacin) may cause serious skin reactions and its effects should be studied further before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers its approval to treat acute sinus infections, FDA advisors said in documents released Monday.
The FDA approved Factive in 2003 to treat pneumonia and acute bronchitis, the Associated Press reported. Maker Oscient Pharmaceuticals Corp. has applied for expanded FDA approval to treat acute bacterial sinusitis.
But Factive, in both real-world use and clinical testing, appeared to have a greater risk of skin rashes than similar antibiotics, the AP reported.
On Tuesday, an expert panel advising the FDA will consider whether Factive's benefits outweigh its risks in treating sinus infections. The full agency usually follows the recommendations of its advisory panels in granting or denying approval.

National Eczema Week

16th – 23rd September – National Eczema Week is an annual health awareness campaign organised by the National Eczema Society. The week aims to raise awareness of the condition that affects one in 12 adults and one-fifth of school-age children. This year's campaign will focus on the psychological impact of having eczema.

For more information visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/awareness_campaigns/sep_eczema.shtml

Incidence of Eczema May Be Stablizing

After steady increases over the last several decades, new reported cases  of eczema seems to have stabilized, and may even be decreasing. But the incidence of systemic allergic reactions, such as anaphylaxis and those related to food appear to be increasing.

Diagnosed incidence of eczema in children had tripled during the last 30 years and recently appears to have leveled off.