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

Lawsuits began last month for four people who say the prescription bowel cleanser OsmoPrep caused them kidney damage that resulted in dialysis. OsmoPrep, made by Salix Pharmaceuticals, is a type of laxative called oral sodium phosphate, or OSP, used to cleanse the intestines prior to procedures such as colonoscopy. Salix Pharmaceuticals began marketing OsmoPrep in 2006. The drug generated more than $30 million in sales in 2008.

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One year ago this month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a black box warning on a common type of laxative known as oral sodium phosphate, or OSP, available both over-the-counter and by prescription. After years of investigation, the FDA finally alerted health care providers and the public of the risk of a serious kidney injury known as acute phosphate nephropathy associated with the use of OSPs.

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Movie stars and celebrities may swear by them, but medical experts agree that colon cleansing should only be done when medically necessary.

“Sometimes it is necessary for people preparing to undergo a medical procedure or examination, such as a colonoscopy or a colon x-ray,” says to Dr. Mark Larson, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in the Hartford Courant. “But unless a doctor has recommended it as a preparation for such procedure, I strongly discourage people from colon cleansing. It can cause traumatic injury to the colon and result in long-term medical problems.”

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To hear your doctor recommend a “colonoscopy” can send chills down most peoples’ spines. The procedure, which involves a doctor sending a little camera fixed to the end of a flexible tube through the colon and into the intestines, can make even the strongest folks a bit uncomfortable. Some even fear that the procedure itself can cause harm. One study hopes to put those fears into perspective.

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