All articles tagged with #lidocaine
LA County Medical Examiner ruled Ethan Browne, 52, Jackson Browne’s son, death accidental, caused by the combined effects of fentanyl, methamphetamine and lidocaine; he was found unresponsive at his home on November 25, 2025.
LA County medical examiner rules Ethan Browne’s death accidental, caused by the combined effects of fentanyl, methamphetamine and lidocaine at age 52. Browne, a model and actor who appeared in Hackers, Birds of Prey, and Raising Helen, also co-founded Spinside/Alain Zane and released Right Before Your Eyes in 2022. Jackson Browne had publicly announced his son’s passing in late 2025; Ethan was born in 1973 and was featured on a Rolling Stone cover as an infant.
Mamisan lidocaine pain ointment sold at Target and Walmart has been recalled due to a missing child-resistant lid, posing a poisoning risk to children if swallowed. About 50,000 jars with UPC code 860006498115 are affected, and consumers are advised to secure the product out of children's reach and contact the company for a free replacement lid.
The FDA has issued warning letters to six companies for marketing unapproved, misbranded pain-relief products with higher-than-allowed concentrations of lidocaine, which can pose serious health risks including irregular heartbeat, seizures, and breathing issues. The products in question are used to alleviate pain associated with cosmetic procedures, but the FDA advises against using anything containing more than 4% lidocaine, using it on large areas of skin, or wrapping it with dressings or plastic wraps.
The FDA has issued warning letters to six companies for marketing unapproved and misbranded topical pain relief products containing high concentrations of lidocaine, which pose serious health risks when used before or during certain cosmetic procedures. Consumers are advised not to use over-the-counter pain relief products with more than 4% lidocaine, apply them heavily over large areas of skin, or wrap treated skin with plastic wrap. The FDA urges consumers and healthcare professionals to report any adverse events related to these products and has placed some companies on import alert to prevent their products from reaching consumers.
A study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania has found that injecting the local anesthetic lidocaine near the site of head and throat tumors can activate bitter taste receptors (T2Rs) in cancer cells, leading to cellular death. Lidocaine was already suspected to be beneficial to cancer patients, but this study provides a better understanding of how it works. The findings could potentially improve treatment options for head and neck cancer patients and pave the way for clinical trials combining lidocaine with standard cancer therapies.
Lidocaine, a commonly used local anesthetic, has been found to have anticancer properties by activating the T2R14 taste receptor, which is highly expressed in various cancer cells. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania discovered that lidocaine triggers a cascade of cellular signals that lead to controlled cell death. This finding offers hope for improving treatment options for head and neck cancer, which has a high mortality rate. Lidocaine could potentially be injected near accessible oral tumors and may also benefit patients with other forms of cancer. The study opens the possibility of repurposing other drugs that activate the T2R14 receptor for cancer treatment. Clinical trials are hoped to be conducted to explore the addition of lidocaine to standard care therapy for head and neck cancer patients.