Archive for January, 2009
« Previous Entries Next Entries »Generic drugs prove big money saver
Saturday, January 24th, 2009Greater availability and an increasing acceptance of generic drugs over pricier, name-brand drugs led to a savings of $369 million by Upstate New Yorkers last year, including $105 million saved in Western New York.
An analysis by Univera Healthcare of prescription patterns across the Upstate region showed the overall generic “fill rate” increased by 4.5 percent [...]
New, Cheaper Generic Drugs Become Available This Year
Friday, January 23rd, 2009Generic drugs are just as effective and safe as their brand-name counterparts because they’re virtually the same — except for the price, of course. Here’s what you should know.
Copied Drugs
Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), generic drugs contain the same active ingredients, dosage and quality as their brand-name counterparts.
The only differences between them [...]
Vytorin, Zetia prescriptions rise in December
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009Schering-Plough Corp said on Tuesday that U.S. prescriptions for the cholesterol drugs it sells with Merck & Co rose 8.7 percent in December, reclaiming most of the ground lost in November.
The U.S. drugmaker, in a regulatory filing, said combined prescriptions for Vytorin and Zetia climbed back over the 2 million mark in December to about 2.15 million [...]
Lexapro may ease anxiety in older adults-US study
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009Lexapro may ease anxiety in older adults-US study
The popular antidepressant Lexapro showed promise at easing anxiety symptoms in older adults, but the effect was “modest” and would need to be studied further, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
They said antidepressants like Lexapro, made by Forest Laboratories Inc and known generically as escitalopram, may be useful as a [...]
Study indicates Lexapro may help treat generalized anxiety disorder in older adults.
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009Bloomberg News (1/21, Ostrow) reports that, according to a study published in the Jan. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, “Forest Laboratories Inc.’s antidepressant Lexapro (escitalopram) aided older adults suffering from” generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, found that nearly “70 percent of those aged [...]
Guidelines advise test for osteoporosis at 65
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009Guidelines advise test for osteoporosis at 65
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have some questions about osteoporosis and how it’s detected and treated. I am 64 but will turn 65 in three months. My doctor says I should be screened for osteoporosis then. Is that standard? How is one screened? What’s the best drug to take for [...]
Researchers say up to 11 million more Americans should be taking statins.
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009USA Today (1/14, Sternberg) reports, “Millions more people should be taking cholesterol-lowering statins than doctors previously believed,” according to a study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. This research “represents a first step in a nationwide attempt to gauge the influence of a study called JUPITER,” whose results were released in November. “JUPITER, which [...]
Canadian government to spend $32 million over the next five years on drug monitoring.
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009Canwest News (1/14, Fitzpatrick) reported, “Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said the [Canadian] government is spending $32 million over the next five years to support the new Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network, and will devote $10 million every year afterwards to the initiative that was first announced in July.” According to Aglukkaq, “the network will bolster [...]
No link found between asthma medications and suicidal behavior, FDA says.
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009HealthDay (1/14, Gardner) reported, “An ongoing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety review of possible suicidal behavior among those taking asthma drugs has found no evidence of a link so far,” FDA officials said. The agency, “which began the review in March 2008, said clinical trial data submitted by the manufacturers of Singulair (montelukast), [...]
Allergan to introduce eyelash-enhancing drug.
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009Following a New York Times story, the U.K.’s Telegraph (1/15, Leonard) reports that Allergan, the pharmaceutical “company that smoothed out wrinkles with Botox (botulinum toxin type A), has made another beauty-enhancing breakthrough with” a product “that grows longer, thicker eyelashes.” The company “plans to introduce Latisse (bimatoprost), the first U.S. government-approved prescription drug for eyelash [...]
« Previous Entries Next Entries »