Archive for July, 2009
« Previous EntriesStudy says five-day on, two-day off antiretroviral course effective in suppressing HIV.
Friday, July 24th, 2009Â MedPage Today (7/20, Susman) reports that, according to a study presented at an HIV conference and conducted by researchers with the Community Research Initiative of Boston, “patients in an experimental program suppressed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to undetectable levels over a full year of taking potent antiretroviral medications on a five-day on, two-day off (FOTO) [...]
Tamiflu sales boost Roche profits.
Friday, July 24th, 2009Â The New York Times (7/24, Pollack) reports that “sales of the drug Tamiflu [oseltamivir phosphate] have skyrocketed since the outbreak of swine flu in April, bolstering the profits of the drug’s maker, Roche.” The company “said Thursday that sales of Tamiflu in the first half of 2009 tripled to 1 billion Swiss francs ($931 million), [...]
40 PERCENT OF SENIOR CITIZENS NOT TAKING PRESCRIBED MEDICINES DUE TO BUDGET CONCERNS
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009Almost Eight in Ten Respondents Have Also Cut Food Budget
A new survey, released today by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), found that senior citizens are being forced to make drastic cuts to their medical and food budgets due to the recession.
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The survey, conducted over a three-month period earlier this year, had more than 1,040 respondents [...]
Last Ditch Treatment Keeps HIV at Bay
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009Three powerful new drugs can suppress human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections that are highly resistant to current antiretroviral medications for up to a year, researchers reported here.
After 48 weeks of treatment, 89 of 103 patients in a clinical trial maintained suppression of HIV to undetectable levels using the 50 copies/mL assay, according to Yazdan Yazdanpanah, [...]
Cognitive Function Is Superior In Breast Cancer Patients Treated With Letrozole Versus Tamoxifen
Friday, July 17th, 2009Source: Medical News Today
New results show that postmenopausal women with breast cancer receiving adjuvant letrozole have better cognitive function than women being treated with tamoxifen. The data, from a recent meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), are drawn from a sub-study of the Breast International Group (BIG) 1-98 trial.
The trial, which enrolled [...]
New Jersey to stop paying for Viagra, “cosmetic drugs” for seniors.
Thursday, July 16th, 2009The AP (7/16) reports, “New Jersey is telling senior citizens they’ll have to pay for their own Viagra [sildenafil] from here on.” The state’s Department of Health and Senior Services “announced the change in letters sent Wednesday to the 176,000 people enrolled in its two low-cost prescription drug plans for senior citizens.” In addition, “the [...]
Roche exploring ways to offer Tamiflu over longer periods, at higher doses.
Monday, July 13th, 2009Source: DIA DailyÂ
The Financial Times (7/13, Jack) reports that “Roche, the Swiss pharmaceutical group, is exploring ways to offer its flu treatment Tamiflu [oseltamivir] over longer periods and at higher doses, a tactic that could further boost sales of the…antiviral medicine.” According to “David Reddy, the executive responsible for the drug…the company was starting clinical [...]
Proposal seeks to allow Americans to buy cheap prescription drugs from Canada via the Internet.
Monday, July 13th, 2009Â The Wall Street Journal (7/11, Mundy) reported that Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) “prevailed in a lengthy battle Thursday night on the Senate floor to pass legislation that could let Americans buy cheap prescription drugs from Canada via the Internet.” The lawmaker, however, “acknowledged in an interview that his amendment to a $43 billion funding bill [...]
Research on resveratrol seen as “still in its infancy.”
Monday, July 13th, 2009The Los Angeles Times (7/13, Healy) reports that “resveratrol has been found to suppress the formation of blood clots and boost the efficiency of immune system cells” in humans, and to “increase the life span of yeast, flies, fish, and roundworms.” Research has also shown that “a feeding regimen that includes” resveratrol “makes obese mice [...]
H2 antagonists an alternative to PPIs to prevent bleeds in aspirin users
Saturday, July 11th, 2009The histamine H2-receptor antagonist famotidine (Pepcid, Johnson & Johnson/Merck), is effective in the prevention of peptic ulcers and erosive esophagitis in patients taking low-dose aspirin, a new study, Famotidine for the Prevention of Peptic Ulcers and Esophagitis in Patients Taking Low-Dose Aspirin (FAMOUS), has found.
Although proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are known to be effective in the [...]
