Archive for July, 2009
« Previous Entries Next Entries »Isentress Gets FDA Approval for Treatment Newbies
Saturday, July 11th, 2009Merck & Co. yesterday received approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its integrase inhibitor, Isentress (raltegravir), for people who have never taken HIV treatment. Isentress was previously approved only to treat people who have used and become resistant to other antiretroviral therapies.
The approval was based on 48 week data from [...]
Plavix, aspirin can save a heart patient’s life
Friday, July 10th, 2009By Dr. KARTHIK SHEKA
Q. I recently had a heart attack and was successfully treated with stents. My cardiologist has prescribed Plavix and aspirin, and I’m wondering: how important are these drugs?
During a cardiac catheterization procedure, a stent is placed in a blocked coronary artery. The stent, which looks like a small wire mesh tube, helps [...]
Wearing the nicotine patch before quitting increases success, study says
Friday, July 10th, 2009Source: LA Times Blogs
Smokers who wear a nicotine patch for two weeks before they quit smoking are twice as likely to kick the habit as those who puton the patch on the day they quit, finds a new study, published online in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
Smokers, and the physicians who advise them, have always been wary of suggesting [...]
Common meds can lead to cognitive impairment in older people
Thursday, July 9th, 2009Source: Courier-Journal.com
They’re used for some of the most common ailments around — allergies, nausea, depression, itching, urinary incontinence and lack of sleep, just to name a few.
But they also could affect your mental sharpness, especially if you’re over the age of 65.
The culprit: drugs, such as Benadryl, Detrol and Paxil, that have so-called “anticholinergic effects,” [...]
Fact and Myths about Generic Drugs
Thursday, July 9th, 2009Today, 7 in 10 prescriptions filled in the United States are for generic drugs. This fact sheet explains how generic drugs are made and approved and debunks some common myths about these products.
FACT: FDA requires generic drugs to have the same quality and performance as the brand name drugs.
When a generic drug product is approved, [...]
Acid Reflux “Halo” Treatment
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009Chronic Acid Reflux is common and popular medications like Prilosec and Nexium are effective treatments. But left untreated, doctors believe chronic reflux can lead to another serious condition affecting the esophagus. It is called Barrett’s Esophagus, and in some cases it can lead to cancer of the esophagus, which is very hard to treat unless [...]
Smoking Cessation Harder For Women Than Men
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009Women appear to have a tougher time quitting smoking than men, according to researchers at Women’s Health Research at Yale.
While the percentage of men nationally who have given up cigarettes between 1965 and 2006 was 54.5 percent, the rate of decline among women was less steep, at 47.5 percent.
Consequently, the gap in the percentages of [...]
Stepwise dosing schedule may ease neuropsychiatric side effects of efavirenz, trial indicates.
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009MedPage Today (7/6, Neale) reported, “A stepwise dosing schedule eases the neuropsychiatric side effects of the HIV drug efavirenz (Sustiva),” Spanish researchers found after conducting a trial that involved 114 patients. For 24 weeks, 60 participants “were randomized to the stepwise dosing schedule: daily doses of 200 mg for days one through six, 400 mg [...]
SENIORS MOST AFFECTED BY FINANCIAL CRISIS
Sunday, July 5th, 2009Source: Smart Money
The current economic recession is expected to have a major impact on the way that Americans live for at least a generation. A fundamental shift appears to be underway with individuals seeking to reduce leverage and consume less. 70% of our economy is based upon consumption. For as long as I can remember [...]
Congress’s $1.2 Million a Day Drug Habit—and Pharma’s Phony “Gift” to Health Care Reform
Friday, July 3rd, 2009by James Ridgeway
Big Pharma pulled off a first-class PR coup last week with its widely celebrated pledge to support health care reform by offering up a package of discounts they claim will run to $80 billion over the next ten years. The highlight of the package, said to be worth about $30 billion, is a [...]
