"Health & Medical News"

Washington — Drug firms would have a more direct route to physicians when it comes to spreading the word about new research findings for off-label uses of drugs and devices, if a new Food and Drug Administration proposal is finalized.

The proposal, which was published in the Feb. 20 Federal Register Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: unranked [?]

The iodine content in table salt may not match its label, and amounts may vary throughout the container, according to a study published in the Feb. 15 Environmental Science & Technology.

“There’s a problem here,” said Purnendu K. Dasgupta, PhD, lead author and chair of the chemistry department at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: unranked [?]

A proposed new nutrition information panel for alcoholic beverages should include alcohol-content information instead of relegating such disclosures to a smaller and less-visible part of drink packaging, and producers also should be required to provide a list of ingredients in their products, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Washington — Cancer patient Judith M. Layzer has come to the conclusion that the administrators of the Medicare drug benefit are forcing her to choose between her money and her life.

Layzer, a 66-year-old retired widow from New York, has a granulosa cell tumor, a rare form of ovarian cancer that no longer responds to the more traditional treatments for the condition. So for the past eight years, her doctor has had her on daily doses of Cetrotide (cetrorelix acetate), a drug that is normally used to prevent premature ovulation in women undergoing fertility treatments. She and her doctor are convinced that this off-label use of the drug has kept her alive.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: unranked [?]

An anti-psychotic drug already approved in the U.S. to treat adults and adolescents with schizophrenia may soon be available for youngsters age 10 to 17 years of age suffering from bipolar disorder.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given priority review status to the drug Abilify which is manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceutical.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: unranked [?]

Patients frequently confront difficulties finding the information they need on prescription drug labels. The resulting misunderstandings can make it more likely a drug will be taken incorrectly. For these reasons, physicians and other advocates for improved health literacy are contemplating the standardization of medication labels.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: unranked [?]

Labels on all alcoholic beverages sold in Finland will include a warning that states “alcohol endangers the development of a fetus and your health” beginning in 2009, the Associated Press reported Sept. 21.

The new regulation comes as alcohol has been recognized as the top cause of preventable death in Finland, causing 17 percent of all deaths among 15- to 64-year-old men.

Popularity: 5% [?]