Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles
Cellulite Cream

Lobbyists Continue Pressing Their Cases
Pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, advocacy groups and others with a stake in health reform continue to lobby in hopes of winning concessions in the overhaul, or at least surviving the changes unscathed. "One of the groups key to working any deal is the pharmaceutical industry, which has been quite active behind the scenes," National Public Radio reports. NPR interviewed former congressman Billy Tauzin, who is president of PhRMA, the drug industry"s lobbying group. Tauzin said he couldn"t predict whether health reform, which his group supports, would make the industry wealthier, but added, "we"ll do okay" (7/30).
generic viagra online
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Announces Presentation Of Forodesine Data At The 45th Annual Meeting Of The American Society Of Clinical Oncology
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: BCRX) announced long-term data from a Phase 2 study of forodesine, the Company"s lead oncology compound, in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). The data will be presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) being held in Orlando, Florida from May 29-June 2. Forodesine is a transition-state analog inhibitor of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP), a purine salvage pathway enzyme that is essential for the proliferation of T-cells and B-cells.
News of the day
Studies Examine Morning Sickness Drug, Progesterone Use To Prevent Premature Birth
The following summarizes news coverage on two pregnancy-related studies. ~ Morning sickness: The commonly prescribed heartburn drug metoclopramide -- sold generically and under the brand-names Reglan, Octamide and Maxolon -- can be used to treat morning sickness without harming the health of the fetus, according to a study published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, Time reports. The drug, which also has anti-nausea properties, is not FDA-approved for use in pregnant women in the U.S., though it is commonly prescribed in European and other countries to treat morning sickness (Park, Time, 6/10). According to the Los Angeles Times, U.S. physicians occasionally prescribe metoclopramide to treat severe morning sickness cases. The new study found that there were no statistically significant differences between infants born to women who took metoclopramide and those who did not. Researchers said that the findings "provide reassurance regarding the safety of metoclopramide for the fetus when the drug is given to women to relieve nausea and vomiting during pregnancy." The study involved 81,703 births among women enrolled in Israel"s largest health HMO, including 33,458 who used the drug (Maugh, Los Angeles Times, 6/11). Jennifer Niebyl, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Iowa, said, "There are very few drugs approved for use in the first trimester of pregnancy. But this study could lead to metoclopramide getting approved to treat morning sickness because this is good data with big numbers" (Time, 6/10).~ Progesterone: The hormone progesterone was not effective at preventing premature births among women pregnant with twins, despite evidence suggesting its effectiveness at preventing premature births in single pregnancies, according to a University of Edinburgh study published in the journal Lancet, Reuters reports. Multiple pregnancies have a larger health risk for women and significantly increase the likelihood of miscarriage, premature birth and long-term health problems. The study involved 500 women who took either progesterone or a placebo daily for 10 weeks. Although previous studies have shown that progesterone might prevent premature birth in certain high-risk pregnancies, the new findings show the treatment did not reduce the likelihood of premature delivery or a fetus dying in utero in twin pregnancies. Twenty-five percent of women delivered or had a fetus die before 34 weeks in the progesterone group, compared with 20% in the placebo group (Kahn, Reuters, 6/10).
Medical Devices

Treatment That Significantly Slows Progression Of Eye Damage In Persons With Type 1 Diabetes - University Of Minnesota

University of Minnesota Medical School researcher Michael Mauer, M.D., has found a treatment that significantly slows the progression of eye injury in people with type 1 diabetes, a common complication caused by this disease. By administering an antihypertensive, medication commonly prescribed to treat high blood pressure, Mauer and colleagues were able to slow progression of diabetic eye damage in more than 65 percent of participants involved in the study. Diabetes is the primary cause of acquired blindness in adults and accounts for nearly half of all new cases of chronic kidney failure in the Unites States each year, and people living with the disease often struggle with these complications as it progresses. Previous studies of people with type 1 diabetes who were already exhibiting symptoms of vision and kidney function loss showed that these types of antihypertensive medications slowed further function loss in the kidneys, but often could not prevent kidney failure. Mauer and colleagues were interested in testing whether or not they could delay diabetic kidney injury in participants who had normal blood pressure and had not yet shown signs of kidney disease at the beginning of the study. Three groups of participants were observed over the course of five years. Two groups were administered one of two antihypertensive medications, losartan or enalapril, and the last group, a placebo. The results were unexpected, but conclusive. Mauer"s study demonstrated that these drugs did not protect the participants" kidneys from damage or from losing function. However, participants who were administered either enalapril or losartan experienced a significant slowing of the progression of diabetic eye injury, by 65 and 70 percent, respectively. "The secondary results of this study showed that people taking these antihypertensive medications experienced a substantially positive effect in slowing diabetic eye injury," said Mauer, professor of pediatrics and medicine in the Medical School. "Although neither medication delayed early kidney tissue injury or early loss of kidney function, the advantage to a study with negative findings such as this one is that physicians now know that this treatment is ineffective for this purpose, and they can pursue other treatment options that may improve their patients" outcomes." Although the data does not support the use of these types of antihypertensives to prevent kidney damage in people living with diabetes, Mauer and colleagues find it reasonable for physicians to consider prescribing these classes of medication to people with type 1 diabetes in order to slow the onset and progression of diabetic eye disease. He notes, though, that this also poses several other unanswered questions such as at what age a person with diabetes should be prescribed this class of drug and how long they should continue taking it. Mauer"s study "Renal and Retinal Effects of Enalapril and Losartan in Type 1 Diabetes" is published in the July 2nd issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. An editorial accompanies the article. The study was supported by research grants from the National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases), Merck (in the United States), Merck Frosst (in Canada), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Nick Hanson University of Minnesota


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009