Contraceptive pill cuts ovarian cancer risk, study says

The Guardian: "The contraceptive pill substantially reduces women's risk of ovarian cancer and continues to protect them for at least 30 years after they stop taking it, according to a big scientific analysis published today.
The research, by Oxford University epidemiologists, suggests that the risk of ovarian cancer is cut by 20% for every five years that a woman has been on the pill. Those who take it for 15 years cut their risk by half. Ovarian cancer is hard to detect and kills two-thirds of those who get it."

Group seeks Botox warning after 16 death reports

Reuters: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Botox and a similar injection should come with stronger warnings following reports of 16 deaths after the botulinum toxin spread inside the body, a U.S. consumer group said on Thursday. Public Citizen asked U.S. authorities to require the strongest possible warning, highlighted in a 'black box,' on Allergan Inc's Botox and Solstice Neurosciences Inc's Myobloc."

U.S. FDA says reviewing Vytorin cholesterol drug

Reuters: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators said on Friday they would review whether to take action over Merck & Co Inc's and Schering-Plough Corp's popular cholesterol medicine Vytorin after a study showed it was no better than a generic drug in preventing the build-up of fatty plaque.
The Food and Drug Administration said it had not yet received a final report on the study, called Enhance. The agency's review of Vytorin will take about six months after final results are received, the FDA said."

Video--The Pulse -Thalidomide makes its comeback --Pt 2

The Pulse looks at the controversial drug being used to treat blood cancers.

Seawater spray cures kids colds-Czech researchers

Reuters: "For parents worried about how to treat children's colds now that some medicines have been called into question, the answer may be a dose of salt water.

A nasal spray made from Atlantic Ocean seawater eased wintertime cold symptoms faster and slowed cough and cold symptoms from returning among children ages 6 to 10, researchers in Europe reported on Monday."

FDA to Parents: Do Not Give Tots Cough and Cold Meds

Scientific American: "The Food and Drug Administration this week issued a stern health advisory once again warning parents not to give babies under two years of age over-the-counter (OTC) cold and cough medicine because of potentially 'serious and life-threatening side effects.' This includes decongestants, expectorants, antihistamines and antitussives (cough suppressants) that you can pick up at pharmacies and supermarkets, including Wyeth's Robitussin, Novartis, AG's Triaminic and Johnson & Johnson's Tylenol Plus Cold."

US Approves New HIV Drug; Could Help When Other Drugs Do Not

VOA News "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug that could help HIV patients who are not being helped by other HIV-fighting medications.
The drug is etravirine. It will be sold under the name Intelence."

What Drug Companies Hide From You

ABC News: "The results of a clinical trial released Monday found that Vytorin did not reduce the buildup of harmful plaque in arteries any better than a much cheaper generic drug.
But the study was completed in April 2006. Typically, results are released in three to six months. Merck and Schering-Plough, the two companies that developed and marketed the drug, withheld test results for 19 months."

Cholesterol Drug Zetia Doesn't Benefit Health, Trial Shows

washingtonpost.com: "The long-awaited results of a trial of Zetia, a cholesterol-lowering drug prescribed to about a million Americans, shows the drug confers no medical benefit to users.
In fact, the pace at which artery-clogging plaques formed within vessels almost doubled in patients taking Zetia (ezetimibe) along with another cholesterol-lowering drug, Zocor (simvastatin), compared to those taking Zocor alone, the study found."

Chewing Gum Sweetener Can Cause Dangerous Weight Loss

Medical News Today: "Many sugar-free chewing gums contain a sweetener called sorbitol. Sorbitol is a laxative which is poorly absorbed by the small intestine. An article in this week's British Medical Journal (BMJ) warns of the dangers of excess sorbitol intake.

The warning comes after doctors came across two patients who had chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain and dangerously excessive weight loss. After lengthy investigations which could not identify why the patients were losing so much weight and had chronic diarrhea and pains, a detailed analysis of eating habits put the problem down to eating too much chewing gum with sorbitol."

Millions of Young People Abuse Cough Medicines

Medical News:: "ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 10 -- More than three million 12- to 25-year-olds have tried to get high on over-the-counter cough medicines containing dextromethorphan at some point in their lives, a large survey found.

But only 1.7% (SD: 0.08%) of this age group, or fewer than one million, had done so in the past year, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health."

FDA Sets Meeting for Theravance Drug "WASHINGTON - A panel of government experts will meet in late February to review Theravance Inc.'s antibiotic to treat skin infections caused by 'superbug' bacteria. The Food and Drug Administration said its panel of antibiotic experts will meet Feb. 27 to consider approval of telavancin, which has already been delayed once by regulators."

'Bio-identical' hormone claims unsupported | Reuters

Reuters: "U.S. health officials warned seven pharmacy operators on Wednesday that their claims about the safety and effectiveness of 'bio-identical' hormones were false, misleading and not supported by medical evidence."

U.S. warns of severe pain with osteoporosis drugs

Reuters: "U.S. health officials issued an alert on Monday to highlight the possibility of severe bone, joint and muscle pain in patients treated with certain osteoporosis medicines.
The prescription drugs are members of the class called bisphosphonates. They include Fosamax from Merck & Co Inc and Actonel, sold by Procter & Gamble and Sanofi-Aventis ."

Red Wine Drug Shows Proof That It Combats Aging

Wired: "SAN FRANCISCO -- For the first time, scientists have proof in human subjects that a derivative of an ingredient in red wine combats some symptoms of aging. Sirtris Pharmaceuticals announced the results here on Monday at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference.
Resveratol, naturally found in red wine, stimulates a gene known as SIRT1, which has been linked with extended lifespans in rodents. The new study is the first time similar effects have been replicated in humans."

FDA Reports New Risks Posed by Anemia Drugs: "Two new studies offer further evidence of the health risks posed by the anemia drugs known as erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), U.S. officials announced Thursday.
The studies showed that patients with breast or advanced cervical cancer who took the drugs as treatment for chemotherapy-induced anemia died sooner or had more rapid tumor growth than patients not on the drugs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials said in a prepared statement."

Soon, Female Viagra!

Softpedia: "Viagra boosted sex and life quality. But in men the main issue is impotence and Viagra is an anti-impotence drug. Instead, the main sexual issue for women is the lack of sex drive. This could be solved by a new drug currently in trial at the University of Virginia. Other 99 medical institutions are involved in the trial for testing the efficiency and security of the new product.

Cancer vaccine a painful cure

Northwest Herald "ATLANTA (AP) – The groundbreaking vaccine that prevents cervical cancer in girls is gaining a reputation as the most painful of childhood shots, health experts say.

Health officials touted the Gardasil vaccine as an important new protection against a cancer-causing sexually transmitted virus. In recent months, they also had noted reports of pain and fainting from the shot."

Drugs Offer No Benefit in Curbing Aggression, Study Finds

New York Times: "The drugs most widely used to manage aggressive outbursts in intellectually disabled people are no more effective than placebos for most patients and may be less so, researchers report.
The finding, being published Friday, sharply challenges standard medical practice in mental health clinics and nursing homes in the United States and around the world."

FDA Reviews New Amgen, J&J Data

WSJ.com: "WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration said it is reviewing additional information submitted by Amgen Inc. and Johnson & Johnson involving risks associated with the antianemia drugs Aranesp, Epogen and Procrit and 'may take' additional regulatory action.
The agency strengthened warnings on the widely used drugs twice last year and plans to hold another advisory-panel meeting in the next few months to discuss the new studies, which the agency said weren't included in the most recent label update of the drugs Nov. 8."

Is Your Doctor Prescribing Placebos?

TIME: "One of the most intriguing processes in medicine is the placebo effect: the healing power of a sham therapy, when it's offered to patients with the suggestion that it will help. Neuroscientists have even observed where and how the placebo effect may work in the brain. In one recent study by University of Michigan researchers, participants who were told they would receive painkillers showed increased production of endorphins — the brain's natural pain reliever — even though they got no analgesic at all. It makes sense. Most people can attest that the mere expectation of relief can somehow prompt the body to respond. What most people don't know, however, is that doctors occasionally prescribe placebos to their patients in regular practice."

As Illinois' limits on smoking near, tools to help quit are rising

chicagotribune.com: "The chemical stimulates receptors in the reward center of the brain to release dopamine, triggering feelings of pleasure. Without regular surges of dopamine, smokers go into withdrawal and experience craving, irritability, anxiety, insomnia and difficulty concentrating.

Two FDA-approved prescription medications offer relief: bupropion hydrochloride, marketed as Zyban and Wellbutrin, and varenicline tartrate, marketed as Chantix. Neither contains nicotine.

Chantix went on the market in 2006. Studies found it can reduce the urge and eliminate the pleasurable effects of nicotine if the smoker does light up."

Prostate Cancer Patients on Aspirin Therapy More Likely to Die, Study Says: "Prostate Cancer, hormone treatments and aspirin therapy could be a deadly combination. According to research published in the December 27th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, men undergoing hormone therapy for prostate cancer—and who take baby aspirin to protect their heart—run a significantly higher risk of dying. Apparently, baby aspirin side effects interact with the hormone therapy, elevating liver-function test levels. Liver function testing is a routine part of cancer-fighting treatments. Because of this, the man must stop potentially lifesaving hormone therapy. Hormonal therapy involves reducing levels of male hormones called androgens and is a common treatment for prostate cancer. Because this type of therapy can raise the risk of a heart attack, men who are older or have known coronary risk factors such as diabetes or smoking, generally include baby aspirin in their treatment protocol while undergoing hormone therapy because aspirin helps prevent blood clots."