Intensive control of blood-sugar levels among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus may reduce the risk of microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria, signs of kidney damage, but evidence is lacking regarding the effect over renal end points, according to the results of a study published May 28 in Archives of Internal Medicine.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is partnering with providers, caregivers, and patients to ensure appropriate use of antipsychotic medications for nursing home patients, the government announced last week.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is proposing an expansion of its current hepatitis C risk-based guidelines to include a simple, one-time blood test for anyone born from 1945 through 1965.
Sandoz, a division of Novartis, is voluntarily recalling 10 lots of its generic oral contraceptive Introvale (levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol) tablets in the United States, after a consumer reported a packaging flaw.
The Health Data Initiative Forum III: The Health Datapalooza cohosted by the Institute of Medicine and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is convening this week in Washington, DC, focusing on innovative applications and services that harness the power of open data from HHS and other sources to help improve health and healthcare.
Legislation to reauthorize FDA user fee programs sailed through the House and Senate last month, setting the stage for leading legislators to resolve their differences and agree on a compromise measure. Much of the work will be tackled by committee staffers who have been laboring over the legislative details for months. The aim is to bring the House and Senate leaders together in about 2 weeks to hash out the final language.
The number of physicians and clinicians using e-prescribing increased by 67% in 2011 and they filled 75% more medication orders electronically, according to a new downloadable report by Surescripts, which operates a nationwide network connecting the computer systems of physicians and pharmacies.
Folic acid fortification of US grain products may be lowering rates of certain kidney and brain cancers in children but does not appear to be causing childhood cancer rates to increase, according to findings from a study published online May 22 in the journal Pediatrics.
Statin therapy is safe and effective for people at low risk of major vascular events and, therefore, current guidelines might need to be reconsidered, according to a study published online in The Lancet.
More than a third of patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus did not receive the recommended first-line drug, a finding that could have substantial implications for healthcare spending, according to a study published in the American Journal of Medicine.
Changes in procedural antithrombotic strategy are associated with a significant temporal reduction in major bleeding over time in patients undergoing elective post-percutaneous intervention, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
New molecular entity: FDA approved lucinactant (Surfaxin, Discovery Laboratories) for the prevention of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature infants at high risk of RDS.
FDA recently issued a warning about an increased risk of developing new cancers for patients taking lenalidomide (Revlimid, Celgene) for the treatment of multiple myeloma.
Recent FDA Approvals (through May 2012) related to (Meda, Novo Nordisk, Janssen, Vivus, Clinigen, GlaxoSmithKline, Stride Arcolab)
Recent FDA action (through May 2012) related to, Loxapine, Adasuve, Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Denosumab, Xgeva, Amgen, Furiex, Takeda, Nesina, alogliptin, fixed-dose combination alogliptin and pioglitazone, Liovel, Emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, Truvada, Gilead Sciences, Lorcaserin, Arena Pharmaceuticals, Eisai, Tofacitinib, Pfizer, Tafamidis, ACH-3102, Achillion, CK-2017357, Cytokinetics, Taliglucerase alfa, Elelyso, Pfizer, Carisbamate, SK Biopharmaceuticals, Vancomycin hydrochloride, Vancocin, Akorn, Watson
On May 15, 2012, FDA announced completion of their safety review of fingolimod (Gilenya, Novartis).
As FDA considers a new paradigm that would expand the definition of nonprescription drugs, healthcare experts say the proposed paradigm could have its benefits and challenges for the healthcare industry.
A look at liposomal bupivacaine, a local anesthetic providing pain relief post-surgery
New molecular entity: FDA approved the synthetic, pegylated erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) peginesatide (Omontys, Affymax) for the treatment of anemia due to chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adult patients on dialysis.
The drive for personalized medicine and greater patient involvement in treatment decisions demands more informative data on the effects and risks associated with drugs and medical products.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Here's a review of treatment options and guidelines to delay disease progression.
The use of benzocaine gels and liquids to soothe teething and mouth and gum pain can lead to a rare but serious?and sometimes fatal?condition called methemoglobinemia, according to an FDA Consumer Update.
The drug-shortage crisis got a step closer to being alleviated Thursday, when the U.S. Senate passed FDA?s Safety and Innovation Act (SB-3187).
The use of atypical antipsychotics in patients with major depressive disorder who have not responded to antidepressant therapy substantially increased clinical response rates at 6 weeks; however the drugs are also much more costly, according to the results of an analysis published in the May issue of The Annals of Pharmacotherapy.
The multiple sclerosis drug fingolimod (Gilenya, Novartis) is now contraindicated for use in patients with certain pre-existing or recent heart conditions or stroke, or who are taking certain antiarrhythmic medications, according to FDA
Taking probiotics during a course of antibiotics reduces the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, according to the results of a study published May 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
