But prasugrel also adds risk of bleeding to death
Associated Press Nov 5, 07 9:00 AM CST
(Newser)
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An experimental new blood-thinner looks like real competition for top-selling anti-clotting drug Plavix, after proving more effective at preventing heart attacks, strokes, and heart-related death in a recent trial, the AP reports. But “there is a price to pay” for increased effectiveness, wrote one doctor—the new drug caused an extra bleeding death for each heart-related one it prevented.
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Patients needed less medication, had
fewer side effects
Reuters Oct 17, 07 10:38 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Acupuncture before or during surgery can reduce post-operative pain, researchers have found. Patients who received the nontraditional treatment reported less pain after various surgeries, needed less pain medication and suffered fewer side effects from the medication they took, according to 15 clinical studies reviewed by the team. "The use of acupuncture is still very under-appreciated," said the lead researcher.
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Antibiotic-resistant staph kills more Americans than AIDS
Washington Post Oct 16, 07 11:26 PM CDT
(Newser)
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An antibiotic-resistant strain of staph kills more Americans each year than HIV, accounting for almost 19,000 deaths annually, the first national stats on the superbug reveal. The super-staph is treatable but can quickly lead to dangerous "flesh-eating" infections. "We really need to be on guard against these emerging organisms," one epidemiologist tells the Washington Post.
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Incompatible donor-
recipient pairs find matches in strangers
Wall Street Journal Oct 15, 07 1:28 PM CDT
(Newser)
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One woman desperately needs a kidney transplant; her husband wants to donate but is incompatible. Across the country, the same scenario. But the healthy spouses match the unhealthy spouse in the other couple and make a reciprocated donation to a stranger. About 230 such swaps have taken place since 2000, reports the Journal, and there's hope that the practice might ease organ shortages.
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Meds prevent donor organ rejection in mice
Reuters Oct 8, 07 12:50 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A new kind of cancer drug may be useful in treating autoimmune disorders and preventing transplant patients' bodies from rejecting donor tissue, new research reveals. The drugs seem to promote T-cells, which help regulate the body's immune system, Reuters reports. In mice, the drugs reversed inflammatory bowel syndrome and stopped heart transplant rejections.
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Commits to reviewing applications faster
Reuters Oct 5, 07 9:19 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The FDA approved about a third more generic drugs in fiscal 2007 than the year prior, and pledged yesterday to speed its review process to accommodate yet more. Sales of generics, which average about one-third the cost of their brand-name counterparts, are up 22%—and one advocacy group says the FDA isn't doing enough to cut through the 1,300-drug backlog.
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Patients who receive acne drug in first 23 hours show 'dramatic' improvement
Los Angeles Times Oct 2, 07 9:56 AM CDT
(Newser)
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An antibiotic commonly used to treat acne has shown promise in helping stroke victims recover. Patients who got minocycline within a day of their stroke fared markedly better than those who did not, a discovery that could open the critical window for treating stroke victims from just 3 hours to a full day, the LA Times reports.
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Chronic sufferers find relief in treatment
Associated Press Sep 25, 07 3:24 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Acupuncture has a far better success rate than other treatments for patients with chronic lower back pain, and fake acupuncture is nearly as effective as the real thing, a new study has found. Normal medical treatment produced significant improvement in 24% of people, while 47% of acupuncture patients felt better, as did 44% of those who got a sham version of the procedure.
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'Squirting drugs' like 'squirting ink,' says exec
San Francisco Chronicle Sep 12, 07 1:30 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Printer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard is teaming up with an Irish company to develop a skin patch that delivers precisely controlled amounts of drugs with tiny needles. The drug delivery system uses some of the same technology as ink printers, and could inject different drugs at different times. "Squirting ink and squirting drugs— it's not a whole lot different," said one executive.
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Works on different brain chemical than
its predecessors
BBC Sep 3, 07 3:58 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The first human trial of a new medication to treat schizophrenia that works fundamentally differently from its predecessors has shown promising results, according to this month's Nature Medicine . The drug targets glutamate rather than dopamine, as do other drugs. Scientists have long known glutamate is involved in schizophrenia.
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Anti-cholesterol drugs appear to combat
brain disease
Time Aug 28, 07 7:48 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The best medicine for Alzheimer's disease may be a heart drug, researchers say, and the discovery may shed light on the way the devastating disorder acts on the brain. Subjects taking popular statin-based cholesterol meds developed fewer protein deposits in their brains, reports Time , possibly confirming suspicions that Alzheimer’s is more of a blood vessel problem than a brain disease.
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Led by Oxycodone, sales of painkillers soared 90% in 8 years
Associated Press Aug 20, 07 9:40 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Retail sales of five major painkillers rose a whopping 90% from 1997 to 2005, a new AP analysis of DEA statistics shows. The increase is driven by Oxycodone, the chemical used in OxyContin, which has seen sales increase nearly 600%. Causes include an aging population, huge new drug marketing campaigns, and an increased willingness by doctors to prescribe the meds.
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UK treatment ends insulin dependency for type 1 sufferers
Guardian (UK) Aug 19, 07 5:55 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Car crashes, comas, sudden stabbings, divorces – all are being indirectly diminished as Britain spearheads a new procedure to help sufferers of type 1 diabetes. Victims of the growing disorder are often subject to fits and blackouts as they scramble for insulin, but a new operation is offering hope: already a dozen Britons are infused with cells to eliminate insulin dependency entirely.
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Hospital and med bills don't have to cost an arm and a leg. Lower your blood pressure with these tips from MSNBC.
MSNBC Aug 17, 07 5:38 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Avoid financial injury by following these ten tips from MSNBC : Shop for tests. Different labs may vary widely in costs. Negotiate. Hospitals may waive or reduce a co-pay fee if the patient can prove that it's a hardship. Question the necessity of follow-up appointments, X-rays or MRIs.
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