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Skipping Meds Can Be Deadly

Half of patients undermine health by skipping doses, quitting medication

(Newser) - Half of all patients with chronic illnesses don't take their medication as prescribed, says a new report, undermining their health and hastening their death. Patients with illnesses like heart disease and asthma often skip doses, misunderstand prescriptions or drop medication as soon as they feel better. The result is  more... More »

8 Yanks Graduate From Cuban Med School

Free tuition, humanitarian approach drew minority students

(Newser) - Cuba's Latin American School of Medicine graduated its first batch of American students this week, helping raise the eight-year-old school's profile. There are 90 more already enrolled in the free program, which comes with an exemption to the ban on travel to Cuba for Americans. Students are selected by the... More »

Drug Recall Hurts Poor HIV Patients

In many countries, no life-saving meds

(Newser) - In the wake of a drug recall by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche, tens of thousands of AIDS patients in the developing world no longer have access to lifesaving medicine. Last month, Roche announced a recall of the drug Viracept, after finding a hazardous chemical in some batches. But in... More »

Americans Pop Happy Pills in Record Numbers

Antidepressants are most-prescribed drug in the US

(Newser) - Antidepressants are America's most prescribed drugs, according to a new CDC report, clocking in more scripts than meds for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or asthma. Prescriptions for antidepressants rose 48% between 1995 and 2002, accounting for 118 million of the 2.4 billion drugs prescribed in 2005. More »

Chinese Make Dino Soup

(Newser) - Chinese villagers in Henan province dug up a ton of fossilized dinosaur bones, using them to make traditional medicines, including soup and poultices. The villagers, not entirely inaccurately, believed that they were ‘dragon bones’ from flying dragons. Once they learned of their value to paleontologists, the villagers donated the... More »

Staph Infection Rate Stuns Experts

Eye-opening numbers on antibiotic-resistant 'superbugs' dwarf previous estimates

(Newser) - Over a million hospital patients contract a dangerous, drug-resistant staph infection every year, a rate 10 times more than previously thought. Tens of thousands infected with antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" may die from what officials call one of the nation's most serious public-health threats, today's Chicago Tribune reports. More »

New Studies Give Hope to Parkinson's Patients

Gene therapy, drug could halt disease

(Newser) - Two new experimental treatments for Parkinson's could stop the progress of the devastating disease and allay its symptoms, researchers say. A new study shows gene therapy was successful in boosting production of an enzyme that calms overactive neurons, reducing the jittery effects of the brain disorder. More »

Amazon Tribe Broods Over Poached Blood

Brazil Indians livid after discovering DNA samples sold in the US

(Newser) - An Amazon tribe is bilious after scientists took blood samples in exchange for medicine they never got, the Times reports. Doctors collected DNA from the Karitiana Indians in the late '70s and again in 1996, and then sold it to researchers for $85 a pop. But now the once remote... More »

Bloodthinner Can Help Frostbite Victims

Drug spares digits, study says

(Newser) - A clot-busting drug is remarkably effective in treating frostbite patients, according to new research from the University of Utah health center, reports the Los Angeles Times. Patients whose treatment included tissue plasmingoen activator (tPA) kept 90% of affected fingers and toes; patients treated before the drug was in use had... More »

Women Alerted to Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer

Subtle signs may aid early diagnosis of stealthy disease

(Newser) - In an effort to dispel the belief that ovarian cancer has few early symptoms, experts are urging women to acquaint themselves with an array of common conditions associated with one of the deadliest types of cancer. The new guidelines acknowledge for the first time that late diagnosis is not a... More »

China Finds Fake Protein in IV Drips

Counterfeit albumin discovered in hospitals and pharmacies

(Newser) - In yet another product-safety scandal, fake blood protein has been found in IV drips in 60 hospitals and pharmacies in northeastern China, the BBC reports. Albumin, or plasma protein, is administered to patients suffering from burns or undergoing open-heart surgery; the counterfeit contained no protein at all.  More »

Americans Go Abroad, Online for New Diet Pill

Hung up in FDA approval process, pill's already scoring big

(Newser) - The weight loss drug Acomplia is stuck in FDA limbo, but that isn't stopping Americans from ordering it off the Internet or buying it in Europe, where it's legal. If the government rules that its lowering of weight and cholesterol balances out the possible side effects, including suicide and depression,... More »

Genes Give Up Secrets of 7 Serious Diseases

Landmark study sheds light on diabetes, depression, more

(Newser) - In an outcome one scientist describes as a "new dawn," researchers have identified genetic variations linked to seven common diseases, opening the door to improved tests and treatments. The study, which focused on depression, Crohn's disease, coronary artery disease, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, and Type 1 and 2 diabetes,... More »

Controversy Rages Over Diabetes Drug's Heart Risks

FDA official says superiors ordered her to back off serious warning

(Newser) - Troubling questions about the diabetes drug Avandia persisted yesterday as an FDA official revealed that she was barred from recommending a critical warning about the medication, the Times reports. In the run-up to congressional hearings that began today, manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline rushed to disseminate interim clinical findings in hopes of blunting... More »

Nigeria Sues Pfizer Over Deadly Tests

$7B suit claims drug giant carried out disastrous trials on children

(Newser) - Nigeria is suing pharma giant Pfizer for $7 billion, claiming the company carried out improper trials on children. 200 children in the state of Kano died, and others developed deformities, after Pfizer tested Trovan, an experimental antibiotic, during a 1996 meningitis outbreak. Nigeria claims the tests were unauthorized, but Pfizer... More »

UK to Patients Who Smoke: Put That Out

National Health Service imposes four-week window before surgery

(Newser) - Smokers in Britain must kick the habit for at least four weeks before undergoing routine surgery or the National Health Service will deny them the operations, the Daily Mail reports. Doctors will use blood tests to enforce the new policy, which could affect up to 500,000 smokers awaiting procedures... More »

New Drug Battles Liver Cancer

Nexavar, already approved for kidney cancer, shows promise in liver patients

(Newser) - An impressive clinical trial has produced what could be the first effective drug treatment for liver cancer, the New York Times reports. Nexavar, which blocks both the blood supply to the tumor and proteins that spur tumor growth, extended the lives of patients in the trial by almost three months,... More »

Kidney Donor Reality Show Was a Hoax

Broadcaster draws praise for raising awareness of transplant-organ shortage

(Newser) - A controversial Dutch reality show featuring a dying woman’s choice of a kidney recipient aired last night—and was revealed as a hoax. The "donor" was an actor; the contestants were real patients who were in on the prank. A producer said the goal was to call attention... More »

Glaxo Stems Stock Slide Over Avandia

Medical chief rebuts findings on heart risks; claims comparable to other drugs

(Newser) - Glaxo shares pulled out of a tailspin after the pharma giant defended its second biggest selling drug, Avandia, against claims that it triggers heart attacks.  A sharply worded letter from the company's chief medical officer on the website of medical journal The Lancet pointed out that the increased incidence... More »

Drug-Resistant TB Patient Flies Commercial

Carrier crossed Atlantic twice, putting passengers at risk

(Newser) - A man infected with drug-resistant tuberculosis boarded two transatlantic flights in two weeks, CNN reports, putting his fellow passengers at risk. Planes are equipped with air filters that should catch the rod-shaped TB bacili, but the CDC recommends anyone on Air France 385, from Atlanta to Paris May 12, or... More »

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