www.dailyrx.com - Prescription Drug News

Merck Provides Update on Investigational Drug for Insomnia

Staff — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:49:27 +0000

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, provided an update on the development program for suvorexant, the company's investigational orexin receptor antagonist, which, if approved, will be a new mechanism for the treatment of insomnia.

Updated Vaccine Schedule Released

Tara Haelle — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:50:08 +0000

The updated 2012 recommended vaccination schedules for children and adolescents has been released by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Vaccines Are Good Things

Tara Haelle — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:10:07 +0000

Two Missouri pediatricians are on a mission: help doctors respond to parents' fears about vaccinations while pointing out the importance of the potentially life-saving shots.

Hearts Love Aspirin

Deanna Morey — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:44:06 +0000

When it comes to helping heart failure patients avoid a stroke, common over-the-counter aspirin may be just as effective as a prescription blood thinner.

Stress, Inflammation and Cancer

Travis Giddings — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:08:06 +0000

Cancer is a lot like a runaway train. In order for it to happen, not only did a lot of things go wrong, but the built-in safety mechanisms failed as well.

Morning-After Pill Helps Control Uterine Tumors

Tara Haelle — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:10:05 +0000

An emergency birth control pill taken after intercourse to prevent pregnancy has been found to prevent something else: intense bleeding caused by fibroids.

Smoking and Heartburn may Lead to Fractures

Lindsay Patterson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:50:38 +0000

When you have heartburn, you might turn to common medications like Nexium, Prevacid, or Prilosec. But if you're an older woman, who smoked, these drugs may have the dangerous side effect of hip fractures.

Arrhythmia Drug Boasts Lower Brain Bleeding

Deanna Morey — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:40:54 +0000

Prior to its approval last year, there was much debate about Xarelto (rivaroxaban), an anti-clotting drug designed to prevent stroke among patients with atrial fibrillation, a common heart arrhythmia.

Antipsychotic Drugs May Cause Metabolic Problems

Christopher Wright — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:05:00 +0000

Antipsychotic drugs are among the most prescribed drugs in the U.S. Almost all of these drugs are known to possibly cause obesity and diabetes, and, until recently, nobody knew why.

Chemo That's Head and Neck Over Cancer

Travis Giddings — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:22:55 +0000

Doctors are always trying to find a competitive edge on any cancer, and finding new uses for current drugs is a common practice.

New Shots at Treating Breast Cancer

Laurie Stoneham — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:29:56 +0000

Imagine you've been diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, but instead of chemotherapy, you're given four shots. This Twilight Zone-sounding scenario is on the horizon.

Pfizer Announces Recall Of Birth Control

Staff — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:14:59 +0000

Pfizer Inc. announced that it has voluntarily recalled 14 lots of Lo/Ovral-28 (norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol) Tablets and 14 lots of Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets (generic)for customers in the U.S. market.

FDA Approves Gleevec for Rare Gastrointestinal Cancer

Staff — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:09:34 +0000

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Gleevec (imatinib) regular approval for use in adult patients following surgical removal of CD117-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Today’s action also highlights an increase in overall patient survival when the drug is taken for 36 months rather than the standard 12 months of treatment.

Birth Control Pills Recalled

Tara Haelle — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:48:59 +0000

Pfizer, Inc. recalled 14 lots of Lo/Ovral-28 and 14 lots of Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol birth control pills because they were incorrectly made and may not prevent pregnancy.

Extending Lives of Men With Prostate Cancer

Laurie Stoneham — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:17:22 +0000

Usually, drug companies are the organizations that discover new medicines. It's rare for drugs to come out of academic labs, but that's just what happened with the first medication found to be effective against advanced prostate cancer.

FDA Approved New Type 2 Diabetes Drug

Staff — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:50:41 +0000

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Jentadueto (linagliptin/metformin hydrochloride) tablets, a new tablet combining the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, linagliptin, and metformin.

Don't Fret About Taking Advair

Charles Poladian — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:50:16 +0000

No matter how effective a drug may be, if it is not safe it cannot be used. A new study has found out how safe a common asthma treatment is.

Bydureon Approved for Type Two Diabetes

Travis Hill — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:36:03 +0000

Some diabetes drugs have to be taken multiple times a day. For many patients, it can be hard to stay on such a strict schedule. Now, patients have the option of a once-weekly drug for type 2 diabetes.

FDA Approves Advanced Basal Cell Cancer Drug

Staff — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:18:19 +0000

Roche announced that Erivedge (vismodegib) capsule was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for adults with a type of skin cancer, called basal cell carcinoma (BCC), that has spread to other parts of the body or that has come back after surgery or that their healthcare provider decides cannot be treated with surgery or radiation.

FDA Approves Safety Test for MS Drug

Lindsay Patterson — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:23:43 +0000

Tysabri, one of the few drugs approved to treat multiple sclerosis, is getting a label makeover courtesy of the FDA. The new look shows off a newly approved safety test for patients.

Tasigna Recommended for Second-Line CML

Laurie Stoneham — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:54:49 +0000

Tasigna (nilotinib) is one of the three major medications currently being used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Now it has become a preferred drug in one country.

A Hearty Defense Against Chemo's Harm

Travis Giddings — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:30:06 +0000

Cancer treatment is frequently a delicate balance between too much and not enough. Part of the therapy includes careful evaluation of how the patient is handling the side effects.

Lithium Still Bipolar's Treatment of Choice

Shelley Seale — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:22:08 +0000

At one time lithium was a common drug treatment for bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive disorder. But its use has decreased significantly, partly due to concerns about safety and its possible negative effect on kidney function.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, B Gone

Travis Giddings — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:46:06 +0000

Typical cancer treatments involve broad spectrum drugs that can cause harmful effects to a wide range of cells. Until recently, specialized medicines without a long list of side effects were a rarity.

More Safety Points for HPV Vaccine

Tara Haelle — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:38:22 +0000

The vaccine recommended for boys and girls to prevent HPV, an infection that can cause cervical and other cancers, has been shown not to cause diabetes, lupus or similar diseases in young women.

Risperidone Effective in Treating Childhood Mania

Shelley Seale — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:35:32 +0000

For children who suffer from manic, or bipolar, disorder there are many drug therapies available. But the side effects can be a problem, and until now no one has really studied which medication is the best for children.

How Does Thalidomide Treat Multiple Myeloma?

Travis Giddings — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:18:29 +0000

A fun fact about drug development is that despite the best effort of everyone involved, it's hard to predict what the drug is going to do. Rogaine and Viagra were both originally developed as blood pressure medications. And then there's thalidomide.

OTC Supplement Dims Ovarian Cancer

Laurie Stoneham — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:56:27 +0000

You know that vegetables are good for you. And cruciferous vegetables - broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts - are especially healthful. New studies are demonstrating the anti-cancer effects of an ingredient in these green goddesses.

FDA Versus Ranbaxy

Staff — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:55:41 +0000

The Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has filed a consent decree of permanent injunction against generic drug manufacturer Ranbaxy in the U.S. District Court of Maryland.

Saving Your T-Cells For a Rainy Day

Travis Giddings — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:33:37 +0000

One problem with using chemotherapy in leukemia is that the T cells of the immune system are wiped out along with the cancer cells. Then patients are overwhelmed with normal bacteria that their immune system can no longer fight.