Nausea Drug Shows Promise Against Opioid Addiction
A drug currently used to treat nausea can prevent symptoms of withdrawal from illegal and prescription opioid drugs such as heroin, morphine and codeine, a new study shows. The Stanford University scientists behind the research added it can do so without some of the serious side effects caused by existing treatments for addiction to these drugs. Initial tests in mice showed that the drug ondansetron... Read more
Menopause drug linked to breast cancer relapse: study
A synthetic steroid used to treat menopause symptoms and prevent osteoporosis significantly increases the risk of a relapse in breast cancer patients, according to a study released Tuesday. The steroid, called tibolone, should not be prescribed to a woman who has had or is suspected of having breast cancer, concluded the study, published in the British medical journal The Lancet Oncology. Women with... Read more
Medical pot backers say L.A. raids betray Obama vow
Several recent federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries in California have betrayed President Barack Obama’s campaign pledge to halt such busts if elected, medicinal cannabis advocates said on Wednesday. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents served search warrants on four medical marijuana vendors in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday, seizing more than 200 kg (440 pounds) of cannabis,... Read more
Medicare Drug Plan ‘Doughnut Hole’ Could Impact Seniors’ Health
American seniors who reach the no-coverage “doughnut hole” in the Medicare Part D drug plan are less likely to use prescription drugs than those with an employer-based plan, a new study finds. The finding raises concerns about health consequences and increased costs from hospitalizations and doctor visits resulting from this lack of drug coverage, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh... Read more
Mouse Study Suggests ADHD Drug Might Be Addictive
Ritalin, a drug commonly used to treat children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), caused changes in the brain cells of mice similar to those seen with cocaine, a new study shows. The researchers, from The Rockefeller University in New York City, said the findings suggest that chronic exposure to Ritalin in high doses could prove addictive, and highlight the need for more research... Read more
Zoloft, Lexapro the Best of Newer Antidepressants
Sertraline (Zoloft) and escitalopram (Lexapro) are the best of 12 new-generation antidepressants, while reboxetine is the least effective, a new analysis shows. The Italian researchers reviewed 117 studies that included more than 25,000 patients with major depression to come to this conclusion. The drugs tested in the trials were bupropion (Wellbutrin/Zyban), citalopram (Celexa), duloxetine (Cymbalta),... Read more
New anti-psychotic medications as risky as older ones: study
Newer anti-psychotic medications used to treat schizophrenia, dementia and other psychiatric disorders appear to double a patient’s risk of sudden heart failure, research published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine found. The major study is the latest in recent months to show that these newer drugs, dubbed “atypical medications,” are not much safer than the older generation... Read more
Vets Often Forgo Medication When Co-Pays Rise
When the co-payment amount for prescription drugs goes up, veterans tend to stop taking needed medications, a new study has found. Reporting in the Jan 27. issue of the journal Circulation, University of Pennsylvania researchers found that adherence to medication dropped more than 19 percent among veterans who had to make co-payments when that amount was increased in 2002. By comparison, medication... Read more
Drug from genetically engineered goats a first
You’ve heard of making cheese from goats’ milk, but prescription drugs? In what would be a scientific first, an anti-clotting drug made from the milk of genetically engineered goats moved closer to government approval Wednesday after experts at the Food and Drug Administration reported that the medication works and its safety is acceptable. Called ATryn, the drug is intended to help people... Read more
Study sheds light on deadly childhood cancer
A gene involved in cell division also helps fuel a deadly childhood cancer called neuroblastoma and could offer a new way to develop drugs to treat the disease, German researchers said on Monday. The study published in the journal Cancer Cell found that a protein produced by the AURKA gene feeds a different gene called MYCN, which scientists know plays a key role in fuelling tumor growth in children... Read more