Among people with epilepsy, Black, Latino and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander people are less likely to be prescribed newer drugs than white people, which can be a marker of the quality of care, according to a study published in the January 11, 2023, online issue of Neurology® Clinical Practice, an official journal of… Continue reading Racial Inequity in Epilepsy Care
Tag: drugs
Heart Disease And The Risk of Falls
A new American Heart Association (AHA) scientific statement addresses ways to prevent falls among adults with cardiovascular disease. The statement was published on May 19, 2022, published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an AHA journal. The highlights of the statement, as published in an AHA news release, including the following: *Falls and fear of… Continue reading Heart Disease And The Risk of Falls
How Pharmacists Can Help You
How often has this happened to you: You pick up a prescription at the pharmacy and later realize you have questions about something in the directions or warnings. Or you buy an over-the-counter (OTC) drug but aren’t sure about the correct dosage after reading the label. That’s where pharmacists come in. Whether at your local… Continue reading How Pharmacists Can Help You
Drug-Overdose Suicides Increasing Among Older People
A new study of intentional drug overdose deaths, or suicides by an overdose of a medication or drug, found an overall decline in recent years in the United States, but an increase in young people aged 15-24, older people aged 75-84, and non-Hispanic Black women, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study… Continue reading Drug-Overdose Suicides Increasing Among Older People
FDA Withdraws Emergency Approval of Anti-Malaria Drugs to Treat COVID-19
The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has withdrawn its emergency use authorization (EUA) of two anti-malaria drugs to treat COVID-19 patients, the agency said. The drugs affected, chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate, are normally used to combat malaria. But under the EUA, the FDA allowed them to be used to treat some patients with… Continue reading FDA Withdraws Emergency Approval of Anti-Malaria Drugs to Treat COVID-19
COVID-19: Regulatory Terminology
There’s a lot of confusion about which medical products might work to prevent or treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Scientists are working hard to develop a number of potential drugs for the prevention or treatment of coronavirus, but none are currently approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for these purposes. Some “investigational”… Continue reading COVID-19: Regulatory Terminology
Rejected and Unfilled Prescriptions for New, Pricier Cholesterol Drugs Tied to Higher Heart, Stroke Risk
Patients appear to be at higher risk of heart problems or stroke when prescriptions for the newest cholesterol-lowering drugs are rejected by insurance companies or unfilled by patients, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal. The drugs, PCSK9 inhibitors (PCSK9i), can substantially lower levels of low-density lipoprotein… Continue reading Rejected and Unfilled Prescriptions for New, Pricier Cholesterol Drugs Tied to Higher Heart, Stroke Risk
Lack of Sleep Leads to Risky Behavior in Teens
High school students who don’t get enough sleep are likelier to engage in risky activities ranging from carrying a weapon to attempting suicide, according to research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.. Previous studies have demonstrated that insufficient sleep among youth can result in learning difficulties, impaired judgment and risk of adverse health behaviors.… Continue reading Lack of Sleep Leads to Risky Behavior in Teens
A Better Weapon in The Fight against Cancer
Johns Hopkins researchers have invented a new class of cancer immunotherapy drugs that are more effective than existing methods at harnessing the immune system’s power to fight cancer. This new approach, reported in Nature Communications, results in a significant decrease of tumor growth, even against cancers that do not respond to existing immunotherapy. “The immune… Continue reading A Better Weapon in The Fight against Cancer
3 Signs It’s Time to Seek Alternative Treatments for Overly Medicated Kids
Parents of children suffering from ADD, ADHD or other brain-based disorders can grow frustrated and even desperate as they seek to stem the difficulties they and their children face daily. Often, medicating the children becomes not just a last resort, but a first resort. Parents will try whatever they can to help their child, and… Continue reading 3 Signs It’s Time to Seek Alternative Treatments for Overly Medicated Kids
4 Medication Safety Tips for Older Adults
Smart strategies from the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on how best to take your medicines: Whether you’re settling into your sixties or heading into your ninth decade, be careful when taking prescription and over-the-counter medicines, herbal preparations, and supplements. And if you’re caring for older loved ones, help them stay safe, too. Why… Continue reading 4 Medication Safety Tips for Older Adults
Study: Some Drugs for Kidneys May Damage the Organ
A specific combination of drugs designed to protect the kidneys may be damaging the organ, according to research from the University of Virginia School Medicine. Researchers identified the potential problem while studying strange kidney lesions in mice that cannot make the enzyme renin. Such lesions are also seen in patients with high blood pressure. The… Continue reading Study: Some Drugs for Kidneys May Damage the Organ
The Link Between Doctors and Drug Sales Representatives
Limiting how pharmaceutical sales representatives market their products to physicians changes the doctors’ drug prescribing behaviors, according to new research. A team, led by the University of California, Los Angeles’ Ian Larkin and Carnegie Mellon University’s George Loewenstein, examined restrictions 19 academic medical centers (AMCs) in five U.S. states placed on pharmaceutical representatives’ visits to… Continue reading The Link Between Doctors and Drug Sales Representatives
How to Tell if Your Teen Is Using Drugs
Prescription drugs, especially opioids, are a growing threat to the health of young people, with 6 percent of teens 12 to 17 saying they use the drugs for non-medical reasons. And in 2014, prescription drugs caused the overdose death of 1,741 young people ages 18 to 25, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.… Continue reading How to Tell if Your Teen Is Using Drugs
Is It Really “FDA Approved”?
“FDA approved!” Maybe you saw those words on a company’s website, or in a commercial promoting a new product or treatment. Some marketers may say their products are “FDA approved,” but how can you know for sure what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves? FDA is responsible for protecting public health by regulating human… Continue reading Is It Really “FDA Approved”?
FDA Facilitates Research on Earlier Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a nightmare haunting many Americans. More than 5 million Americans have been diagnosed with the disease, which is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and the most common cause of dementia among people 60 or older. Alzheimer’s is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and… Continue reading FDA Facilitates Research on Earlier Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease
Managing Balance Problems
Balance problems can be frightening because they often increase the risk of a fall, which can have serious consequences including breaking a hip. People are more likely to have problems with balance as they get older. But age is not the only reason these problems occur; there are other causes, too. In some cases, you… Continue reading Managing Balance Problems
A Prostate-Cancer Treatment May Be Linked to Dementia
Prostate-cancer patients who are treated with testosterone-lowering drugs may be twice as likely to develop dementia within five years as those whose testosterone levels are not treated, according to a new study. The research, conducted at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, also demonstrates emerging techniques… Continue reading A Prostate-Cancer Treatment May Be Linked to Dementia