News

This month, FDA launched its revamped Recalls, Market Withdrawals, and Safety Alerts website, making it easier for consumers to search and view food and product recall information going back to 2009.

Fingolimod (Gilenya, Novartis) reduced the risk of disability progression in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, regardless of treatment history, according to a phase 3, 2-year study reported at the 63rd annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

Dalteparin was not better than unfractionated heparin for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis among critically ill patients, according to an international study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Obama administration recently unveiled a multiagency plan to reduce the ?epidemic? of prescription drug abuse in the United States. It will include an FDA-backed education program that zeros-in on reducing the misuse and misprescribing of opioids.

Roche recently recalled its Accu-Chek FlexLink Plus infusion sets globally because they may under-deliver insulin to patients.

Transdermal buprenorphine (Butrans Transdermal System, Purdue Pharma) was superior to placebo in treating opioid-naïve patients with moderate-to-severe chronic low back pain, according to study results presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, in National Harbor, Md.

One 30-minute application of a capsaicin (8%) patch (NGX-4010, Qutenza, NeurogesX) can reduce neuropathic pain due to HIV-associated neuropathy, according to data presented here at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, in National Harbor, Md.

Conversion to a 7-day regimen of transdermal buprenorphine (Butrans Transdermal System, Purdue Pharma) from a stable regimen of hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Vicodin, Abbott) can be successful in patients with osteoarthritic pain of the hip or knee, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, in National Harbor, Md.

Topical diclofenac is safer and better tolerated by patients with osteoarthritis of the knee compared with the oral formulation, according to data presented here at annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, in National Harbor, Md.

FDA has approved rituximab (Rituxan, Genentech) in combination with glucocorticosteroids for the treatment of 2 forms of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis, Wegener's granulomatosis and microscopic polyangiitis.

FDA has approved tocilizumab (Actemra), given alone or in combination with methotrexate, for the treatment of active systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis in children 2 years of age and older.

The administration of vaginal progesterone from the mid-trimester of pregnancy until term in women with a premature cervical shortening as confirmed by transvaginal ultrasound significantly reduced the rate of preterm birth before 33 weeks gestation, according to a phase 3 study published online April 6 in Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

FDA issued drug safety communications about a serious adverse effect associated with the use of over-the-counter benzocaine gels, sprays, and liquids applied to the throat and gums to reduce pain.

There are several advanced therapies in addition to blood thinners that physicians should consider when managing patients with deep vein thrombosis, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association.

FDA has approved gabapentin enacarbil (Horizant Extended-Release Tablets, GlaxoSmithKline and XenoPort), a once-daily treatment for moderate-to-severe restless legs syndrome, also known as Ekbom disease. It is the first medication in its class to be approved for this condition.

The number of people treated in U.S. hospitals for illnesses and injuries from taking medicines increased 52%-from 1.2 million to 1.9 million-between 2004 and 2008, according to an April 2011 report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

An estimated 9 million working-age adults became uninsured in the last two years, according to the Commonwealth Fund 2010 Biennial Health Insurance Survey.

Using clinical analytics to lower clinical costs emerged as the top drivers for payers for using and analyzing clinical data, according to an HIMSS Analytics whitepaper.

CaroMont Health, based in Gastonia, NC, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) have announced a collaborative arrangement to offer patients a new health care delivery and reimbursement model for knee replacements.

A survey of 321 seniors 65 and older revealed that 61% think the healthcare reform bill has weakened Medicare in the year since it became law.

FDA has approved peginterferon alfa-2b (Sylatron, Merck) for the adjuvant treatment of melanoma with microscopic or gross nodal involvement within 84 days of definitive surgical resection including complete lymphadenectomy.

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease may need 2 doses of adjuvanted split influenza A vaccine to elicit the same antibody response as healthy individuals, reported a recent Swiss study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism.

The anticholinergic drug tiotropium is more effective than the ?2-agonist salmeterol in preventing exacerbations in patients with moderate-to-very-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a multicenter European study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Clopidogrel hypersensitivity, which affects 6% of patients, can be successfully treated using short-course corticosteroids and antihistamines without interrupting drug therapy, reported researchers at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.

Combining angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors with angiotensin-receptor blockers is associated with increased risk of adverse renal outcomes, according to a recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

FDA said it wouldn't take action against compounding pharmacies that continue to supply 17 alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate (Makena, KV Pharmaceutical, Ther-Rx).

The use of high-dose clopidogrel compared with use of standard-dose clopidogrel does not reduce the incidence of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or stent thrombosis among patients with high on-treatment reactivity after percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents, according to a recent multicenter study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Naproxen/esomeprazole magnesium (Vimovo, AstraZeneca and Pozen) 500/20-mg delayed-release tablets was generally well tolerated in osteoarthritis patients requiring daily NSAID therapy who were at risk for NSAID-associated ulcers, according to an open-label, multicenter phase 3 study.

5?-reductase inhibitors may cause persistent erectile dysfunction, depression, and loss of libido, even after discontinuing use, in men being treated for systems of benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenetic alopecia, according to a literature review published in the March 2011 issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus are commonly nonadherent to therapy, according to a recent study published in the March 2011 issue of Arthritis Care & Research.