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A study from the Washington University in St. Louis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Jan. 21, enrolled 177 adults of 60 years and above and found that almost 70%, who took antidepressant Lexapro for 12 weeks, improved in anxiety symptoms and social functioning compared with 51% in the placebo group. Remarkable is that participants with high blood pressure taking Lexapr
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2009.01.22 00:00
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According to an analysis of prescription-medication claims from a large group of employers, the use of sleeping pills appears to have nearly tripled among people ages 18 to 24, rising from 599 users per 100,000 in 1998 to 1,524 users per 100,000 in 2006. The most popular sleeping pills were the non-benzodiazepine hypnotics Ambien CR (zolpidem) and Lunesta (Eszopiclone).
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2009.01.16 00:00
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On Jan 9, Merck & Co. announced that the FDA requested more data on the use of the Gardasil vaccine by older women and wants to wait for the completion of a continuing trial of the vaccine in women 27 through 45 years old before approval is granted. The vaccine, protecting against the HPV virus, is considered most effective in people who haven"t had sex yet and therefore, the older the population
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2009.01.13 00:00
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According to findings of a phase III trial, which will be published in the The Lancet Oncology next month, 75% of the patients using palonosetron did not experience nausea and vomiting in the 24 hours immediately after receiving a chemotherapy regimen. And almost 57% of those on palonosetron avoided the ill effects during the first five days after treatment, compared with about 44% who had been gi
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2009.01.12 00:00
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After issuing an alert about contaminated diet pills last month, the FDA is continuing its investigation and added an additional 41 products to the list. The agency started the investigation after it became clear that many of these pills use undeclared drugs that may put health at risk, such as rimonabant, phenolphthalein and bumetamide. Most of the pills are made in China. There is a possibility
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2009.01.09 00:00
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A study from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, published online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, found that sildenafil appears to strengthen RGS2, a protein essential in protecting the heart"s blood-pumping function. The hearts of mice, engineered to lack RGS2, expanded in weight by 90% and died of heart failure almost halfway through the test. But, in the animals with RGS
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2009.01.07 00:00
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The FDA considers changing the label of anticlotting drug Plavix (clopidogrel) to include data on genetic factors that could interfere with the medicine, after studies show the drug is not effective for almost 30% of the patients.
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2009.01.02 00:00
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The FDA approved a new HIV test that screens for two, less common forms of the virus: HIV-2 and HIV-1 Group O strains, which are common among patients in Africa and have recently been detected in the U.S. The test screens for the most common forms of HIV and hepatitis as well.
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2009.01.02 00:00
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According to a study published in the JAMA on Dec 24, at least two million older Americans are taking a risky mix of medicines including OTC drugs and dietary supplements, as well as prescriptions drugs, and older people are more vulnerable to side effects and drug-to-drug interactions. The most common combination of non prescription drugs with the potential for a serious interaction was ginkgo
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2008.12.26 00:00
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The FDA has listed more than 25 weight loss products to avoid because they contain ingredients that are not labeled and could cause serious health problems such as high blood pressure, seizures, heart attacks, or strokes. Most of the diet pills appear to be coming from China, and are mainly sold on the internet, the AP reports. The FDA said it may take action, such as issuing warning letters or
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2008.12.24 00:00
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The application of Targanta Therapeutics Corp. for oritavancin, a treatment against antibiotic-resistant staphylococcal infections, has been rejected by the FDA because of safety concerns. The agency is also worried that the drug doesn"t work against the most dangerous germs and called for an additional study.
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2008.12.11 00:00
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Researchers from the University of Illinois, Stanford University and others will discuss in the journal of Pharmacotherapy next month the practice of prescribing medications for other purposes than those approved for by the FDA, the so called “off-label use”, which is sometimes encouraged by manufacturers. The researchers have identified 14 such medications, most of them psychiatric drugs, and cal
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2008.12.02 00:00
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The Archives of Internal Medicine published the results of a study of Harvard Medical School comparing Avandia (rosiglitazone, GlaxoSmithKline) to Actos (pioglitazone, Eli Lilly) using the database of almost thirty thousand elderly people with diabetes over a 5 year period. About 50% of the patients were treated with rosiglitazone and 50% were taking pioglitazone. Death rates were 15% higher among
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2008.12.01 00:00
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The Archives of Internal Medicine published the results of a study which examined the medical records of almost thirty thousand Danish patients hospitalized for pneumonia over a six-year period. Nearly 1,400 of them started statin treatment within four months of being admitted. After calculating mortality rates for statin users and nonusers it was found that death of pneumonia among statin users w
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2008.12.01 00:00
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혈액학 50년 역사 한눈에 본다 미국혈액학회가 창립 50주년 기념 학술대회를 샌프란시스코 모스콘센터에서 이달 6일부터 9일까지 세계적인 석학들이 참석한 가운데 열린다. 이번 학술대회는 혈액학의 선구자(Pioneers in Hematology), 학술프로그램 (Scientific Program), 교육프로그램(Education Program), 수련활동 및 서비스(Trainee Activities and Services) 등으로 나눠 그 동안의 역사를 되짚어 보면서 앞으로의 혈액학 발전을 모색하는 50주년에 걸맞는 다양한 프로그램으로 구성돼 있다. 특히 혈액학의 선구자 섹션에서는 지혈, 울혈, 혈전, 혈액생성, 적혈구, 이식 등에 대한 저명한 인사들의 개인적인 업적에 대해서 토론을 하는 자리가 마련되고 학
지난연재
하장수
2008.12.01 00:00
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In the wake of a continuing Hib vaccine shortage, caused by a recall of certain lots of the vaccine, authorities have urged alertness for suspected cases of invasive Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib). The Hib bacterium is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in children. The CDC said, in its Nov.21 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report, to expect the shortage to continue till the middle
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2008.11.25 00:00
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An FDA panel mentioned on Nov. 18 that product labels on popular cosmetic wrinkle fillers should warn consumers about scarring and other problems that may appear even years after receiving the injections. At the moment only instant and short term adverse effects are noted on most of the product labels.
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2008.11.23 00:00
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Doctors are over-prescribing strong antipsychotic medications in children 12 and younger, without taking the grave side-effects into consideration, according to a FDA expert panel. Also, these treatments are widely used in ADHD, even though most of them are not indicated for such disorders. During the panel’s meeting with pharmaceutical representatives on November 18th, a proposal for regular FDA
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2008.11.21 00:00
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Interpol seized more than $6.65 million of imitation drugs against malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis in Southeast Asia for the second time in three years. Operation Storm involved almost 200 raids conducted across Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Among the seized medications were fake malaria drugs based on artemisinin, which renders the malaria parasite resistant to
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2008.11.19 00:00
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Roger Bate, the director of the health advocacy group Africa Fighting Malaria, says, in an op-ed in the New York Times, that more must be done to secure the safety and quality of drugs in developing countries. Many poor governments have turned to local production, which is of low-quality. Most of them don’t have regulation to monitor safety nor laws against selling substandard drugs. Aid organizat
제약단신
메디칼라이터팀
2008.11.19 00:00