The federal government is tightening the prescribing practices for the most commonly used painkiller drug in the United States. The New York Times reports that the narcotic ingredient, hydrocodone, will now be placed in a much tougher and more restrictive category effective this month. This is one of the most far-reaching efforts to stop the epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse by Americans.
The new rule makes it so doctors will no longer be able to call ...
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The 2014 Scientific Sessions at the American College of Cardiology highlighted a new class of cholesterol drugs aimed at lowering LDL. These drugs, called PSCK9 inhibitors, may be an effective substitute for widely used statins like Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor. An article by the Cleveland Clinic notes that this class of drugs may prove promising for situations in which statins are either ineffective or not tolerated well by the patient.
An alternative to statins is especially ...
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A recent New York Times piece discusses one woman’s experience with a heart attack and how that experience compared with that of her late husband. The article points out some common misconceptions and behaviors that may lead to a delay in treatment of heart attacks – based on the woman’s own beliefs or a lack of knowledge by healthcare providers.
There is a common misconception that cancer is the biggest killer of women. In ...
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Unfortunately, pharmaceutical companies sometimes put profits ahead of all else. While it seems that patient safety should be at the forefront of a company’s efforts in drug development, some actions can raise questions as to a company’s true priorities. A recent Bloomberg article details the Philadelphia trial of a woman who claims the company marketed its diabetes drug Actos with little regard to patient safety. The plaintiff, who has developed cancer, claimed that the company failed to ...
Zolpidem is a commonly prescribed sleep aid medication that is generally used to treat insomnia. The drug commonly known as Ambien has been involved in a large number of emergency room visits related to overmedication. The number of visits doubled from 21,824 in 2005-2006 to 42,274 in 2009-2010. A Forbes article explains the dangers of overprescribing and drug abuse in the case of this insomnia drug as well as other prescription drugs.
The study comes ...
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A recent Philly.com story takes a look at the risks and symptoms of sepsis.
Sepsis is the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer in the United States. It is estimated that 258,000 Americans die each year from sepsis. Yet, many people do not know what sepsis is, let alone the risks of the illness.
The Sepsis Alliance defines sepsis as “the presence of pathogenic organisms or their toxins in the ...
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