Drug to treat AD/HD in short supply.
The Washington Post (5/4, Stein) "The Checkup" blog reported that "reports are emerging that many parents are having a hard time finding some drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). The biggest problem appears to be shortages of the drug Adderall XR (Amphetamine/Dextroamphetamine) and its two generic versions." According to Shire Pharmaceuticals spokesperson "Matt Cabrey, the problem is due to 'supply and distribution irregularities' that 'are due mainly to the restricted amount of active ingredient' used to make the drugs."
Friday, May 6, 2011
New Diabetes Drug
FDA approves new type 2 diabetes treatment.
Bloomberg News (5/3, Peterson) reports, "Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) and Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH won US approval of a new drug to improve blood glucose control in people with Type 2 diabetes." The medication, Trajenta (linagliptin) was "shown to be safe and effective in eight clinical studies involving about 3,800 patients with Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease," the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.
The AP (5/3, Perrone) reports that the FDA approved the a DPP-4 inhibitor as a "stand-alone treatment or in combination with older diabetes" medications. Boehringer and Lilly "submitted eight studies of the drug that enrolled more than 3,800 patients. The drug consistently improved blood sugar control when compared to placebo. The most common side effects of the drug were respiratory infection, sore throat, muscle pain and headache."
MedPage Today (5/2, Fiore) noted that unlike the "other approved DPP-4 inhibitors sitagliptin (Januvia) and saxagliptin (Onglyza), linagliptin is not excreted through the kidneys, so it may be especially appropriate for patients who have renal problems." According to Medscape (5/2, Lowes), linagliptin, which "comes in tablet form, boosts the level of hormones that stimulate the release of insulin after a meal by blocking an enzyme called dipeptidyl peptidase-4." HealthDay (5/2) also covered the story.
Bloomberg News (5/3, Peterson) reports, "Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) and Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH won US approval of a new drug to improve blood glucose control in people with Type 2 diabetes." The medication, Trajenta (linagliptin) was "shown to be safe and effective in eight clinical studies involving about 3,800 patients with Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease," the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.
The AP (5/3, Perrone) reports that the FDA approved the a DPP-4 inhibitor as a "stand-alone treatment or in combination with older diabetes" medications. Boehringer and Lilly "submitted eight studies of the drug that enrolled more than 3,800 patients. The drug consistently improved blood sugar control when compared to placebo. The most common side effects of the drug were respiratory infection, sore throat, muscle pain and headache."
MedPage Today (5/2, Fiore) noted that unlike the "other approved DPP-4 inhibitors sitagliptin (Januvia) and saxagliptin (Onglyza), linagliptin is not excreted through the kidneys, so it may be especially appropriate for patients who have renal problems." According to Medscape (5/2, Lowes), linagliptin, which "comes in tablet form, boosts the level of hormones that stimulate the release of insulin after a meal by blocking an enzyme called dipeptidyl peptidase-4." HealthDay (5/2) also covered the story.
Children's Hospital Stay
Children whose parents do not speak English fluently have longer inpatient hospital stays than peers.
MedPage Today (5/2, Smith) reported, "When parents don't speak English well, their children may have longer inpatient stays if they need to be hospitalized," according to a study published online in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. For the nine-year retrospective analysis, Michael Levas, MD, and colleagues from Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Missouri, reviewed medical record of "1,257 children admitted to their hospital from Jan. 1, 2000, to Dec. 31, 2008 for infection requiring prolonged antibiotic treatment" and found that "sick children with parents whose English proficiency was limited spent 60% longer in hospital than those whose parents spoke fluently."
MedPage Today (5/2, Smith) reported, "When parents don't speak English well, their children may have longer inpatient stays if they need to be hospitalized," according to a study published online in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. For the nine-year retrospective analysis, Michael Levas, MD, and colleagues from Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Missouri, reviewed medical record of "1,257 children admitted to their hospital from Jan. 1, 2000, to Dec. 31, 2008 for infection requiring prolonged antibiotic treatment" and found that "sick children with parents whose English proficiency was limited spent 60% longer in hospital than those whose parents spoke fluently."
Social People and Dementia
Highly social individuals may have decreased risk of dementia.The Time (5/3, Szalavitz) "Healthland" blog reports that the most "social seniors had a 70% reduction in the rate of cognitive decline, compared with their least social peers," according to a study in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. Researchers followed "1,138 people" (average age 79) without dementia for five years. They found that each "one-point increase on the social activity score was linked to a 47% drop in the rate of decline in cognitive function." An earlier study of the "same group of elderly participants by the same researchers also found that each one-point increase in sociability reduced the risk of becoming physically disabled by 43%."
Waist Fat Risk
Fat around waist may increase risk of death in patients with coronary artery disease.The Los Angeles Times (5/2, Healy) "Booster Shots" blog reported that, "for people with coronary artery disease, including those with a 'normal, healthy' body-mass index (or BMI), having even a little flubber around the middle is a bad omen, increasing the risk of death as much as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day or having very high cholesterol," according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The researchers found that "having a BMI in the 'overweight' or 'obese' category does not, by itself, imply a grim prognosis."
The Wall Street Journal (5/3, Winslow, Subscription Publication) reports that, according to Michael Lauer, director of cardiovascular sciences at the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, "Fat is not created equal and where fat is located makes a difference."
CNN /Health.com (5/3, Harding) reports that "the paradox appears to be explained by the simple fact that BMI is a very flawed measure of heart risk. Waist size provides a far more accurate way to predict a heart patient's chances of dying at an early age from a heart attack or other causes, the study found."
MedPage Today (5/2, Smith) reported that "the findings could have important clinical implications, the researchers argued, because it's generally accepted that if body mass index is normal, 'no further measures of obesity are necessary, and no lifestyle modifications to induce weight loss might be recommended.'"
Concierge Medicine
More physicians opting for concierge medicine.In the New York Times (4/30, B6, Subscription Publication) Wealth Matters column, Paul Sullivan wrote about "a growing subset of" healthcare: concierge medicine. "MDVIP, which has 450 concierge doctors in 34 states, charges patients $1,500 to $1,800 a year. Their doctors are each limited to 600 patients, whereas, the company says, most primary care physicians serve at least 2,000 patients." The company "says appointments with doctors 'start on time and last as long as necessary' and can usually be made the same day or the next one."
Infants and Herbs
FDA researchers find infants being given potentially harmful herbal supplements.
The AP (5/2) reports, "New research suggests many US babies are fed herbal supplements or teas." A study by Food and Drug Administration researchers "was released Monday in the journal Pediatrics and is billed as the first to examine broad use of such products in American infants."
Bloomberg News (5/2, Ostrow) reports that the researchers found that "one in 10 infants are given herbal teas and supplements to ease digestion or fussiness." The investigators found that "gripe water, a formula containing ginger and fennel used for colic and gas, chamomile, an herb used in tea, and teething tablets, which may also contain botanical ingredients, were the most commonly used supplements."
WebMD (5/2, Goodman) reports that "the more weeks a mom breastfed her infant, the more likely she was to give the infant an herbal supplement or tea, the study found."
The AP (5/2) reports, "New research suggests many US babies are fed herbal supplements or teas." A study by Food and Drug Administration researchers "was released Monday in the journal Pediatrics and is billed as the first to examine broad use of such products in American infants."
Bloomberg News (5/2, Ostrow) reports that the researchers found that "one in 10 infants are given herbal teas and supplements to ease digestion or fussiness." The investigators found that "gripe water, a formula containing ginger and fennel used for colic and gas, chamomile, an herb used in tea, and teething tablets, which may also contain botanical ingredients, were the most commonly used supplements."
WebMD (5/2, Goodman) reports that "the more weeks a mom breastfed her infant, the more likely she was to give the infant an herbal supplement or tea, the study found."
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