Alphabetical list:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Y Q Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
News: November 22, 2009
FDA To Reduce the Misuse of Medications
November 22, 2009The FDA wants to reduce the misuse of medications, saying that at least 50,000 hospitalizations a year could be prevented if physicians, pharmacists, patients and parents would be more careful. And the cost of these preventable injuries is estimated at about $4 billion annually by the Institute of Medicine.
FDA commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg stated, "when I first started looking at this, I was stunned at the scope of the problem." She is right there is a huge problem in our country. The Institute of Medicine estimates that at least 1.5 million preventable injuries and deaths result each year from overdosing, mix-ups and unintended exposure to prescription drugs.
Children are often the victims. One study found that, between 2003 and 2006, more than 9,000 children were accidentally exposed to prescription drugs such as codeine and morphine.
This is a problem out of control according to the groundbreaking 2003 medical report Death by Medicine, by Drs. Gary Null, Carolyn Dean, Martin Feldman, Debora Rasio and Dorothy Smith. They claim that 783,900 people in the United States die every year from conventional medicine mistakes.
Commissioner Hamburg said the FDA intends to work with physicians, pharmacists, insurers, and drug companies as well as patients to increase their awareness and form a list of specific problems. She stated that some measures may call for voluntary action on the part of the drug industry and medical community.
"Even if we have a dosing device attached to the bottle, some parents will still reach for the household teaspoon, and we know those teaspoons come in all sizes," said Janet Woodcock, a physician who directs the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
"Simply putting out a warning label on a medication does not insure safe and effective use in the real world," Woodcock said. "We can't overlook this and say, 'These guys are not using this right and that's not our problem."
Written by Tyler Woods Ph.D.
Tucson, Arizona
Exclusive to eMaxHealth
Archive issues: (50)
Archive list: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 [8] 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
November 23, 2009 | Genetic Variant Slows AIDS ProgressionScientists report that a genetic variation appears to play a major role in slowing disease progression in HIV-infected patients. In fact, those with the variation appear to take years longer to develop AIDS and die of complications of the disease. "We're honing in on factors that vary across individuals that make a person ...
November 22, 2009 | FDA To Reduce the Misuse of MedicationsThe FDA wants to reduce the misuse of medications, saying that at least 50,000 hospitalizations a year could be prevented if physicians, pharmacists, patients and parents would be more careful. And the cost of these preventable injuries is estimated at about $4 billion annually by the Institute of ...
November 21, 2009 | Diabetes Drug Byetta Linked to Kidney ProblemsThe FDA has received 78 reports of kidney problems related to Byetta, a drug by Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli-Lilly prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes. With the new findings, the drug's label will be updated to warn doctors and patients about this possible side effect. Byetta (exenatide) was approved in 2005. It's known as an incretin mimetic, which copies the action of incretin GLP-1, a hormone that is released in response to eating food which causes insulin to be ...
Related articles:
Overview and symptoms
Erectile dysfunction is characterized by the regular or repeated inability to obtain or maintain an erection. There are several ways that erectile dysfunction is analyzed: Obtaining full erections at some times, such as when asleep (when the mind and psychological issues, if any, are less present), tends to suggest the physical structures are functionally working. However, the opposite case, a lack of nocturnal erections, does not imply ...Section: Erectile Dysfunction
Chronic bacterial prostatitis - prognosis
Over time, the relapse rate is high, exceeding 50%. A 2007 study showed that repeated courses of combination antibiotics may eradicate infection in 83.9% of patients with clinical remission extending throughout a follow-up period of 30 months for 94% of these patients.Section: Prostatitis
Treatment - bladder distension
Bladder distension (a procedure which stretches the bladder capacity, done under general anaesthesia) has shown some success in reducing urinary frequency and giving pain relief to patients. However, many experts still cannot understand precisely how this can cause pain relief. Recent studies showing that pressure on pelvic trigger points can relieve symptoms may be connected. Unfortunately, the relief achieved by bladder distensions is only ...Section: Interstitial cystitis