Merck cutting AIDS drug price in poor countries
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Merck & Co. Inc. is cutting the price charged for its brand-name version of efavirenz (sold as Sustiva in the U.S. and Stocrin in Europe) for HIV infection by 20 percent in poor countries, bringing it within “pennies” of the cost of generics, the U.S. drug maker said on Tuesday.
The lower price reflects new efficiencies and cost savings resulting from improved manufacturing processes at a new factory for making the drug in Australia, the company said.
Emergency Departments Score Poorly in Child-Saving Drills
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A mock-drill study conducted in a third of North Carolina’s hospital emergency departments (EDs) revealed that nearly all failed to properly stabilize seriously injured children during trauma simulations, according to a team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and Duke University Medical Center. Simulations were conducted in 35 of North Carolina’s 106 EDs. Of the 35 EDs in the study, five were designated trauma centers (out of a total of 11 in the State of North Carolina), and 30 were located in community hospitals. A report on the work by the research team stating the results probably apply to hospitals nationwide is published in the March issue of Pediatrics.
Although researchers caution that observations during mock codes do not necessarily represent performance in an actual health emergency, the study’s results do suggest that hospital EDs are not fully prepared to deal with pediatric emergencies, according to lead author Elizabeth A. Hunt, M. D., M. P. H., assistant professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins.
Reducing Teens’ Intake of Sugary Drinks
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Children’s intake of sugar-sweetened drinks - sodas, sports drinks, “juice drinks,” iced teas, lemonades and punches - has surged in recent decades, in step with the rise in childhood obesity. Now, in the March issue of Pediatrics, researchers from Children’s Hospital Boston report that a novel intervention to limit consumption of sugary drinks -home deliveries of noncaloric beverages - had a beneficial effect on weight loss.
The randomized, controlled trial, led by Cara Ebbeling, PhD, and David Ludwig, MD, PhD, in the hospital’s Division of Endocrinology, enrolled 103 children aged 13 to 18 through a Boston area high school. The teens were offered a $100 mall gift certificate if they stuck with the six-month study, and all did.
Half the teens, picked at random, received weekly deliveries of noncaloric beverages of their own choosing - bottled waters and artificially-sweetened drinks. They were instructed to avoid sugar-sweetened beverages and advised on how to choose noncaloric drinks outside the home. Monthly phone calls and refrigerator magnets (“Think Before You Drink”) provided reminders. The remaining teens, serving as a control group, were asked to continue their usual eating and drinking patterns.
Many parents don’t admit their child is overweight
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Many parents do not identify their child as “overweight,” but will select a sketch of a heavier model when asked to choose one representative of their child, new study findings show.
“Comparisons between images and sketches showed that parents’ visual perceptions of their children more clearly reflect their child’s physical appearance than words they might use to classify the child’s weight,” study author Dr. Helen J. Binns, of Northwestern University in Chicago told Reuters Health.
“So parents have a correct visual perception, but don’t consider that to fit in the medical ‘diagnostic categories,’” she added.
Study shows new atopic dermatitis therapy significantly delays onset of flares
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Stiefel Laboratories, the world’s largest independent pharmaceutical company specializing in dermatology, announced that a recent study shows MimyX Cream extends the remission period of atopic dermatitis (AD) by 48 percent when used in conjunction with an emollient compared to emollient alone.
MimyX Cream, Stiefel’s new product for managing the signs and symptoms of atopic dermatitis, is a steroid-free, topical Rx therapy for the management of the disease, commonly referred to as eczema.
Viagra plus cholesterol drug improves impotence
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Lipitor, a commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering drug, may have extra benefits for men with impotence. Specifically, investigators have found that in men who are not initially helped by Viagra (sildenafil), treatment with Lipitor (atorvastatin) seems to improve sexual response, according to the results of a small study.
Impotence, also referred to as erectile dysfunction, may involve a generalized disturbance of the lining of the blood vessels (endothelium), lead author Dr. Howard C. Herrmann said in a statement. His group therefore theorized that if the endothelium could be made healthier through cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins—“Viagra would work better for the patient.”
Saudi wants to trim waists of overweight population
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Saudi Arabia has launched a battle to trim waistlines in its overweight population, which has become one of the world’s foremost “obese societies,” according to an announcement at a conference this weekend.
American-style fast-food restaurants are part of the fabric of modern life in Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter with a mostly affluent population of around 24 million. Statistics released at a Health Ministry conference on Saturday showed that obesity affected 51 percent of Saudi women and 45 percent of men, as well as 29 percent of teenage girls and 36 percent of boys.
“There are specific social practices which cause certain illnesses,” television presenter Abdullah al-Fozan told the meeting, describing Saudi Arabia as an “obese society.”
Court says California oral sex law violates rights
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A 22-year-old Californian man who received oral sex from a sixteen-year-old girl should not be forced to register for life as a sex offender, the California Supreme Court ruled on Monday.
The state’s top court found that California denied Vincent Hofsheier equal protection under the law because those having intercourse in such circumstances would not be forced to register as lifetime sex offenders.
Hofsheier appealed after being ordered to register his name on the list, which is shared with the public and carries significant stigma.
Dog bites more common in very young children
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Dog bites occur more often in very young children, so families should consider waiting until their children are of school age before they introduce a new dog into the household. Even then, parents might want to think twice about getting a Doberman pinscher or German shepherd, according to a study published on Monday.
Dr. Johannes Schalamon and associates at the Medical University of Graz, conducted a review of 341 children treated for dog bites at a trauma center in Austria over a 10-year period.
They found that children 1 year of age or younger had the highest risk of being bitten, although children up to age 10 also had a higher risk than older individuals.
Pfizer sues P&G over mouthwash ads
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Pfizer Inc. the maker of Listerine mouthwash on Friday sued Procter & Gamble Co. for falsely claiming in television ads that four out five dentists would recommend its rival brand Crest Pro-Health mouthwash.
“P&G’s false and misleading claims concerning Crest Pro-Health cause a substantial number of consumers to believe that this product is recommended by the vast majority of dentists—which is false—and that these dentists are recommending it for specific product-related reasons—which also is false,” the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, said.
Many U.S. post-approval drug studies unfinished
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Nearly two thirds of more than 1,200 post-approval drug studies promised by the manufacturers have yet to start, according to U.S. government statistics released on Friday.
An annual report by the Food and Drug Administration showed little change from recent years in the percentage of studies that remain unfinished, officials said.
“The percentages of open commitments, pending, ongoing, delayed, terminated and submitted (studies) are all in the same ballpark range,” Dr. John Jenkins, director of the FDA’s Office of New Drugs, told reporters.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Does Not Increase Risk of Hearing Loss
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Mayo Clinic researchers have found that people with rheumatoid arthritis are no more likely to have hearing loss than other members of the general population. The finding is contrary to previous study results that linked the disease to elevated risk of hearing problems.
The study results will be presented Monday at the American Auditory Society annual meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz.
“This is very good news for rheumatoid arthritis patients,” says Eric Matteson, M.D., Mayo Clinic rheumatologist and senior study researcher. “Patients with rheumatoid arthritis actually have preserved hearing and are no more susceptible to hearing loss than those who do not have the disease; there is no measurable difference with standard testing. This was surprising. I expected to see more hearing loss in rheumatoid arthritis patients.”
Space suit technology can protect workers from heatstroke
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The technology used in space suits to protect astronauts carrying out space walks in direct sunlight is now being used to develop protective clothing to safeguard firefighters and steel workers who often work in extremely hot and dangerous conditions.
“The existing protective clothing used while performing physically demanding work in hot conditions can, in many cases, hinder workers’ ability to remain cool,” explains Stefano Carosio from the Italian company D’Appolonia, Project Manager for the Safe&Cool Project.
FDA grants priority review for Revlimid
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Celgene Corporation announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a Priority Review designation to its Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for REVLIMID (lenalidomide) for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date is June 30, 2006. The Company is seeking approval to market REVLIMID in combination with dexamethasone as a proposed indication for the treatment of multiple myeloma patients who have received at least one prior therapy subject to FDA review and approval. Priority Review is granted to a pharmaceutical product that, if approved, would be a significant improvement compared to existing marketed products or approved therapies in the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of a disease.
China warns of bird flu risk as spring arrives
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Chinese Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu has warned that China could see more human cases of bird flu during the spring season when migratory birds return, increasing the risk of spreading the virus.
China has reported more than 30 outbreaks of the H5N1 strain of bird flu across the country in the past year and has had 14 human cases—eight of them fatal.
“In our country during the spring season there still exists a possibility of bird flu prevalence and outbreaks and there still exists a danger there could be more human cases,” Hui told a cabinet conference.
