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Compared with large chains, independent pharmacies and small chains had the highest cash prices for generic drugs and big-box pharmacies the lowest. Cash prices for brand-name drugs were similar across all types of retail pharmacies. Findings from a national cross-sectional study are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital used data from GoodRx, an online […]
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The recall of the commonly prescribed blood pressure drug losartan has been expanded once again to include an additional five lots. The drug, made by Torrent Pharmaceuticals, has been recalled because some lots are contaminated with the cancer-causing chemical N-methylnitrosobutyric acid, according to a company press release. The drugs added to the recall include lots of Losartan Potassium Tablets, USP, […]
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Drugs known as “beta-blockers” have been used since the 1960s as a low-cost, safe and effective means to lower heart rate and control blood pressure. But now researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and the MU Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders have discovered a version of the drug known as propranolol could provide cognitive and […]
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As the nation’s attorneys general debate a legal settlement with Purdue Pharma, the opioid epidemic associated with its blockbuster painkiller OxyContin rages on in state after state, community after community, killing tens of thousands of people each year with no end in sight. In Pennsylvania’s York County, the coroner investigated eight suspected overdose deaths in a single week of August—four […]
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(HealthDay)—Maintaining full doses of chemotherapy, especially early in the treatment course, is important for survival of intermediate or high-risk breast cancer patients, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Zachary Veitch, M.D., from the University of Calgary in Canada, and colleagues evaluated the impact of chemotherapy total cumulative dose […]
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Since its approval in 1995, the opioid tramadol (marketed as ConZip and Ultram) has become a widely prescribed remedy for osteoarthritis and other painful indications, in part because it presents a lesser risk for some side effects and has a lower abuse potential when compared to other opioids. It is currently ranked among the top five prescribed opioids and top […]
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PD-1 is a protein on our T cells that normally keeps these immune cells from running amok. A growing number of cancer drugs are designed to inhibit PD-1, enabling patients’ T-cells to attack and kill cancerous cells. PD-1 blockers such as pembrolizumab (Keytruda) have been helpful in treating several cancers including melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, […]
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More than 3.8 million U.S. children live with an adult who is inappropriately using opioids, according to a new estimate from the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Public Policy. The study, which spans the years 2002 to 2017, also found that while fewer children are living with someone who casually misuses opioids, the number living with adults exhibiting signs […]
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on the use of antibiotics in health care settings across the United States in 2018 tell us that while progress has been made to promote appropriate use of infection-fighting drugs, strengthened and continued efforts and greater resources are needed to protect some of the most valuable medicines we have and prevent […]
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The maker of Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec-xioi) gave manipulated data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration when it approved the drug, the agency said Tuesday. In late May, the FDA approved the gene therapy Zolgensma to treat children with a severe form of spinal muscular atrophy, a leading genetic cause of infant death. The drug costs $2.125 million for a […]
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