Antihistamine News and Research

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Antihistamine is a type of drug that blocks the action of histamines, which can cause fever, itching, sneezing, a runny nose, and watery eyes. Antihistamines are used to prevent fevers in patients receiving blood transfusions and to treat allergies, coughs, and colds.

Electronics to the rescue of sloppy doctors

Doctors are famous for sloppy scribbling - and handwritten prescriptions lead to thousands of medication errors each year.

28 Jun 2007

Ranbaxy receives tentative FDA approval for Fexofenadine hydrochloride tablets

Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc. (RPI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (RLL), has announced that RLL has received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to manufacture and market the antihistamine Fexofenadine Hydrochloride Tablets, 30 mg, 60 mg, and 180 mg.

18 May 2007

New human medications found in fish in Texas

Baylor University researchers have found the residue of three new human medications in fish living in the Pecan Creek in North Texas.

2 May 2007

Ranbaxy receives U.S. approval to market Loratadine Antihistamine tablets

Ohm Laboratories, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, has announced that Ranbaxy has received approval from the U. S. Food and Drug Administration to manufacture and commercialize its Loratadine Orally Disintegrating Tablets, 10mg. The antihistamine previously made the switch from the prescription to the OTC market.

15 Apr 2007

Lung neutrophils produce histamine in significant quantities

In a surprise finding, scientists have discovered that histamine, the inflammatory compound released during allergic reactions that causes runny nose, watery eyes, and wheezing, can be produced in large amounts in the lung by neutrophils, the white blood cells that are the major component of pus.

14 Jan 2007

Toxic chemical found in 3 more medicines in Panama

A toxic chemical found in contaminated cough syrup suspected to have caused the deaths of 22 people in Panama, has now been found in three more medications made by a government-run factory in Panama.

19 Oct 2006

New York Times examines efforts to obtain FDA approval for Abraxane to treat earlier-stage cancer

The New York Times has examined efforts by the pharmaceutical company Abraxis BioScience to obtain FDA approval for its late-stage breast cancer drug Abraxane as a treatment for earlier-stage breast cancer.

5 Oct 2006

Popular antihistamine used to help young children sleep is ineffective

Although about half of pediatricians recommend that children under age 2 can be given diphenhydramine to help them sleep, the first study to look at effectiveness of the agent in children who are that young found no benefit.

4 Jul 2006

Benadryl does not improve infant sleep

An antihistamine often recommended to parents whose infants do not sleep through the night may not be effective in reducing nighttime awakenings or improving parents' happiness with their children's sleep.

3 Jul 2006

Inflammation cuts both ways

Inflammation cuts both ways. When invaded by an infectious agent, for example, the body calls on the forces of inflammation to fight and defeat the intruder.

6 Apr 2006

Non-prescription cough medicine won't help that cough

According to a panel of experts in the U.S. cough medicines bought over the counter do little good and may in fact harm children.

9 Jan 2006

Syrupy medications may cause cavities in children

A spoon full of sugar may help the medicine go down, but most dentists would likely encourage parents to skip that step when treating a child's illness.

9 Jan 2006

Butterbur extract should be considered as an alternative treatment for hayfever

The largest trial so far conducted using Butterbur extract to treat intermittent allergic rhinitis (hay fever) shows that this plant extract is as effective as a commonly used antihistamine (Telfast 180).

22 Aug 2005

Claritin's switch to OTC status meant fewer prescriptions

After the allergy drug Claritin became available without a prescription in 2002, insurance plans and consumers spent less on the prescription form of its main ingredient, loratadine, and all similar allergy drugs, according to a new report published in this month’s The American Journal of Managed Care.

10 Jun 2005

Latest patterns of medication use in the U.S.

In 2004, 82 percent of adults and more than 50 percent of children took at least one prescription, over-the-counter (OTC), or herbal/natural medication in any given week, Boston University researchers revealed recently.

30 May 2005

The rise in over the counter drugs, why?

Switching of prescription drugs to over the counter availability is increasingly common, but what are the motives behind this trend, ask US researchers in this week's BMJ?

3 Jan 2005

Generic antipsychotic drugs can protect brain cells from progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy

Generic antipsychotic drugs can protect brain cells from a virus that causes a fatal nervous system disorder, according to research conducted at Brown University and Case Western Reserve University.

18 Nov 2004

Vaccine provides new hope to the millions of people who suffer from food allergies

A team led by a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine has developed vaccines that vastly reduce or eliminate dogs' allergic reactions to three major food allergens: peanuts, milk and wheat. The vaccines' benefits lasted at least three months.

14 Nov 2004

Ranbaxy receives FDA approval to market Loratadine and Pseudoephedrine Sulfate extended release tablets

Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited of New Delhi, India, announced today that RLL has received approval from the U. S. Food and Drug Administration to manufacture and market Loratadine and Pseudoephedrine Sulfate Extended Release Tablets

26 Sep 2004