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Lawsuit seeking to overturn FDA decision against prescription drug reimportation waiver dismissed

U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams in Greenbelt, Md., on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Montgomery County, Md., that sought to overturn an FDA decision not to approve a waiver for a program to allow county employees to purchase lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports (AP/Baltimore Sun, 8/24).

24 Aug 2006

Breast cancer sufferers experience more side effects from chemo than previously thought

Women with breast cancer ages 64 and younger experience three to four times more serious side effects from chemotherapy than previously hypothesized, according to a study published in the Aug. 16 edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

16 Aug 2006

Average Medicare drug benefit premium to remain unchanged at $24 in 2007

Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the program's prescription drug benefit in 2007 will pay an average monthly premium of about $24, the same as the average monthly premium for this year, CMS Administrator Mark McClellan said Tuesday, the New York Times reports.

16 Aug 2006

Low-fat vegan diet treats type 2 diabetes more effectively than a standard diabetes diet

Study participants on the low-fat vegan diet showed dramatic improvement in four disease markers: blood sugar control, cholesterol reduction, weight control, and kidney function.

8 Aug 2006

Implications of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit for people with HIV/AIDS

The Kaiser Family Foundation today released a report on the implications of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit for people with HIV/AIDS.

3 Aug 2006

Vegan diet best for diabetes

Researchers have found that people who followed a low-fat vegan diet, cutting out all meat and dairy, lowered their blood sugar more and lost more weight than people on an American Diabetes Association diet.

30 Jul 2006

Pycnogenol effective in reducing leg swelling, walking pain

Significant symptom reduction of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) in patients after supplementing with Pycnogenol.

12 Jul 2006

A good nights sleep will help the memory

According to new research a good nights sleep has more benefits than just making one feel rested.

10 Jul 2006

Doctors put their foot down over drug advertising

The American Medical Association (AMA), the largest doctors group in the U.S., has announced a new policy on the direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs and implantable medical devices.

18 Jun 2006

FDA cracks down on fake drugs

A draft policy from the FDA's counterfeit drug task force, concerns drugs marketed in the United States that do not have required FDA approval and emphasizes the regulatory actions and the use of new technologies for safeguarding the integrity of the U.S. drug supply.

12 Jun 2006

Cognitive behavioral therapy effective in treating irritable bowel syndrome

According to the latest research behavioral therapy was more effective in treating the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) than being on a waiting list for treatment.

29 May 2006

Too many teens abusing the family medicine cabinet to get high

According to new research teenagers in the U.S. are using the family medicine cabinets in their search for drugs to get high on.

16 May 2006

Lilly to extend patient assistance programs for Medicare patients

Eli Lilly and Company has announced that it will be extending its existing patient assistance program, LillyAnswers, through the end of this year to qualifying patients currently participating in the program, to help bridge the gap in coverage for people who need Lilly medicines, but are not yet enrolled in Medicare Part D.

11 May 2006

Combined pharmacotherapies and behavioral interventions for alcohol dependence

While many treatment approaches were found helpful, the authors report that the patients who were most successful in abstaining from alcohol 16 weeks after treatment were those prescribed naltrexone under medical management and those participating in a multi-session program of alcohol counseling delivered by a behavioral specialist.

3 May 2006

Popular antidepressants may affect fetus

A team from the Ottawa Health Research Institute, the University of Ottawa, and The Ottawa Hospital has found an increased risk of premature delivery, low birth weight, fetal death, and infant seizures among pregnant women who used a popular class of antidepressants during pregnancy.

20 Apr 2006

Obesity is most costly lifestyle health risk–especially for women

Obesity is a major contributor to employee health costs, responsible for two to three percent of all medical claims dollars, reports a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

13 Apr 2006

New Medicare drug benefit is meeting or exceeding expectations

According to a new survey released by AARP, nearly eight-in-ten, (78 percent) of those enrolled in a Medicare prescription drug plan say they are satisfied.

13 Apr 2006

Study assesses formularies across Medicare drug plans

Medicare's new private stand-alone drug plans vary significantly - in terms of covered drugs, out-of-pocket costs for specific medications, and restrictions placed on the use of certain drugs - according to a new analysis released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

11 Apr 2006

Flu vaccination program could save more than 6,500 lives

To increase influenza vaccinations rates among the elderly - those ages 65 and over who are at high risk for influenza-related mortality - the federal government could consider borrowing a page from the pharmaceutical companies' prescription drug advertising campaigns.

27 Mar 2006

Tibotec Pharmaceuticals receives NDA for investigational HIV protease inhibitor

Tibotec Pharmaceuticals has announced that the New Drug Application (NDA) for TMC114, an investigational HIV protease inhibitor, has been accepted for priority review by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

7 Mar 2006