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Chest compressions alone CPR simplifies saving lives for bystanders

Chest compressions alone, or Hands-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), can save lives and can be used to help an adult who suddenly collapses, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement.

1 Apr 2008

Poison prevention starts with respecting, inspecting medicines

Between tots' cough and cold medicines being pulled from store shelves, and a New York teenager dying from a muscle-cream overdose, the past year's scares are grounds for renewing a healthy fear for the products stowed in your medicine cabinet.

19 Mar 2008

For convicted drug users prison does more harm than good

Experts in the UK say sending convicted drug users to prison does more harm than good.

18 Mar 2008

Oral methadone dosing for chronic pain: practitioner's guide

Methadone, a strong opioid analgesic, is an effective and economical choice for the management of cancer pain and chronic noncancer pain, both as a first line medication and as a replacement opioid.

14 Mar 2008

Predicting growth hormone treatment success

Growth hormone treatments work better on some children than on others, but judging which candidates will gain those vital inches in height is no simple task.

13 Dec 2007

Rising drug expenditures for ADHD

The NHS is likely to face a 10-fold increase in the cost of drugs prescribed to children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the decade to 2012.

16 Nov 2007

Heroin overdose kit saves lives of addicts

Health officials in Massachusetts have announced that heroin addicts will now be supplied with a kit containing an antidote called Narcan in order to cope with situations where they have overdosed.

5 Nov 2007

Sleeping pill rouses woman from six year coma

Following a heroin overdose 23 year old Amy Pickard has been in a coma for the last 6 years, unable to eat or breathe for herself since falling unconscious in 2001.

4 Nov 2007

Blood gene expression signatures predict exposure levels

In a new study, researchers found they could detect toxic levels of acetaminophen in laboratory animals by analyzing gene expression in the blood.

1 Nov 2007

OxyContin drug company sued for millions

A private company in the United States is being sued by a number of counties in the state of Kentucky over the potent painkilling drug OxyContin.

7 Oct 2007

Behind-the-counter drugs could be on sale in U.S. pharmacies

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United states is considering creating a new category of drugs.

3 Oct 2007

FDA warns against cold and cough remedies made for children

Safety experts in the United States are warning parents about buying over-the-counter cold and cough remedies, specifically marketed for children.

2 Oct 2007

FDA tackles illegal hydrocodone products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced its intention to take enforcement action against companies marketing unapproved prescription drug products containing hydrocodone, a narcotic widely used to treat pain and suppress coughs.

29 Sep 2007

FDA warning on use of Fentora (fentanyl buccal)

The Food and Drug Administration is alerting health care professionals and consumers to concerns over the use of Fentora (fentanyl buccal) tablets after recent reports of deaths and other adverse events.

27 Sep 2007

Paracetamol and coffee after a big night not such a good idea

That paracetamol along with the morning coffee after a big night may not be such a good idea after all.

27 Sep 2007

Warning about dangerous potential of pain drug Fentora

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has warned doctors about the dangers of a drug used to treat pain in cancer sufferers.

26 Sep 2007

Digibind offers new hopes for pre-eclampsia cure

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston are trying to determine whether a drug already available to heart patients can also be used to delay delivery in expectant mothers with severe preeclampsia.

17 Sep 2007

FDA says cough and cold products used irresponsibly with children

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States says it is concerned that cough and cold products sold over the counter (OTC) are being irresponsibly used particularly with children under the age of two.

20 Aug 2007

Breast feeding mothers warned of risks of Codeine for babies

The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) in the United States has issued a warning to nursing mothers regarding the pain-killer codeine.

20 Aug 2007

Paracetamol overdoses drop without package size legislation

The acetaminophen (paracetamol) overdose rate in Calgary, Canada dropped by over 40% in the decade to 2004, without a change to the smaller pack sizes that were credited with overdose reductions in the UK.

9 Jul 2007