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Public Health & Policy

Pfizer Moves May Dim Prospect for New Antibiotics

Infectious disease specialists are concerned that a corporate decision by Pfizer to scale back its R&D spending next year -- plus a transition to China -- will further slow development of new antibiotic drugs.

More Vets Approved for Agent Orange Claims

WASHINGTON -- Veterans who served in Korea from 1968 through 1971 were probably exposed to Agent Orange, which makes them eligible for treatment at VA medical centers, according to a ruling from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

FDA Panel: Keep ECT Devices as High Risk

GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- The FDA should continue to regulate electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) machines as high-risk devices for treating depression and most other conditions for which ECT is typically used, members of the agency's Neurological Devices Advisory Committee agreed.

FDA Panel Rejects Cystic Fibrosis Drug

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- An FDA advisory committee has voted against approval of liprotamase (Sollpura), a pancreatic enzyme product for cystic fibrosis and other diseases that cause pancreatic insufficiency, saying there is not enough evidence that the drug works better than agents already on the market.

FDA Cans Alcoholic Beverages that Contain Caffeine

The FDA has acted to effectively ban the sale of beverages that combine caffeine and alcohol, including Four Loko and Joose, by declaring that caffeine is an unsafe food additive for alcoholic beverages.

Stop Pushing Mammograms Now

One by one, the big-time screening tests for dread diseases, begun with good intentions, the best science known at the time, and a mass public health campaign, bite the dust, says Editor-at-Large George Lundberg, MD.

FDA Panel Looks at Trials of Devices to Treat Depression

GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- An FDA advisory panel met Friday to discuss how to analyze trials designed to test devices used to treat depression, but didn't offer the FDA any clear-cut guidance.

The Lab Test Brain to Brain Loop

Lab tests are way more than numbers, says Editor-at-Large Dr. George Lundberg.

Novartis Settles Civil and Criminal Cases for $422.5 Million

Novartis will pay a $185 million fine for promoting off-label uses of the antiepilepsy drug oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) and another $237.5 million in civil penalties to settle a suit involving Trileptal and five other drugs, the Department of Justice announced.

FDA Orders Most Colchicine Products Off the Market

WASHINGTON -- The FDA has warned manufacturers, marketers, and distributors of single-ingredient oral colchicine products to stop distribution of the unapproved drugs.

Not Enough Evidence to Use BMP Off-Label, Panel Says

BALTIMORE -- A Medicare advisory committee has voted that there is not enough evidence to warrant off-label use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein, or BMP, for bone surgery.

Smokeless Tobacco Dangerous and No Help for Quitting

Although less harmful than cigarette smoking, smokeless tobacco products are not safe as a smoking cessation tool and carry a number of potentially fatal health risks, an American Heart Association scientific statement said.

WHO Declares End to H1N1 Pandemic

Director-General of the World Health Organization Margaret Chan, MD, MPH, has declared an end to the H1N1 influenza pandemic, following the advice of an emergency committee convened to address the issue.

Death Is Not the Enemy

All people deserve a death with dignity and without pain, says Editor-at-Large George Lundberg, MD, and he suggests how that can be accomplished.

Eye Vitamin Recalled Over Reports of Choking

The manufacturers of a softgel supplement marketed as an eye vitamin issued a voluntary recall of the product due to a potential choking hazard.

FDA Recalls Eye Surgery Machine

WASHINGTON -- The FDA issued a class I recall -- its most serious -- on the line of Constellation Vision ophthalmic microsurgical systems due to software and hardware power errors which may cause eye injury or blindness.

Salsa, Guacamole Among Top Causes of Foodborne Illness

Foodborne illnesses attributed to salsa and guacamole served in restaurants and delis have more than doubled in the last 10 years -- resulting in over 100 hospitalizations and three deaths, according to the CDC.

Take Rosiglitazone Off the Market, Says FDA Staff

WASHINGTON -- Rosiglitazone (Avandia) should be pulled from the market because of the "serious" cardiovascular risk the diabetes drug poses, which exceeds that of competitor pioglitazone (Actos), FDA staff reviewers again recommended.

How to Evaluate That EHR Demo

Here's a process that will help you get beyond the sizzle the salesman is showing you and focus on how the EHR fits your practice needs.

FDA Advisers Turn Down New RSV Drug

WASHINGTON -- An FDA advisory committee recommended Wednesday that the agency not approve the investigational drug motavizumab to treat respiratory infections, deciding that it didn't offer any advantages over the drug already on the market, and that it may be more dangerous.

Herbal Medicines a Mystery to Most Doctors

Physicians don't know much more about complementary and alternative medicine than their patients do, according to a new survey.

Contaminated Pepper Leads to Meat and Seasoning Recall

WASHINGTON -- Wholesome Spice of Brooklyn, N.Y. spice company is recalling 25-pound boxes of commercial-grade crushed red pepper as the CDC and FDA investigate an outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo that infected consumers of Italian-style meats produced by a Rhode Island firm.

Nursing Mothers Should Avoid Yellow Fever Vaccine

A single case report has raised concern that yellow fever vaccine virus may be transmitted through breast milk, suggesting the need to avoid administering the vaccine to breastfeeding women.

Outliers: The Story of Success

The latest book by the author of Blink outlines key principles of communication that can play a major role in improving healthcare quality and safety.

The Top 10 Medical Advances of the Decade

From genome to hormones, doctors pick the top medical advances of the decade.

Another Reason Not to Kiss a Frog

Yet another aquarium pet has been tied to a Salmonella outbreak, the CDC says. Latest culprit: the water frog.

Socialism and Healthcare Reform

In the current discussions, a single word -- "socialism" -- seems to have triggered the most emotional responses, needlessly so.

CDC Watching H1N1 Mutation, but No Cause for Alarm

The CDC is keeping a careful eye on a mutation in some strains of the pandemic H1N1 flu that Norwegian researchers isolated from three patients with severe disease.

AMA Reverses Stance on Medical Marijuana

The American Medical Association has changed its policy on medical marijuana, urging the federal government to review the drug's status as a top-tier controlled dangerous substance.

Obama Declares H1N1 a National Emergency

WASHINGTON -- President Obama has upped the ante in the battle to control the H1N1 flu by declaring it a national emergency, the second such declaration since the flu first emerged last spring.

Sildenafil Trial Halted in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease

LITTLE FALLS, N.J. -- The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has halted a trial of sildenafil (Revatio) in sickle cell patients with pulmonary hypertension because of increased hospitalizations for sickle cell crises, or severe pain, the agency said.

Medicare Finalizes Denial of Virtual Colonoscopy Coverage

BALTIMORE -- CT colonography for colorectal cancer screening will not be covered under Medicare, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has confirmed.

IVW: 'High Risk' of Resistant Swine Flu, Researcher Says

CANNES, France -- Using single antiviral drugs to treat the current outbreak of swine influenza could result in the development of a resistant strain, a leading flu researcher said here.

FDA and CDC Issue Raw Alfalfa Sprouts Warning

WASHINGTON -- The FDA and the CDC have warned consumers not to eat raw alfalfa sprouts until further notice because the sprouts have been linked to a Salmonella serotype Saintpaul contamination that has sickened 31 people in six states.

FDA Panel Recommends Limited Use of Investigational Antipsychotic

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- An FDA advisory panel voted to recommend FDA approval for sertindole (Serdolect) to treat schizophrenia, but only for a subgroup of patients that the agency would have to define.

Medicare to Cover More PET Scans for Cancer Diagnosis

BALTIMORE -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced expanded coverage of PET scans for Medicare patients suspected of having most cancers.

GAO Sting Shows Independent Review Boards Are Vulnerable to Fraud

WASHINGTON -- Institutional review boards (IRBs) may not provide the clinical trial safety net they were designed to be, a federal investigation revealed.

Nursing Homes Called 'Dumping Grounds' for Mentally Ill

BALTIMORE -- Young and middle-aged people with serious mental illnesses are increasingly being housed in nursing homes alongside elderly residents, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data show.

Is Cash-Only Medicine the Next Big Thing?

As increasing numbers of physicians work longer and harder to maintain income levels in the face of declining third-party reimbursements, some have opted out -- they're running cash-only practices, and respondents to a 榴莲视频 online spotcheck think more doctors will join them.

Vitamins With Kelp Not an Adequate Source of Iodine for Pregnant Women

BOSTON -- Prenatal multivitamins that use potassium iodide as the iodine source give a more consistent dose of the element than those that use kelp, researchers here said.

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