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HIV Can Hide Out In Bone Marrow

Steven — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:13:55 +0000

In the current issue of Nature Medicine, scientists have proven what they long suspected – that HIV can hide in our bone marrow and avoid eradication by HIV drugs. Current medications can reduce HIV levels in the blood to an undetectable amount. But, the virus can often come surging back when one stops taking medication because our current drugs do not attack the bone marrow cells which harbor dormant viruses. Why not? Because if we completely kill off all our marrow cells our body cannot produce blood, which would essentially be fatal. However, we now have a new target for future medications to act. And, who knows, we may discover even more places where the virus is able to hide and evade attack. [via HealthDay]

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Mail-Order Pharmacies Enhance Adherence

Steven — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 06:40:20 +0000

A new UCLA study shows that patients who choose to use mail-order pharmacies demonstrated higher rates of adherence to their prescribed medications than those who used traditional pharmacies. Nearly 85% of mail-order pharmacy patrons took their medications as prescribed by their doctor, compared to 77% of traditional pharmacy patrons. As well, more people who used mail-order pharmacies chose to do so because of financial incentives (mail-order pharmacies are often able to offer very competitive prices, compared to traditional pharmacies). The researchers studied people with chronic diseases – diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure – which is important since management often requires lifelong pharmacotherapy. “Our findings indicate that mail-order pharmacies streamline the medication acquisition process, which is associated with better medication adherence,” said lead researcher, Dr. O. Kenrik Duru. [via Yahoo! News]

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Cocaine Vaccine Shows Promise

Steven — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:20:04 +0000

The National Institute on Drug Abuse is announcing a scientific first – a vaccine for treating addiction. A study published in the current issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry shows that vaccination with an experimental anti-cocaine vaccine resulted in a 38% reduction in cocaine use among study patients with a history of drug abuse. Similar to vaccines against infectious diseases, the anti-cocaine vaccine stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies. However, unlike antibodies against infectious diseases which destroy or deactivate disease-causing agents, anti-cocaine antibodies bind to cocaine molecules in the blood, rendering them incapable of passing through the blood-brain barrier, thus inhibiting or blocking cocaine’s effects on the body. [via NIH News]

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First New Gout Drug In 40 Years

Steven — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 05:32:33 +0000

The US Food and Drug Administration has given approval to the first new gout drug to appear on the market in 40 years. Gout is an intensely painful form of arthritis. The new drug, febuxostat, will be marketed in the US under the name Uloric by Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Febuxostat lower the concentration of uric acid in the blood of people with gout. It has been shown to be effective in clinical trials and is safe for patient with kidney or liver problems.

Drug Companies Concede: No Cold Medicines For Children Under 4

Steven — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:12:59 +0000

It was just last week when the FDA rejected an immediate ban on cold and cough medications for young children, citing concerns that parents would instead give adult medicines to their kids, which could lead to serious side effects. Today, in a voluntary concession to pediatricians, drug companies are advising that children under 4 should not be given over-the-counter cold and cough drugs, in addition to antihistamines. These drugs can cause side effects ranging from hives, drowsiness, to unsteadiness. Leading pediatrics groups have been advocating the ban of these drugs because there is no evidence that they work for children under 6. US families spend over $286 million each year on these remedies, which lead to 7,000 emergency room visits per year due to side effects. Read more. Share your perspective.

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