Health Care Information and Resources

Analysis Confirms Diabetes Drug May Harm the Heart

A new analysis confirms that those who take the diabetes drug Avandia are more likely to develop heart problems and die than those who take a similar type of diabetes drugs. “The effect on public health may be considerable,” the analysis authors wrote. Avandia (rosiglitazone) helps control blood sugar levels in the body, and is [...]

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Drug prices outstrip other medical costs

Prices for prescription drugs rose at a faster rate than costs for other medical goods and services over the last four years, according to a new government report. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office found that the “usual and customary” price index for the top 100 commonly used drugs increased by an annual average of 6.6 [...]

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Daily Pill Dispensers an Asset in Homes for Elderly

Medication errors in homes for the elderly are much less likely to occur if residents are given pills or capsules dispensed from a monitored dosage system, finds a new British study. A monitored dosage system is a tray or cassette with compartments for one or more doses for a particular day or a given time. [...]

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Are patent deals slowing cheaper drugs?

The EU regulator said on Monday it was pressing pharmaceutical companies for more information on their patent deals with generic companies to make sure there is no delay in cheaper drugs coming to market. The move is the latest in a series of EU crackdowns on possible anti-competitive practices in the pharmaceutical sector after a [...]

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Newer antipsychotics overused

Although first approved to treat schizophrenia, new antipsychotic medications are increasingly being prescribed for a host of other uses, even when there is little evidence they work, U.S. researchers said on Friday. The drugs, known as “atypical antipsychotics,” have quickly eclipsed older-generation or “typical” antipsychotics and are increasingly used to treat conditions like bipolar disorder, [...]

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