Health Care Information and Resources

Rising reports of bad reactions to drugs

Official reports of negative reactions to prescription drugs have increased dramatically over the last decade, according to a new study. In a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) database launched in 1969, researchers found that over half the reports of “adverse events” suspected to be caused by a particular drug or device date from just [...]

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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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Rise in US prescription drugs abuse

The number of Americans who used illegal drugs or abused prescription medications rose last year to reach its highest level since 2002, a survey released Thursday showed. Nearly 22 million Americans aged 12 and older used illegal drugs in 2009, a rise of nine percent from 2008, the survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and [...]

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FDA Warns of Fracture Risk With Popular Heartburn Drugs

Blockbuster heartburn medications such as Prevacid, Prilosec and Nexium will now carry a warning on their labels linking the drugs to a heightened risk for fractures, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced late Tuesday. The label will advise consumers to use this class of medicines, called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), carefully, because high doses [...]

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Pay Less for Prescription Drugs

The recession has made it more difficult than ever before for many Americans to afford prescription medications, but several options are available, according to an expert from Butler University in Indianapolis. First, talk to your pharmacist, advised Carriann Richey, director of outreach and assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Butler’s College of Pharmacy and Health [...]

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