An obesity specialist in Washington, Dr. Arthur Frank, said Alli had a safe track record and could help patients lose 5 to 10 percent of their weight. On the negative side, Alli can cause annoying side effects including diarrhea and oily stools.
drugs
First FDA Approved OTC Weight-Loss Drug: "Alli"
By 2.8.07
Are Drug Commercials Bad For Your Health?
By 1.31.07
“Most ads (82%) made some factual claims and made rational arguments (86%) for product use, but few described condition causes (26%), risk factors (26%), or prevalence (25%). Emotional appeals were almost universal (95%). No ads mentioned lifestyle change as an alternative to products, though some (19%) portrayed it as an adjunct to medication. Some ads (18%) portrayed lifestyle changes as insufficient for controlling a condition. The ads often framed medication use in terms of losing (58%) and regaining control (85%) over some aspect of life and as engendering social approval (78%). Products were frequently (58%) portrayed as a medical breakthrough.”
The researchers determined that big pharma advertisements don’t provide much factual information and Instead, rely on “characters that have lost control over their social, emotional, or physical lives without the medication.” We’re not scientists or anything, but we’ve noticed this too. —MEGHANN MARCO
FDA To Change The Way Drugs Are Approved
By 1.31.07 — Updated: 11.5.12
The Food and Drug Administration said yesterday that it is making changes in the way it operates to prevent the kind of drug safety controversies that have dogged the agency in recent years.
Cheap, Safe Drug Kills Most Cancers
By 1.30.07
Evangelos Michelakis of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and his colleagues tested DCA on human cells cultured outside the body and found that it killed lung, breast and brain cancer cells, but not healthy cells. Tumours in rats deliberately infected with human cancer also shrank drastically when they were fed DCA-laced water for several weeks…DCA can cause pain, numbness and gait disturbances in some patients, but this may be a price worth paying if it turns out to
Best Buy Drugs
By 1.24.07
- The project aims to improve access to needed medicines for tens of millions of Americans–because they lack insurance coverage for prescription drugs, because the prices of many medicines today are so high, and because many consumers and physicians may not be aware of proven and affordable alternatives.
Doctors can be influenced by marketing from Big Pharma, so arm yourself with knowledge about alternatives. There may be a generic drug that works better and is safer and cheaper than the next new thing. Vioxx anyone? —MEGHANN MARCO
Pfizer Sued For Marketing Viagra As A “Party Drug”
By 1.23.07
- An AIDS organization sued Pfizer Inc. on Monday over ads the group says encourage use of Viagra as a party drug. The group said recreational use of the drug furthers the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Target, Kohls Pull “Drinking Games”
By 1.11.07
“The board games, which have been sold for several years, contain no alcohol, and they may be bought by people of any age. It’s unclear whether such games have been linked to any deaths or serious injuries, but the controversy over them comes as anti-abuse groups are stepping up efforts to reduce binge drinking, particularly among teens and young adults.”
Buy Drugs Online Safely
By 1.4.07
If Mexico or Canada are not viable travel destinations, you can also save money by saving drugs online, but beware of scam sites. (duh).
Opiates Found in Taco Bell Taco; A Massachusetts Mystery
By 12.21.06
The Falls River Major Crimes Division has cleared Taco Bell in the case of the spiked taco. “Police reported “an opiate” was found in the half-eaten taco a Fall River man said made him sick after eating at the Taco Bell.” Unfortunately for local Fall River lawyers, it seems like the dude spiked his own taco. After the half-eaten morsel was analyzed at the state crime lab, the opiates in the taco were confirmed, but the alleged taco victim, “Phillip Daggett, 27, has declined to cooperate in the investigation and has refused to speak with a detective assigned to the department’s Major Crimes Division.”
Eli Lilly Promoted Drug For Unapproved Use
By 12.18.06
Drugmaker Eli Lilly pushed physicians to prescribe Zyprexa, a drug for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, to patients having neither condition, NYT reports.
Save 75% On Drugs
By 12.12.06
You can cut your prescription cost by 3/4 by signing up for Free Drug Card.
Target Offers $4 Drugs At All Pharmacies
By 11.22.06
Target is set to begin offering its $4 generic drug program at all of its 1,287 pharmacies. Previously, Target only offered the program in markets where Walmart was offering their $4 program. No longer. From Reuters:
Kmart Has Your Huge Box of Pot
By 11.9.06
A huge-ass box of pot on its way to a Philadelphia drug dealer was mistakenly rerouted to the local Kmart, Saturday, where it was discovered by an employee in the stock room. Imagine their surprise when, instead of Martha Stewart towels staring up at them, the poor Kmart employee saw the, ahem, unfamiliar sight of 25lbs of marijuana. From the story:
Hey Walmart: 4 Dollar Drugs Are No Big Deal
By 10.26.06
Over at TomPaine.com they’re a little suspicious of Walmart’s PR darling, the $4 generic drug plan. Why?
Burger King’s Secret Sauce
By 10.13.06
A couple of police officers in Los Lunas, New Mexico ate about half of their Whoppers when all of a sudden, they noticed they were feeling pretty… mellow. Removing the bun, they discovered that the patties were peppered with mary jane. Pot. Marijuana to you squares.
