With half of Americans regularly taking prescription medication — four, on average, according to a nationally representative Consumer Reports survey of 1,947 adults — a medication “checkup” can reduce your risk of side effects and interactions, and stop you from taking unnecessary pills. [More]
medicine
FDA Cracking Down On “Rogue Online Pharmacies” Accused Of Illegally Selling Prescription Drugs
By 9.25.17
While you may be tempted to skip the pharmacy and just order prescription drugs online, it could be very dangerous to use any unapproved medications from illicit online pharmacies. That’s why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — along with its international enforcement superfriends — is taking action against hundreds of sites accused of selling prescription drugs illegally online. [More]
Cost Of Prescription Skin Gel Goes From $226 To $9,561 In Under Two Years
By 9.26.16
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: there’s a drug out there that does a very specific thing, and has no generic alternative. For years, it sold for a predictable three-figure price point. Then one day, if gets acquired by a new company and in just a few months, the price increases by more than 4000%. It is, unfortunately, such a common tale of late that we all know the general outline by heart. And now it seems to be happening again. [More]
Google, GlaxoSmithKline Partner For $715M Bioelectronic Medicines Firm
By 8.1.16
Most of us have used Google to find out more about existing medications, but the tech giant also has a life sciences division, which has now entered into a $715 million partnership with big pharma biggie GlaxoSmithKline to form a new company focused on fighting disease through technological innovations. [More]
Addyi, Libido-Boosting Pill For The Ladies, Not A Big Hit
By 11.17.15
Once the Food and Drug Administration approved Addyi, a failed antidepressant repackaged as a libido pill for women, drug-maker Valeant Pharmaceuticals bought the company selling Addyi for $1 billion. If they were expecting to cash in on a blockbuster drug, early sales aren’t very promising: in the first month, only 227 prescriptions for the drug have been written. [More]
Group Of Doctors Want Dr. Oz Removed From Columbia Medical Faculty For Promoting “Quack Treatments”
By 4.17.15
Citing what they call repeated “disdain for science and for evidence-based medicine,” a group of physicians has written a letter to Columbia University asking it to remove TV’s Dr. Mehmet Oz from his faculty position there. [More]
Pediatricians Say Using Teaspoons & Tablespoons For Kids’ Medicine Leads To Overdoses
By 3.30.15
While some parents pull out actual measuring spoons when pouring out a teaspoon or tablespoon of their kids’ medications, many just resort to employing the same utensils they use for family meals. But while you might use a spoon for tea, that doesn’t mean it holds only a teaspoon of liquid, and a larger spoon may or may not actually hold a tablespoon. In an effort to cut down on thousands of annual overdose cases, the American Academy of Pediatrics is calling for medications to be measured in milliliters. [More]
What’s The Difference Between AM And PM Cold Medicine, Anyway?
By 1.9.15 — Updated: 4.28.17
Cold and flu season is here, which means that you might be stumbling into the “cold and allergy” aisle of the nearest store, trying to sort out which remedy is the best choice between sneezes. What does “non-drowsy” mean on a medicine bottle? Terms like “AM,” “PM,” and “maximum strength” aren’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which can lead to bleary-eyed confusion when you’re sick. [More]
Shortages Force Paramedics To Use Expired Drugs
By 7.13.12
Many of us have probably popped a pill or two that we knew had passed its expiration date. But when you get medical care from professionals, there is usually the expectation that you’re getting the freshest stuff available. But a conspiracy of conditions has led to some emergency responders stocking their ambulances with out-of-date drugs. [More]
Vicks Accidentally Says It's Been Around For 1,000 Years
By 10.13.11
A typo on the Vicks website makes it look as if Vicks is saying it’s been around for 1,000+ years. Yes, indeed, perhaps what really ended the Dark Ages was the discovery of Vaporub. With it, William the Conqueror’s congestion and coughing from hanging out in musty castles could be relieved and he could get on with the business of invading England and establishing a more unified and stable feudal system of governance. [More]
Nasal Spray Gives Hope To Alzheimer's Patients
By 9.13.11
Researchers have found the daily dose of an insulin nasal spray may hinder the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in patients. A four-month study in Seattle found that the treatment improved memory and protected cognition and functional abilities of patients. [More]
Costs To Treat Kids With Lead Poisoning Dwarfs That Of Cancer, Autism
By 5.5.11
When you picture costly, long-term ailments that kids suffer, cancer, intellectual disabilities and asthma spring to mind. But far more U.S. healthcare dollars are spent on lead poisoning than any of those maladies, according to a study by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine published in Health Affairs. [More]
Vicodin: The Most Popular Prescription Pill In America's Medicine Cabinet
By 4.20.11
With the White House and the FDA dreaming up ways to curb the pain-pill problem in the U.S., we got to wondering just what are the most popular (legal) drugs in the country? Thankfully, the folks at Time.com were thinking about the same thing, because they put together a handy/dandy list of the 10 most-prescribed meds, none of which is Viagra. [More]
How To Avoid Scammy Online Pet Drug Merchants
By 10.7.10
It’s tempting to skip an expensive visit to the vet’s office when you can just order the same drugs online. Sites offer the exact medications that the vet’s office sells–at much lower prices, without a prescription. It’s not such a good idea, though. Much like buying human drugs online from shady sources (no prescription needed) you may not get exactly what you ordered. The medications that show up on your doorstep could be ineffective, or may even harm your pet. [More]
FTC Says POM Wonderful Not So Great
By 9.28.10
The FTC wants to see some proof that the pomegranate ingredients in POM Wonderful’s products can actually treat heart disease, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction, which is what the company says in marketing and packaging materials. [More]
Brand Name Drug Prices Rise Significantly In Past Year
By 8.25.10
Here’s yet another reason to go for generic drugs when you can: drug makers keep raising prices on brand name products. If you group generics and brand names together, drug prices rose by 3.4% in 2009, according to an industry report. However, if you look at just brand name drugs as the AARP did in a new report, the average price hike was 8.3%. An earlier AARP report from May points out that if you look at specialty drugs “widely used by people in Medicare” then the hike jumps to 9.2%. [More]
Hot Flash Spray Evamist Causes Boobs On Pets, Kids
By 8.2.10
I like FDA warnings like this new one about Evamist, because I can file the symptoms away and use them to impress someone with my Sherlock Holmes skills. Friend: “How did you know she used Evamist?” Me: “Note the tell-tale breasts on her grandchildren and her terrier.” [More]
Do You Really Want To Know What Your Doctor Is Writing About You?
By 7.20.10
New research is looking to answer this question by studying what happens when patients have access to their doctor’s notes. [More]
