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7/5/2006 9:30:00 PM | Witness says studies showed Vioxx users at risk of heart ailments 
=(0) More compelling testimony for the plaintiffs in the California Vioxx trial: Dr. Lemuel Moye of the University of Texas said his analysis of early Vioxx trials concluded that the risks of heart attack and stroke outweighed the benefits. Further, some trials excluded patients who were at a higher risk of heart attack, thus skewing the resu...
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7/4/2006 8:07:00 AM | Increased Awareness of Alemtuzumab-Related Infections Urged =(0) A new study warns doctors that a drug currently used to treat certain types of leukemia and other blood disorders may be associated with more infectious side effects than previously thought. The drug, Campath (alemtuzumab), was associated with a variety of complications such as herpes infection, toxoplasmosis, progressive multifocal leukoencep...
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6/30/2006 4:38:00 PM | AHS: Perimenstrual Migraines Recurrence Linked to The Pill =(0) A study of migraine headaches in women suggests that hormonal birth control measures, such as the pill or the transdermal patch, may lead to more headache recurrances for migraines related to the menstrual cycle. While the study is still in preliminary stages, the researcher thinks women in this group may benefit from treatment with tryptans a...
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6/30/2006 3:12:00 PM | Merck Scientist Testifies Vioxx Caused More Heart Attacks Than ... =(0) Jurors for the California Vioxx trial continued to view videotaped depositions on the third day of the trial. A Merck researcher, Dr. Deborah Shapiro, testified that a 1999 study of 8000 patients showed that those given Vioxx had four times the number of heart attacks than those given Aleve (naproxen), an older NSAID. Merck claims that there i...
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6/29/2006 3:04:00 AM | Testimony: Feds not told about tests that exposed Vioxx dangers =(0) The former head of Merck's research laboratories was heard in a video deposition on the second day of the Vioxx trial in California. Dr. Edward Scolnick said that two studies in 2001 showed that patients on Vioxx were 2-4 times more likely to die than patients on placebo; however Merck did not submit these results to the FDA. Merck is being su...
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6/28/2006 9:13:00 AM | Plaintiff says Merck knew of potential dangers with Vioxx =(0) The first Vioxx trial to be held in California is under way. In opening statements, the plaintiff's lawyer said that Merck was aware of Vioxx's risks as far back as 1996 and did not inform doctors. Furthermore, the company specifically trained salespeople to downplay the risks. Stewart Grossberg claims the drug caused his heart attack an...
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6/27/2006 10:11:00 PM | Journal Corrects Vioxx Article to Reflect Short-Term Heart Risk =(0) The New England Journal of Medicine has issued a correction with regard to a study on the heart risks of Vioxx. The study, released in 2005 and funded by Merck, the drug company that made Vioxx, concluded that the risks of heart attack began only after 18 months of Vioxx treatment. A followup study, however, adds more data which suggests...
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6/27/2006 6:32:00 PM | Plaintiff Lawyers Like Vioxx Correction =(0) Lawyers who lost Vioxx cases to Merck (three such cases, so far) are encouraged by the news that the New England Journal of Medicine has issued a correction with regard to a Vioxx study it published last year. The correction removed references to the crucial 18 month time period that Merck claims is a safe period before heart side effects kick in.&...
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6/27/2006 5:25:00 PM | Behavioral Therapy 1, Sleeping Pills 0 =(0) A study out of a university in Norway shows that psychological therapy produces better results than medication in the long run for those with chronic insomnia. The therapy was a six week course of cognitive-behavioral methods to help people overcome sleep disorders. Those treated this way slept better (as measured by researchers) and continued...
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6/27/2006 2:14:00 PM | Sutent Offers Hope For People With Kidney Cancer =(0) Sutent, a new drug approved for treating kidney cancer, has shown encouraging results so far. The drug works by blocking blood flow to the tumor, so is effective for large as well as small cancers. Studies are still ongoing......................
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6/26/2006 3:58:00 PM | Merck says Vioxx risk unchanged by data correction =(0) From the "if I say it, that makes it so" file, the drugmaker Merck continues to insist that studies originally reported in the New England Journal of Medicine are still valid despite a correction issued by that publication. The Journal retracted the part of the article that concluded that Vioxx heart risk only begins after 18 months of use, af...
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6/26/2006 3:02:00 AM | Caution urged in Alzheimer's study =(0) Although preliminary research looks "interesting", doctors caution against getting hopes up too soon about the effect that the arthritis drug Enbrel could have on Alzheimer's Disease. In a small study, Alzheimer patients received injections of Enbrel in the back of their necks, and some improvement was seen. However the study was not randomize...
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6/24/2006 4:44:00 AM | Lawsuit claims drug maker liable for woman's suicide =(0) Pfizer is being sued in Washington State for allegedly illegally promoting the epilepsy medication Neurontin for off-label use. The suit was filed by the family of a woman who committed suicide after taking Neurontin for pain relief. The only approved use of Neurontin is for seizures, but it has been prescribed for a wide variety of condi...
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6/23/2006 4:09:00 PM | Merck: FDA whistleblower's video testimony goes beyond limits =(0) Lawyers for drug company Merck are trying to suppress some testimony from an upcoming Vioxx trial. An FDA researcher, Dr. David Graham, made a video deposition in which he alleged that for two years, Merck resisted FDA requests to change the labelling on Vioxx to reflect what was becoming known about the risk of heart attacks and strokes with the d...
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6/22/2006 3:27:00 AM | State Vioxx trial begins to pick jury =(0) The first Vioxx trial to take place in California is at the jury-selection phase. The plaintiff, Stewart Grossberg, claims his heart attack at age 66 was brought on by Vioxx, which he had taken for more than two years at that time. This case was originally set to be tried alongside that of Rudolph Arrigale, who had a heart attack after only fi...
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6/21/2006 2:43:00 PM | Heart drugs might provide birdflu weapon - expert =(0) Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, such as Lipitor, are being touted as bird flu remedies by a retired US physician Dr. David Fedson. He says that statins have the effect of reducing inflammation, which might make a case of bird flu milder than it would otherwise be. It might also alleviate the immune system over-reaction (cytokine storm) whic...
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6/21/2006 10:10:00 AM | Morphotek gets key FDA designation for drug =(0) The FDA has conferred "orphan drug" status for an ovarian cancer therapy under development. This has advantages for tax purposes and marketing exclusivity, meant to encourage companies to develop drugs for less common conditions. The drug, Morab-003, is a humanized monoclonal antibody..........
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6/21/2006 9:52:00 AM | Statins found to reduce cataract risk =(0) A study to investigate whether cholesterol-lowering drugs had adverse effects on the eyes, has found the opposite: statin drugs seem to reduce the incidence of cataracts, a very common eye condition in the elderly. These drugs, such as Lipitor, lower cholesterol and are used to prevent heart attack and stroke, however they were previously foun...
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6/21/2006 6:14:00 AM | REM Sleep Behavior Disorder At Young Age Linked To Antidepressant ... =(0) Antidepressant use has been associated with development of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder in people under age 50. This disorder results in acting out dreams in one's sleep, often in a defensive mode as if under attack. Researchers do not know if the medication causes the sleep disorder, if the depression itself is somehow related or if there is a...
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6/21/2006 12:05:00 AM | No evidence of Paxil damage to fetus =(0) A study at a German university found that taking the antidepressant Paxil during pregnancy did not pose an increased risk of birth defects. This study contradicts the findings of a previous American study, which found some heart abnormalities in the babies of Paxil users. While the risk is still uncertain, patients are urged to use cautio...
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