Category Archives: Drug Side Effects

Monday, October 8, 2012 | 6:15 p.m. CDT BOSTON Combined results from two studies of an experimental Alzheimer's drug suggest it might modestly slow mental decline, especially in patients with mild disease. Taken separately, the studies on the drug Eli Lilly & Co.'s solanezumab missed their main goals of significantly slowing the mind-robbing disease or improving activities of daily living. But pooled results found 34 percent less mental decline in mild Alzheimer's patients compared to those on a fake treatment for 18 months. Doctors called the results encouraging, though probably not good enough to win approval of the drug now, without another study to confirm there is a benefit. Investors were more enthusiastic, driving Lilly's stock up about 5 percent on Monday and about 19 percent since August, when the company described the results in general terms. Detailed results were revealed for the first time Monday at an American Neurological Association annual meeting in Boston. "It's certainly not the home run we all wanted, but we're very encouraged by these results," said Maria Carrillo, chief science officer for the Alzheimer's Association, which had no role in the research. Stephen Salloway, an Alzheimer's expert at Brown University, agreed. "It's exciting to … Continue reading →

Taking a serious view of alleged use of human beings as guinea pigs for clinical trials by drug companies, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre and various states governments to reply to the allegation. A bench of justices R M Lodha and A R Dave also directed the Union government to come out with details of the deaths, if any, and the side effects and compensation, if any, paid to the victims or their family members. The apex court's direction came during the hearing of a public interest litigation petition, filed by NGO Swasthya Adhikar Manch, alleging large scale clinical drug trials across the country by various pharmaceutical firms using Indian citizens as guinea pigs in those tests. "We can even issue a one-line direction that all these clinical trials which affect many people must stop forthwith. It must suffice, we are very serious about it," the apex court told Additional Solicitor General Siddharth Luthra. The bench while expressing its serious concern, however, refrained from passing any blanket ban on the trials and instead sought a comprehensive reply from the Centre on the four issues. The issues included number of applications received by the Union government for clinical … Continue reading →

Taking a serious view of alleged use of human beings as guinea pigs for clinical trials by drug companies, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre and various states governments to reply to the allegation. A Bench of Justices R M Lodha and A R Dave also directed the Union government to come out with details of the deaths, if any, and the side effects and compensation, if any, paid to the victims or their family members. The apex court's direction came during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition, filed by NGO Swasthya Adhikar Manch, alleging large scale clinical drug trials across the country by various pharmaceutical firms using Indian citizens as guinea pigs in those tests. "We can even issue a one-line direction that all these clinical trials which affect many people must stop forthwith. It must suffice, we are very serious about it," the apex court told Additional Solicitor General Siddharth Luthra. The Bench while expressing its serious concern, however, refrained from passing any blanket ban on the trials and instead sought a comprehensive reply from the Centre on the four issues. The issues included number of applications received by the Union government for … Continue reading →

New York, New York (PRWEB) October 06, 2012 A new study is adding to concern that Pradaxa side effects may be putting patients at risk for serious, uncontrollable and life-threatening bleeding, Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports. The study, which appears in the journal, Archives of Internal Medicine, found that the rate of serious Pradaxa side effects negates any benefits the drugs may offer to patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS).* This study only reinforces that Pradaxa side effects are extremely serious, especially given the fact that there is no readily available antidote for severe Pradaxa bleeding, says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a national law firm representing clients who have been injured by dangerous drugs and defective medical devices. The Firm is currently offering free and confidential lawsuit evaluations to individuals who suffered serious Pradaxa side effects. The Archives of Internal Medicine study looked at data on 30,000 ACS patients, half of whom were treated with Pradaxa or another class of new blood thinners called xa inhibitors, while the other half were given placebos. According to the study, taking Pradaxa or one of the new blood thinners increased the likelihood of a serious bleeding event by 3-fold. However, only modest reductions of stent … Continue reading →

Nobody wants to be bitten by a black mamba. One of the most dangerous snakes in the world, its venom can kill a person in less than half an hour. But a new study reports that there is something besides deadly toxin hidden inside the snake: a powerful painkiller that works as well as morphine but without the side effects. In the report, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, researchers from France described two previously unknown pain-killing peptides extracted from the mamba toxin. They named the peptides mambalgins, in honor of the snake. The scientists were studying the relationship between snake venom and pain because previous research had shown that some types of venom bind directly to proteins embedded in nerve cells that cause pain when activated. These proteins, called ASICs, are commonly believed to play a central role in one of our pain pathways by causing certain groups of neurons to fire in response to a painful stimulus. While the previous studies had focused on snake venoms that activated ASICs, the authors of the new study found that the mambalgins actually inhibit the activity of the ASICs in mice -- meaning they shut down the pathway responsible for registering … Continue reading →

Pradaxa lawsuits filed by patients who experienced severe side effects such as excessive bleeding are currently being evaluated by the Pradaxa lawyers at Bernstein Liebhard LLP. New York, NY (PRWEB) October 04, 2012 Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing clients who have been injured by dangerous drugs and defective medical devices, is currently offering free and confidential Pradaxa case reviews to individuals who suffered Pradaxa side effects. The Pradaxa lawsuits allege that the manufacturer of the drug failed to adequately warn patients about Pradaxa excessive bleeding and the lack of an antidote. FDA Receives Growing Reports Of Fatal Pradaxa Side Effects Pradaxa was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010. The drug was introduced as an alternative to Coumadin, or warfarin, an anti-coagulant that required more monitoring to use. However, serious bleeding caused by warfarin can be stopped by doses of Vitamin K, while Pradaxa lacks such a solution to stop its blood-thinning effects, which may lead to serious patient injuries and death. According to a USA Today report, the FDA has received 3,781 adverse event reports of Pradaxa side effects and 542 Pradaxa deaths since its approval. The number of Pradaxa adverse repots … Continue reading →

Working past the traditional retirement age of 65 is the fallback strategy for many people hurtling toward retirement but concerned they haven't saved enough. And indeed, the financial benefits of deferring retirement can be potent. Continuing to work means continuing to save, for one thing, and even more important, deferring withdrawals from your investment kitty also reduces the number of years you'll need your investments to last. Working longer also often means deferring Social Security, which itself delivers a sizable inflation-adjusted compounding benefit. But continuing to work past the traditional retirement age--or even part time during retirement--can bring unintended financial side effects, some good, some bad. These issues should, of course, play second fiddle to the key factors surrounding whether to continue to work: whether you want to, whether you're able to, and whether continuing to earn a paycheck will have a meaningful effect on your bottom line. That said, here are some of the secondary financial issues to bear in mind as you assess the merits of working past 65. Social Security BenefitsFirst, the good news. If you've waited until your full retirement age or later to file for Social Security benefits, you can earn as much income as … Continue reading →

Pfizer Inc. (PFE) said its Sutent pill will continue to be the standard treatment for renal cell carcinoma after GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) said its competing Votrient drug showed similar effectiveness with fewer side effects. Patients taking Sutent survived an average of 9.5 months without the disease progressing, compared with 8.4 months for those on Votrient, in a study of 1,100 patients, London-based Glaxo said yesterday. Side effects such as fatigue and skin sores occurred with less frequency for Votrient. One of the studys authors yesterday suggested new patients may now view Votrient more favorably than Sutent, which commands about half the U.S. market for renal cancer treatments since gaining approval in 2006 for Pfizer, the worlds largest drugmaker. Still, physicians and patients have experience using Sutent and have learned to manage the side effects, said Robin Wiltshire, head of global medical affairs for New York-based Pfizers drug. Im confident that Sutent will remain the standard of care, Wiltshire said in a phone interview from Vienna after attending the European Society for Medical Oncologys annual meeting. Over time, physicians and their patients have really learned good strategies for helping to manage the therapy. Severity of side effects can be reduced through … Continue reading →

The HPV vaccine is the stuff of debate, and by that we mean there are parents who feel great about marching their sons and daughters to the doctor to get the shots, and there are parents who would rather put their kids in a canoe without a life preserver than have them vaccinated. Their reluctance is often tied to doubts about the vaccines safety. On the Web site Truth About Gardasil (which makes one of the HPV vaccines), information on the home page states that thousands of girls are having adverse reactions to the HPV Vaccines, some have even died. Among those adverse reaction claims are seizures, strokes, fatigue, stomach pains, insomnia and rashes. A study released today may or may not quell some of those fears. An independent safety committee looked at side effects soon after vaccination among 189,629 women who got one or more doses of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine between 2006 and 2008. MORE: HPV Vaccine Benefits Those Who Do and Don't Get the Shots The only side effects associated with the vaccine were a higher incidence of fainting soon after being given the shot, and skin infections within two weeks of the shot. A couple … Continue reading →

By Anna Edney - 2012-10-01T21:17:45Z Merck & Co. (MRK)s Gardasil, the human papillomavirus vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, was shown to be safe in the second large-scale study in the past year of side effects since the drug was approved six years ago. Fainting and infection were among short-term side effects in a U.S. government-required study of 190,000 females in Kaiser Permanentes California insurance system who were tracked for 60 days after receiving the HPV vaccine. The study today in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine showed patients were six times more likely to have fainted the day of the shot than in the following weeks and 1.8 times more likely to report a skin and subcutaneous tissue infection in the two weeks after. Gardasil sparked debate in 2007 as 24 states introduced legislation to mandate HPV shots for school girls, despite the lack of long-term safety studies. U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota brought the issue back to light last year at a Republican presidential debate, when she chastised Texas Governor Rick Perry for requiring girls in his state to be vaccinated. Todays report is the second to be published in the past year to show no significant … Continue reading →