Category Archives: Drugs

By Kaustubh Kulkarni MUMBAI (Reuters) - India is planning to rein in prices of expensive patented drugs to make medicines affordable to its predominantly poor population, a top government official said on Friday. The move is almost certain to draw the ire of global drugmakers like Pfizer (NYS:PFE - News), GlaxoSmithKline (LSE:GSK.L - News) and Merck (NYS:MRK - News), which spend billions of dollars researching new treatments and are hoping for huge growth for branded medicines in emerging economies such as India. "A committee has already finalised a proposal and we will put it out in the public domain in a month or so," Dilsher Singh Kalha, secretary of the Department of Pharmaceuticals at the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, told reporters on the sidelines of an industry conference. "There could be reference pricing system (for patented drugs) or maybe fixed-pricing, but a final decision has not been taken," Kalha said. GRAPHIC: Generics in India: http://link.reuters.com/sug29s The step would be the latest by India to make medicines more affordable after it announced earlier this month it would implement a $5.4 billion plan to provide free generic medicines to its people. Currently, patented drugs are free of price controls, but there … Continue reading →

Jul 26, 2012 6:41pm Credit: The US Drug Enforcement Agency Less than a month after President Obama banned the sale, production, and possession of synthetic drugs known as bath salts, the Drug Enforcement Agency announced today that it has made 90 arrests in a nationwide synthetic drug takedown. Law enforcement agents also seized $36 million in cash and 19 million packets of synthetic drugs, including bath salts (a powder hallucinogen) and spice (also known as fake marijuana), the agency said. The DEA collaborated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and several other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in a project called Operation Log Jam. This enforcement action has disrupted the entire illegal industry, from manufacturers to retailers, said DEA administrator Michele Leonhart. The largest number of arrests were in Albuquerque, but the most significant synthetic drug activity was in Tampa, DEA spokeswoman Barbara Cerrano told ABCNews.com. Part of Operation Log Jam included serving search warrants to gather evidence in addition to the arrests, she said. The criminal organizations behind the importation, distribution and selling of these synthetic drugs have scant regard for human life in their reckless pursuit of illicit profits, said James Chaparro, the Acting Director of ICEs … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON -- People are inventing so many new ways to get high that lawmakers can't seem to keep up. Over the past two years, the U.S. has seen a surge in the use of synthetic drugs made of legal chemicals that mimic the dangerous effects of cocaine, amphetamines and other illegal stimulants. The drugs are often sold at small, independent stores in misleading packaging that suggests common household items like bath salts, incense and plant food. But the substances inside are powerful, mind-altering drugs that have been linked to bizarre and violent behavior across the country. Law enforcement officials refer to the drugs collectively as "bath salts," though they have nothing in common with the fragrant toiletries used to moisturize skin. President Barack Obama signed a bill into law earlier this month that bans the sale, production and possession of more than two dozen of the most common bath salt drugs. But health professionals say lawmakers cannot keep pace with bath salt producers, who constantly adjust their chemical formulations to come up with new synthetic drugs that aren't covered by new laws. Experts who have studied the problem estimate there are more than 100 different bath salt chemicals in circulation. … Continue reading →

26 July 2012 Last updated at 06:49 ET Teenagers in England are shunning drink and drugs for a cleaner lifestyle, say health officials. A survey of 6,500 children aged between 11 and 15 showed the numbers taking drugs, smoking and drinking alcohol had all fallen over the past decade. The NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre figures found 17% had tried drugs at least once in 2011, compared with 29% in 2001. The team said youngsters appeared to be living increasingly healthy lifestyles. The survey, which questions a selection of children at English secondary schools, is carried out every year to monitor reported use of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. The latest poll, carried out between September and December last year, found the number of children at each age who said they had taken drugs in the preceding 12 months was down. Among 15-year-olds, the number fell from 39% in 2001 to 23% in 2011. Only 3% of 11-year-olds had taken drugs. Cannabis was the most commonly used drug, although its was also down. Link: Fewer teens using illegal drugs … Continue reading →

Posted: 7:20 AM Updated: 6:31 PM The Associated Press WASHINGTON People are inventing so many new ways to get high that lawmakers can't seem to keep up. click image to enlarge This Jan. 26, 2011, photo shows containers of bath salts in Mechanicsburg, Pa. There's been a surge in the use of synthetic drugs that are made of legal chemicals but mimic the dangerous effects of cocaine, amphetamines and other illegal stimulants. The drugs, which are often sold at corner stores as bath salts, incense and plant food for as little as $15, can trigger bizarre and violent behavior. AP/The Patriot-News, Chris Knight click image to enlarge In this Friday, Jan. 29, 2011, file photo, packages of fake "bath salts," synthetic stimulants that mimic the effects of traditional drugs like cocaine and speed, are displayed by Senate Drug Policy Committee chairman Sid Albritton, R-Picayune, at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss. On July 10, 2012, President Obama signed a law banning more than two dozen of the most common chemicals used to make the drugs. Over the past two years health care and law enforcement professionals have seen a surge in use of the drugs, often sold under the guise of … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON People are inventing so many new ways to get high that lawmakers can't seem to keep up. Over the past two years, the U.S. has seen a surge in the use of synthetic drugs made of legal chemicals that mimic the dangerous effects of cocaine, amphetamines and other illegal stimulants. The drugs are often sold at small, independent stores in misleading packaging that suggests common household items like bath salts, incense and plant food. But the substances inside are powerful, mind-altering drugs that have been linked to bizarre and violent behavior across the country. Law enforcement officials refer to the drugs collectively as "bath salts," though they have nothing in common with the fragrant toiletries used to moisturize skin. President Barack Obama signed a bill into law earlier this month that bans the sale, production and possession of more than two dozen of the most common bath salt drugs. But health professionals say lawmakers cannot keep pace with bath salt producers, who constantly adjust their chemical formulations to come up with new synthetic drugs that aren't covered by new laws. Experts who have studied the problem estimate there are more than 100 different bath salt chemicals in circulation. "The … Continue reading →

July 25, 2012 By MATTHEW PERRONE, AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- People are inventing so many new ways to get high that lawmakers can't seem to keep up. Over the past two years, the U.S. has seen a surge in the use of synthetic drugs made of legal chemicals that mimic the dangerous effects of cocaine, amphetamines and other illegal stimulants. The drugs are often sold at small, independent stores in misleading packaging that suggests common household items like bath salts, incense and plant food. But the substances inside are powerful, mind-altering drugs that have been linked to bizarre and violent behavior across the country. Law enforcement officials refer to the drugs collectively as "bath salts," though they have nothing in common with the fragrant toiletries used to moisturize skin. President Barack Obama signed a bill into law earlier this month that bans the sale, production and possession of more than two dozen of the most common bath salt drugs. But health professionals say lawmakers cannot keep pace with bath salt producers, who constantly adjust their chemical formulations to come up with new synthetic drugs that aren't covered by new laws. Experts who have studied the problem estimate there … Continue reading →

(AP) WASHINGTON - People are inventing so many new, legal ways to get high that lawmakers can't seem to keep up. Over the past two years, the U.S. has seen a surge in the use of synthetic drugs made of legal chemicals that mimic the dangerous effects of cocaine, amphetamines and other illegal stimulants. The drugs are often sold at small, independent stores in misleading packaging that suggests common household items like bath salts, incense and plant food. But the substances inside are powerful, mind-altering drugs that have been linked to bizarre and violent behavior across the country. Law enforcement officials refer to the drugs collectively as "bath salts," though they have nothing in common with the fragrant toiletries used to moisturize skin. DEA to outlaw "bath salt drugs" "Bath salts" have effects similar to meth, ecstasy Products considered synthetic drugs. President Barack Obama signed a bill into law earlier this month that bans the sale, production and possession of more than two dozen of the most common bath salt drugs. But health professionals say that there are so many different varieties of the drugs that U.S. lawmakers are merely playing catch up. "The moment you start to regulate one … Continue reading →

A new combination of three drugs killed 99 percent of patients' tuberculosis bacteria in two weeks, raising hope for a new weapon against increasingly resistant forms of TB. The midstage study, presented on Monday at the International AIDS Conference in Washington, needs to be confirmed in larger and longer trials. Scientists say the drug cocktail could speed treatment and help reduce the emergence of resistant forms of tuberculosis. "TB is the largest killer of AIDS patients, and so in order to contain the AIDS epidemic, we have to contain TB to a much greater extent," said Dr. Mel Spiegelman, chief executive officer of the TB Alliance, a non-profit research group that conducted the study, which was published in the Lancet. The combination of drugs includes one existing TB drug, pyrazinamide, a repurposed antibiotic from Bayer AG called moxifloxcin that is now used off-label for patients with drug-resistant TB, and a new drug called PA-824 being developed by the New York-based TB Alliance. What the combination lacks are any drugs in the class called rifamycins, which pose the greatest threat of side effects for patients who also are being treated for infections with HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDs. … Continue reading →

FRIDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- Many Medicaid recipients with chronic health conditions that can lead to heart disease -- diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol -- do not take their prescribed medications, a new study has found. The researchers said failure to take medications leads to higher costs of care and an increased risk of hospitalization and even death. They looked at 2008 and 2009 data from more than 150,000 Medicaid patients in New York City, aged 20 to 64, and found that only 63 percent of those with the three chronic conditions took their prescribed medications. Older patients and white and Asian patients were most likely to take their medications, while black and Hispanic patients were least likely. "The outcome of this study is concerning, as it shows a large number of people with chronic conditions that lead to cardiovascular disease aren't taking prescribed medications, which could prevent a potential stroke or heart attack," lead author Dr. Kelly Kyanko, an instructor in the department of population health at the NYU Langone Medical Center, said in a center news release. "We hope these findings will help local health authorities in the New York City area address this problem … Continue reading →