Blood Substitutes Linked to Deaths, MI; FDA Should Have Acted Sooner to Stop Trials, Researchers Say
People treated with blood substitutes in clinical trials over the past two decades were 30% more likely to die and had almost a threefold higher rate of myocardial infarction (MI) than patients in control groups, a new meta-analysis suggests [1]. Even more damning, the authors of the study say that the US Food and Drug […]
Misdiagnoses Caused in Part by Overconfidence
Most of the time a medical diagnosis is on point. But misdiagnoses do occur, and an overly confident doctor may be partly to blame, a new review suggests.
What Every Physician Should Know About the RUC
Introduction To paraphrase Winston Churchill, never have so many physicians and other health care professionals owed so much to so few. The "few" in this case are the 29 members of the American Medical Association/Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee, or RUC (rhymes with "truck") for short. The RUC's recommendations to the Centers for […]
AHA Statement Takes Aim at Hypertension Resistant to Triple-Drug Therapy
News Author: Steve StilesCME Author: Charles Vega, MD A new statement from the American Heart Association zeroes in on a group it says may make up 20% to 30% of patients with hypertension but has received only limited attention in formal guidelines, probably because they have been targeted in few clinical trials [1]. The document […]
Brazil Launches Cheap New Malaria Pill
Brazil launched a new treatment for malaria on Thursday, marking the latest step in a global programme to make cheap two-in-one pills available to millions at risk for the disease. The country's state-run drugmaker Farmanguinhos is working with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), a non-profit group based in Geneva, to bring the medicine […]
A New Dawn in Cardio and Vascular Protection V. Cardiovascular High-Risk Patients: Treat to Protect
Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are a major cause of death and disability worldwide; around 7.1 million deaths, as well as two thirds of strokes and one half of ischemic heart disease, are attributable to nonoptimal blood pressure control. Large outcome trials have demonstrated that blockade of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is an important approach to […]
Combination Low-Dose DFMO and Sulindac Reduce Recurrence of Colorectal Adenomas
Combining low-dose difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) sulindac lowers the risk for recurrent colorectal adenomas. The results of the phase 3 randomized trial, which were reported here at the American Association for Cancer Research 2008 Annual Meeting, showed that among patients who received the active drug combination, there was a 70% decrease […]
Diagnostic Methods to Treat Ear Pain in Primary Care Setting
News Author: Laurie Barclay, MDCME Author: Laurie Barclay, MD Otitis media and otitis externa are the most common causes of ear pain, according to the results of a review of diagnostic methods and causes published in the March 1 issue of American Family Physician.
New Lifetime Risk Estimates Suggest 1 in 8 Baby Boomers Will Develop Alzheimer’s Disease
A new report released by the Alzheimer's Association includes new estimates that show the lifetime risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is 17% in women and 9% in men who live to age 55 years. The figures mean that 10 million of the 78 million baby boomers alive today can expect to develop AD in their […]
Trouble in Trialville
Trouble in Trialville: Plans for Post-DES Clopidogrel Trial GetBogged Down Over Trial Design, Leadership Almost 16 months after an FDA hearing into drug-eluting stent (DES) safety emphasized the need for a randomized clinical trial to determine, once and for all, the optimal duration of clopidogrel (Plavix, Sanofi-Aventis) plus aspirin after DES implantation, researchers, government agencies, […]
