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POPSDrug tries to offset 10,000 years of evolution Gene therapies, expected some time between 2015 and 2020, promise to correct this genetic problem caused by nature, but many obese people do not want to wait. They are hoping that Nastech’s new nasal spray can provide a solution now. Within 20 to 35 minutes after taking a whiff, this new drug moves quickly through the nasal lining and into the bloodstream, sending a message to the brain that our tummy is full. So far the drug has had no negative side effects. PYY is undergoing clinical trials now, and is expected to be in drug stores by 2009 or 2010. Obesity is the 2nd leading cause of preventable death in America, so this drug offers a great chance for more people to improve their health and get ready to enjoy our “magical future”.
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POPSOxygen may ease headache and migraine Breathing oxygen as opposed to what? I wonder if it has anything to do with the air being clean. Perhaps fresh air would have a similar effect. Fresh air is getting harder to find these days
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POPSMicrobicides could lead to tougher HIV
An estimated 33 million people have HIV. 66% in Africa. More than 61% of Africans with HIV are women who have been infected by their partners. They have found tougher HIV is not as likely to be transmitted. Microbicides work with consistent application, and in conjunction with anti HIV medication, which may not be taken. Reminds me of how Penicillin was once considered to be the the cure for many known diseases. It wasn't long before bacteria developed that were resistant, and the next generation of antibiotics needed to be developed. Now we have the top of the line Methycillin, and MRSA-Methycyllin resistant Staphylococcus Aureas -Golden Staph, and we're reaching the end of this line.. We tried to beat nature, and nature caught us and beat us back. As penicillin was a natural by product of a microorganism, it stands to reason that as many other species have natural antibiotics and defense mechanisms, we can find the next generation of antibiotics by following natures lead.
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POPSThe NYT On Avastin The New York Times has a long takeout in the Sunday paper on the conundrum raised by Genentech's Avastin: How much can society afford to pay for a treatment that, while beneficial, only extends median survival by a little bit? An interesting bit of new information comes out in between the analysis and stirring narrative. Genentech and Roche have spent more than $2.25 billion to develop Avastin. That's an interesting figure -- about as much as the drug made in sales last year. It does serve as a reminder that it is drug companies, not the government, that really pay for developing new medicines. What makes the Avastin conundrum difficult is that it is one of the biggest sellers introduced in recent memory. If Avastin's not worth the money, there are some hard questions that need to be asked about the incentives currently at work in drug development.
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POPS Viagra for the brain? It’s not an amphetamine or stimulant, the article explained: it doesn’t make you high, or wired. It seems to work by restricting the parts of your brain that make you sluggish or sleepy. No significant negative effects have been discovered. Now students are using it in the run-up to exams as a “smart drug” – a steroid for the mind.
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POPSMoral Philosopher Questions Memory Manipulation Hurley says while the real threat of developing PTSD might be a good enough reason to use beta-blockers as a preventative measure, she also wants policy makers to consider the ramifications of what such a treatment may mean to a person’s moral well-being. “Beta-blockers do not cause amnesia. Rather they make memories less vivid, detailed and arousing,” explains Hurley, who specializes in bioethics. “They lessen the emotional impact when someone is recalling upsetting events.”
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POPSBig Pharma Drug Rip-Off Many of us knew this to be true but when it is written down in some article it packs an even greater punch! OUCH! We should all stop being so afraid of death, and dying for if it weren't for this fear, I believe, THEY (big pharma, physicians, medical "caretakers" etc.) COULD NEVER GET AWAY WITH ROBBING US OF OUR MONEY, HEALTH AND WELL BEING! :mad: More here http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/04/19/shocking-facts-about-the-pharmaceutical-industry.aspx and here: http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=327 and even more here: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20020805/newman20020725
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POPSWho Are We? Coming of Age on Antidepressants The reason has to do with the way drugs are tested and approved. To get F.D.A. approval, a drug has to beat a placebo in two randomized clinical trials that typically involve a few hundred subjects who are treated for relatively short periods, usually 4 to 12 weeks.So drugs are approved based on short-term studies for what turns out to be long-term — often lifelong — use in the world of clinical practice. What do I say to a depressed patient who is doing well after five years on such a drug but can’t stop without a depressive relapse and who wants reassurance that the drug has no long-term adverse effects?I usually say that we have no evidence that the drug poses a risk with long-term use; and since the risk of untreated depression is much greater than the hypothetical risk of the drug, it makes sense to stay on it.
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POPSNational Lipid Association On ENHANCE The National Lipid Association is a relatively young medical association focusing on how disease can be caused when cholesterol levels go awry. This document is being passed around as a middle-of-the road position than the recommendation on the use of Zetia and Vytorin. It's worth noting, though, that some of the signers -- all of whom work with drug firms and most of whom work with Merck and Schering/Plough -- still mention a pretty restrictive guideline for Zetia use. This guideline notes that some of the signers feel resins like Questran and WelChol should be used before Zetia. That would put Zetia and Vytorin pretty far back in the medicine cabinet. Whether general practitioners will follow this advice is up in the air.
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POPSToxic Psychiatry Useful website for work of psychiatrist Dr Breggin. Up to date. WARNING! When trying to withdraw from many psychiatric drugs, patients can develop serious and even life-threatening emotional and physical reactions. In short, it is dangerous not only to start taking psychiatric drugs but also can be hazardous to stop taking them. Therefore, withdrawal from psychiatric drugs should be done under clinical supervision. Principles of psychiatric medication withdrawal are discussed in Dr. Peter Breggin's book, Brain Disabling Treatments in Psychiatry: Drugs, Electroshock and the Psychopharaceutical Complex (Springer, NY, 2008).
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