Adding folic acid to flour and other grains has helped reduce some birth defects. In a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there has been a 19 percent drop in the number of babies born with spinal and brain defects since 1998, when the government began requiring some foods to be fortified with the Folic acid. The CDC researchers looked at data from birth certificates in 45 states and the District of Columbia from 1990 to 1999. They found that before folic acid fortification, the rate of neural tube defects - a category of birth defects that includes the spine disorder spina bifida and the brain defect anencephaly -- was 37.8 per 100,000 live births. After fortification, it dropped to 30.5 per 100,000 live births. The CDC researchers say there may also have been an increased use of vitamin supplements among pregnant women, but that the fortification of flour and grains with folate was instrumental in reducing birth defects.
Increase in cost of drugs outpacing US inflation
The cost of the 50 most commonly prescribed drugs for seniors increased by more than two times the rate of inflation over the last year, according to a report from Families USA, a consumer advocacy group concerned with healthcare -- and this reflects a pattern of price increases that has been ongoing for the past decade, the group announced "Congress must act this year to provide relief to the millions of older Americans struggling with high prescription drug costs." The high cost of drugs in the US has led some seniors, many of whom are on a fixed income and do not have health insurance that covers prescription drugs, to cross the border into Mexico or Canada, Synthroid, a drug used to treat underactive thyroid gland and thyroid cancer, drugs manufactured in the U.S. and exported to these countries can be purchased for sometimes less than half the U.S. price in the same town.
The pharmaceutical industry has made claims in the past that the high price of prescription drugs is necessary to cover the tremendous expense of research and development. But Families USA''s Pollack notes that some of the drugs with the biggest price increases over the last 10 years have been on the market for many years, some more than 30 years, so the costs of research should already have been recouped.
Pfizer buys marketing rights of obesity drug
Phytopharm, a British firm specialising in plant-based medicines, said that an experimental obesity drug extracted from an African cactus had proved safe in early clinical tests on overweight people. Kalahari bushmen have used the rare Hoodia cactus for thousands of years to stave off hunger on long hunting trips. Now Phytopharm has patented the active ingredient to make its obesity drug, codenamed P57. Pfizer Inc, has bought marketing rights to the product. A five-day study on 18 obese patients confirmed there was systemic exposure to biologically active constituents of P57 with no serious adverse effects. The proof of principle study will now proceed to a third and final stage, which Phytopharm hopes will confirm a reduction in calorie intake when it completes in early November.
Perindopril and Indapamide combo helps in stroke prevention
Lowering high blood pressure is one of the best ways to prevent stroke and heart disease. Now it turns out that the combination of two blood pressure medications -- perindopril and indapamide -- can prevent stroke even if blood pressure is normal. These findings from the landmark study PROGRESS (Perindopril Protection Against Recurrent Stroke Study) were announced at the European Society of Hypertension Congress in Milan, Italy. "The results of this study are of direct relevance to the care of at least 50 million people worldwide," key PROGRESS investigator Stephen MacMahon, MD, tells WebMD. "If the treatments are implemented widely, several hundred thousand strokes would be avoided each year."
After studying more than 6,000 stroke sufferers worldwide for six years, PROGRESS researchers found that perindopril and indapamide were most effective when used together in decreasing risk of a further stroke and death Says Morris Brown, MD, PhD, a professor of clinical pharmacology at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. Unlike aspirin, which is associated with an increased risk for bleeding, these drugs have no effect on bleeding risk, so they can be used even after strokes caused by bleeding into the brain. They are taken only once daily and cause few side effects other than occasional cough or excessively low blood pressure.
Counterfeit pharmaceuticals flood Russian market
Counterfeit pharmaceuticals flood Russian market. James Schofield Moscow International pharmaceutical manufacturers and Russian federal authorities say that an explosion of counterfeit drugs is seriously endangering the public health. As much as 3.6% of all drugs in Russia are fake, the deputy minister of health, Anton Katlinsky, said at a recent press conference in Moscow. The health ministry reported 56 separate drugs and medicines counterfeited in 2000.Most of the fake drugs in Russia are high volume, low cost antibiotics, which turn an enormous profit when copied in bulk. They are also far easier to introduce to the market than rare treatments used in only a handful of situations. Concerned by the phenomenal growth of the trade, Robert Rozen, executive director of the Association of International Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, has urged the government to form a special commission for combating the lethal trade. "This is a question of life or death," he argued.
Banning of mercury thermometers
If you''re using a mercury thermometer to take your child''s temperature, it''s time to look for an alternative. The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging parents and doctors to avoid using mercury thermometers on children. In fact, in its journal Pediatrics the AAP calls for a ban on mercury-containing medical device in children''s homes and pediatricians'' offices, in an effort to reduce exposure to the toxic metal. The AAP report cites the risk that children could inhale poisonous mercury vapor if a thermometer breaks. Alternatives to mercury thermometers include digital thermometers, chemical strips or glass thermometers that contain a non-mercury metal alloy, InteliHealth reports, but these options may be more expensive and less accurate than mercury thermometers. The AAP notes that communities may need to develop programs or drop-off points to safely dispose of mercury thermometers. In order to further protect against mercury poisoning, the pediatricians'' group also is urging parents to limit the amount of fish their kids eat, since certain types of fish contain high levels of organic mercury. The AAP says young children should eat no more than two ounces of cooked fish or three ounces of uncooked fish one meal per week.
Compiled from WWW by Dr. Venkat Appaji Padmanabhunie-mail : appajipv@hotmail.com