Section archive

Drug

Prescription drugs, vaccines and their risks and benefits.

Drug

Gcmaf a universal cancer cure?

A comment piece citing studies by Nobuto Yamamoto that report GcMAF, a vitamin D3-binding protein tied to macrophage activation, cured all 16 metastatic prostate cancer patients in a Translational Oncology paper with no recurrence for seven years. It argues immunotherapy avoids drug resistance.

Drug

Raritan Pharmaceuticals Recalls Products Containing Belladonna Extract

Raritan Pharmaceuticals is recalling homeopathic products it makes for Homeolab USA, including CVS infants' teething tablets and two children's ear relief liquids, because FDA testing found belladonna extract at levels that varied from the label. Consumers should stop using the listed lots.

Nov 25, 2016

Drug

FDA approves Daratumumab (DARZALEX) for multiple myeloma

The FDA approved daratumumab (Darzalex) with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone, for multiple myeloma after at least one prior therapy. Adding it cut the risk of progression or death by 63 percent in POLLUX and 61 percent in CASTOR.

Nov 22, 2016

Drug

Cox-2 inhibitors may help Desmoid tumor

A case report in the World Journal of Surgical Oncology describes a 57-year-old woman whose pancreatic-head desmoid tumor was removed and who then took celecoxib, with complete remission and no recurrence within two years. The authors say more research is needed.

Nov 21, 2016

Drug

Dental amalgam fillings are a source of mercury pollution

A Karolinska Institute autopsy study found a correlation between the number of amalgam-filled tooth surfaces and mercury in the occipital cortex, and higher kidney mercury in seven people with fillings. A 1995 Swedish study reported levels dropped after fillings were removed.

Nov 20, 2016

Drug

Prostate cancer treatments cause sexual dysfunction

A survey of 379 spouses of prostate cancer survivors found 75% said treatment worsened the quality of sexual life. Only 7% of survivors sought medical attention and just 4% of oncologists referred them to a sex therapist, the researchers reported.

Nov 19, 2016

Drug

Hypertension medications taken at bedtime prevent diabetes mellitus better

A randomised controlled trial published in Diabetologia suggests that taking one or more blood pressure medications at bedtime may lower the risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes more than taking them at other times of day.

Nov 19, 2016

Drug

Statin therapy effective in at-risk people, but may cause side effects

A USPSTF review of 19 trials with 71,344 participants found statin users had 14%, 31%, 29% and 36% lower risks of death from any cause, cardiovascular death, stroke and heart attack. It found no rise in serious harms, though other reports tie statins to muscle pain and myopathy.

Nov 19, 2016

Drug

USPSTF recommends statin use for CVD prevention

The task force's final statement recommends a low-to-moderate dose statin for adults aged 40 to 75 with no history of cardiovascular disease who have a risk factor such as dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension or smoking plus a 10-year event risk of 10% or more. Benefit is less certain below that.

Nov 14, 2016

Drug

Chemotherapy may raise risk of leukemia, lymphoma

A 2016 report describes a patient who developed both secondary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and leukemia after breast cancer chemotherapy, adding lymphoma to earlier suggestions that adjuvant chemotherapy for early stage breast cancer may raise leukemia risk.

Oct 7, 2016

Drug

FDA warns against the use of homeopathic teething tablets and gels

FDA warned that homeopathic teething tablets and gels may pose a risk to infants and children, telling consumers to stop using them and dispose of any they have. The agency is analyzing reports of seizures and other adverse events and testing product samples.

Oct 1, 2016

Drug

Request to FDA to Ban Triclosan in Toothpaste (Toxic Carcinogen Already Banned in Soap)

The Cornucopia Institute has asked FDA to ban triclosan from toothpaste as it did for hand soaps on September 6, citing links to skin irritation, endocrine disruption, breast cancer, childhood allergies and weakened muscle function. It also published a toothpaste scorecard.

Sep 29, 2016

Drug

Drugs that cause liver injury or damage

The piece argues that Google Scholar searches make dietary supplements look like the main cause of liver injury, when many government-approved drugs can damage the liver too, and points readers to a U.S. government website with detailed reports on drugs, herbals and supplements.

Sep 28, 2016

Drug

CT scan radiation increases cancer risk

People exposed to diagnostic CT scans had a 24 percent higher overall cancer risk over 9.5 years of follow-up than unexposed people, with higher doses tied to higher risk, a study reports. Exposure between ages one and four raised the risk 36 percent.

Sep 17, 2016

Drug

Watchful waiting as good as other treatments for prostate cancer

In a British trial of 1,600 men aged 50 to 69 assigned to surgery, radiation or monitoring, 17 died of prostate cancer over 10 years. Monitored men were twice as likely to develop metastatic disease, 6 versus 3 percent, while treatment brought incontinence and sexual problems.

Sep 15, 2016

Drug

FDA bans 19 toxic chemicals in antibacterial soaps

FDA banned 19 chemicals from antibacterial soaps, among them triclosan and triclocarban. Studies have shown ordinary soap works as well, and the writer argues these largely untested chemicals, which children may ingest off unwashed hands, were never needed.

Sep 2, 2016

Drug

Ozone kills cancer

A 1980 paper in Science reported that exposing human lung, breast and uterine cancer cells to air containing 0.3 to 0.8 ppm ozone for eight days inhibited their growth by 40% to 90%, dose-dependently, while control lung fibroblasts were inhibited by less than 50%.

Aug 10, 2016

Drug

Testing for malaria—or cancer—at home, via cheap paper strips

Ohio State chemists are developing paper strips costing about 50 cents that detect disease from a drop of blood mailed to a lab. The tests stayed accurate a month after sampling, and the team reports the method can be tailored to any disease that prompts antibodies.

Jul 1, 2016

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