The FDA approved Truvada to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV in uninfected adults at high risk, the first drug cleared for pre-exposure prophylaxis. Users take it daily alongside safer sex practices, and must test HIV-negative before starting and every three months.
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Drug
Prescription drugs, vaccines and their risks and benefits.
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Drug
GlaxoSmithKline: GUILTY in Largest Health Fraud Settlement in US History
GlaxoSmithKline pleaded guilty on July 2 to three criminal misdemeanor counts over Paxil, Wellbutrin and Avandia and agreed to pay $3 billion, $1 billion of it criminal. The piece sets the sum against Pfizer's $2.3 billion in 2009 and Abbott's $1.6 billion Depakote settlement in May.
Drug
Merck Accused of Lying about Vaccine Effectiveness
Two former Merck virologists, Stephen Krahling and Joan Wlochowski, allege in an unsealed 2010 False Claims Act complaint that they witnessed improper testing and data falsification inflating the mumps vaccine's efficacy findings. Merck calls the suit completely without merit.
Drug
Gaea Powell on Safer Breast Cancer Screening
Mercola profiles Gaea Powell, a board-certified medical thermographer who turned to breast thermography after her mother died of breast cancer at 49. The piece describes thermography as radiation-free infrared imaging and argues routine mammography has proved more harmful than helpful.
Drug
Common diabetes drugs up death risk
Among 23,915 Cleveland Clinic patients with type 2 diabetes followed for two years, the sulfonylureas glipizide, glyburide and glimepiride each carried more than 50% higher risk of death than metformin. The lead author calls metformin the preferred first-line drug.
Drug
Stopped in India After Four People Died - But it's Still Available in the US
Mercola points to reported airflow problems at the CDC's $214 million bioterror germ lab in Atlanta, where Federal Times documents show air from a Biosafety Level 3 area was vented into a so-called clean zone. The agency says no one has been infected.
Drug
Methadone linked to 30 percent of prescription painkiller overdose deaths
A CDC Vital Signs report found methadone made up 2 percent of US painkiller prescriptions in 2009 but figured in more than 30 percent of prescription painkiller overdose deaths. Six times as many people died of methadone overdoses in 2009 as in 1999.
Drug
Major Drug Company to Pay at Least $1.5 Billion Over Fraudulent Risperdal Marketing
Johnson & Johnson will pay at least $1.5 billion to settle Justice Department claims over marketing Risperdal for unapproved uses, and sources say the total could exceed $2 billion. Research has found up to two-thirds of Risperdal prescriptions went to off-label uses.
Drug
Antihypertensive drug linked to celiac disease symptoms
A Mayo Clinic study of 22 patients suggests the blood pressure drug Benicar (olmesartan) can cause symptoms resembling celiac disease. Antibody tests indicated the patients did not have celiac itself, and their condition improved after they stopped the drug.
Drug
More ADHD drugs for teens now than ever
A Pediatrics study of two commercial prescription databases found ADHD stimulant prescriptions for U.S. children and teens rose 46% from 2002 to 2010, while antibiotics fell and contraceptives rose 93%. Overall prescriptions for those under 18 dropped 7%.
Drug
Stolen Freedoms Regained in Stunning Blow to State Lawmakers
Barbara Loe Fisher marks the first anniversary of the Health Liberty coalition, which joins the National Vaccine Information Center with groups working on dental amalgam, organic food, fluoride and genetic engineering around informed consent and the precautionary principle.
Drug
Poised: When Doctors Question Your Family's Vaccine Choices, Have Your Answers Ready
Cathy Jameson recounts deflecting a pediatrician's repeated questions about her children's missing vaccinations with a polite “not today,” and argues parents should stay informed enough to explain their position and should change doctors if theirs belittles or refuses them.
Drug
Are the Drugs You're Taking Really Safe? Interview With International Expert
In an interview, Pharmageddon author David Healy argues drug companies exploit socialized health systems as easily as the US market, spend more marketing to doctors than to consumers, and keep secret the evidence behind treatment guidelines.
Drug
Diabetes drug boosts bladder cancer risk
A study on bmj.com followed 115,727 UK type 2 diabetes patients and found those who ever took pioglitazone were 83% more likely to be diagnosed with bladder cancer, with rates reaching 137 per 100,000 person-years at doses above 28,000 mg. Rosiglitazone showed no increased risk.
Drug
Aspirin's Mostly Unrecognized Connection to Serious Medical Problems
Mercola says he stopped recommending aspirin for heart disease prevention more than a decade ago. He cites cardiologist John Cleland's British Journal of Medicine article, drawing on meta-analyses of over 100,000 high-risk patients, which concluded aspirin therapy was not shown to save lives.
Drug
Always Tired? Take This Daily to Help Drench Your Body With Energy
Mercola cites comparative studies finding ubiquinol, the reduced form of CoQ10, more bioavailable than CoQ10, and says it may ease fatigue and slow aging. He also faults media coverage of a Lancet statin study for skipping the conflict-of-interest disclosures at its end.
Drug
Benzocaine and Babies: Not a Good Mix
FDA has received 29 reports of methemoglobinemia linked to benzocaine gels since its 2006 warning; 19 involved children and 15 of those were under 2. The agency advises parents not to use benzocaine teething products in children under 2 without medical supervision.
Drug
Radiation therapy boosts risk of stroke and Cerebrovascular Complications
Sonia Partap of Stanford reported in Seminars in Pediatric Neurology that children treated with radiotherapy for head and neck cancers face raised risk of stroke and other cerebrovascular disorders, from large-vessel injury to moyamoya.
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