A review of 94 studies covering 24,808 people found orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant each produced modest weight loss - 2.65 kg for orlistat at three months, 11.23 kg for rimonabant. Lifestyle advice alone also worked but less well. Sibutramine and rimonabant have since been withdrawn.
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Page 28 of 63
Drug
Prescription drugs, vaccines and their risks and benefits.
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Drug
$29 Billion Reasons to Lie About Cholesterol
Mercola promotes a documentary arguing the $29 billion cholesterol-drug industry has distorted the evidence, contending that research linking high cholesterol to heart disease is weak, that statins carry real harms, and that most people taking them do not need them.
Drug
Indigestion drugs up risk of hip fracture in post-menopausal women
A BMJ study tracked about 80,000 postmenopausal women from 2000 through 2008 and counted 893 hip fractures. Women taking proton pump inhibitors were 35 percent more likely to break a hip, and those who also smoked faced up to 50 percent higher risk than non-smoking non-users.
Drug
Four-Week Vaccination Regimen Knocks Out Early Breast Cancer Tumors, Penn Researchers Report (PR)
Penn researchers gave 27 women with HER2-positive DCIS a short course of an anti-HER2 dendritic cell vaccine; nearly 20 percent had complete tumor eradication and more than 85 percent appear to have a sustained immune response that may lower their later risk of invasive cancer.
Drug
FDA okays vismodegib for the treatment of skin cancer
FDA approved vismodegib (Erivedge) for adults with metastatic basal cell carcinoma, or locally advanced disease that recurred after surgery or in patients who cannot have surgery or radiation. Approval rested on a single-arm trial of 104 patients taking 150 mg daily.
Drug
Do You Really Need That Bone Scan?
A New England Journal of Medicine article reportedly shows bone scan warnings do not apply to 90% of the women who have been screened. The piece traces osteopenia awareness to Merck's 1994 marketing push and a 'Bone Measurement Institute' created to place scanners in offices.
Drug
Major Drug Maker Accused of Killing 14 Trial Subjects
Mercola reports that the Argentinean Federation of Health Professionals accused GlaxoSmithKline of misleading participants and pressuring poor families into its Synflorix pneumonia vaccine trial, in which 14 children died. GSK denies the charges and will appeal a fine of nearly $240,000.
Drug
213 Women Who Took This Suffered Permanent Disability
Mercola reports a class-action lawsuit in Australia brought by Naomi Snell, 28, who suffered convulsions, severe back and neck pain and lost the ability to walk after a Gardasil dose. He cites 16 deaths and 213 permanent disabilities reported after vaccination in 2009-2010.
Drug
Statins cause musculoskeletal pain in those without arthritis
Among 5,170 NHANES respondents without arthritis, 23 percent of statin users reported musculoskeletal pain versus 18 percent of non-users. After adjustment, statin use tracked with 33 percent more pain overall and 59 percent more in the lower extremities. Arthritis patients showed no such link.
Drug
FDA MedWatch - Perfect Image Solutions Topical Hair Regrowth Products: Recall - Unapproved Drugs, Risk of Health Hazards
Perfect Image Solutions recalled all lots of its minoxidil and ketoconazole hair regrowth products, which the FDA deems unapproved new drugs. The agency says the 15% and 10% minoxidil could be absorbed through skin and cause low blood pressure and heart palpitations.
Drug
The Mistake That Can Cost You Up to 85% MORE for Medical Tests (Opinion)
Mercola reports that prices for outpatient imaging vary enormously and that hospitals tend to charge far more than freestanding centers for the same test, by as much as 85 percent. Many centers are reluctant to disclose prices, though some states now run comparison sites.
Drug
Birth control pills relieve menstrual pain
A 30-year Swedish study in Human Reproduction surveyed 19-year-old women in 1981, 1991 and 2001 and rechecked them five years later, finding combined oral contraceptives lowered menstrual pain more than age did. A 2009 Cochrane review had found only minimal evidence.
Drug
As Bad as Cocaine and Amphetamines - Will Authorities Now Force This Drug on Your Child?
Mercola reports that Australia's NHMRC draft ADHD guidelines say parents' inability to implement strategies may raise child protection concerns, which he reads as a threat to take children from parents who refuse the drugs. He calls Ritalin a DEA-controlled class 2 narcotic.
Drug
Marijuana does not harm the lungs
A 20-year study of 5,115 adults, published in JAMA, found that smoking marijuana about once a week did not harm lung function the way cigarettes do. Results are hazier for heavy users: the data hint at decline, but too few heavy users took part to draw a firm conclusion.
Drug
Green Light May Help Alzheimer’s Patients
Wayne State researchers gave light through visors to 20 women over 65 with Alzheimer's dementia. Caregivers reported that patients, most of them treated with green light, seemed more alert and showed better recall and coordination, while a few changed little or not at all.
Drug
Blood-thinning medication dabigatran ups myocardial infarction risk
A meta-analysis of seven trials in Archives of Internal Medicine linked dabigatran to a 33% higher risk of heart attack or acute coronary syndrome than the comparison treatments. The authors urge clinicians to weigh those cardiovascular harms.
Drug
Alarming New "Flu" Treatment -- A Serious Health Mistake in the Making
Mercola attacks a study reported as showing statins halve flu deaths, pointing out it compared statins with antiviral drugs rather than a placebo. He reads the result as evidence against the antivirals and favors vitamin D and cutting sugar instead.
Drug
Marijuana use not associated with adverse effects on lung function (PR)
A JAMA study that measured lung function repeatedly in 5,115 adults over 20 years found occasional and low cumulative marijuana use was not associated with adverse effects on pulmonary function. Researchers tracked FEV1 and FVC and counted exposure in joint-years.
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