Posted July 19, 2019
Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD has joined the board of directors of Pfizer, Inc.—the world’s largest pharmaceutical company and second largest manufacturer of vaccines. Pfizer, which posted total revenues of $53.7 billion in 2018, announced Dr. Gottlieb’s election to the board on June 27, 2019. Read more.
Get Informed on Issues Related to Drugs
FDA Just Approved the World’s Most Expensive Drug
Posted July 19, 2019
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a gene therapy drug for a form of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Novartis is pricing the drug, Zolgensma, at $2.125 million, or $425,000 per year for five years. Read more.
The Medical Journals’ Sell-Out — Getting Paid to Play
Posted July 18, 2019
The vaccine industry and its government and scientific partners routinely block meaningful science and fabricate misleading studies about vaccines. They could not do so, however, without having enticed medical journals into a mutually beneficial bargain. Pharmaceutical companies supply journals with needed income, and in return, journals play a key role in suppressing studies that raise critical questions about vaccine risks—which would endanger profits. Read more.
CoQ10 and Statins: The Vitamin C Connection
Posted July 18, 2019
Until 2001, it was only available by prescription in Japan. Much of the public is unaware that an increasingly popular class of cardiovascular drugs called statins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) interferes with the body’s synthesis of CoQ10. Top selling statin drugs, such as Lipitor® and Zocor®, earn their makers over 20 billion dollars per year. These drugs lower the endogenous production of cholesterol and are often touted as “life saving” by cardiologists and the media. Read more.
Anticholinergic Drugs Increase your Risk for Dementia
Posted July 18, 2019
While dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (the most advanced, severe and lethal form of dementia) are primarily diet- and lifestyle-driven, certain medications can also ramp up your risk. One of the riskiest classes of drugs in this regard are anticholinergic drugs, prescribed for such widely varying conditions such as depression, incontinence, insomnia, allergies and epilepsy.1 You can find a long list of anticholinergic drugs and the different conditions they’re used for on seniorlist.com. Read more.
UK Opioid Manufacturer Paid Record $1.4 Billion to Stop Investigations and Obtain Immunity Deal
Posted July 18, 2019
Reckitt Benckiser (RB Group) agreed to pay $1.4 billion to resolve US investigations over claims that its former pharmaceuticals business, Indivior carried out an illegal scheme to boost sales of an opioid addiction treatment. Indivior was accused of deceiving doctors into believing its product, Suboxone Film, itself a form of opioid, was safer and less susceptible to abuse than similar opioid drugs, and the company allegedly directed opioid-addicted patients to doctors who prescribed Suboxone at high rates. Indivior has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and fraud charges and will face trial in federal court. Read more.
Sesame Seed Oil Found to Treat One of Chemotherapy’s Nastiest Side Effects
Posted July 17, 2019
One of the most common and painful side effects of intravenously administered chemotherapy is phlebitis (CIP), or inflammation of veins exposed to the these cytoxic agents. Estimates range, but it is possible that up to 70% of patients receiving conventional chemotherapy experience phlebitis of some degree,1 which not only causes great suffering but can also lead to thrombophlebitis, where the inflammation of the vein causes a blood clot to form and block one or more veins (embolism). Read more.
5 Recalls on Blood Pressure Meds so far this year
Posted July 17, 2019
The rising number of people suffering from high blood pressure, increasing their risk for heart disease and stroke, is a testimony to the changing health habits experienced around the world. Lifestyle choices have a significant effect on your blood pressure. The updated guidelines1 released in 2017 have increased the number of Americans now recognized as being at risk for heart attack and stroke. According to the American Heart Association,2 an estimated 103 million adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure, which is nearly half of all adults. Read more.
Urinary Tract Infection — Signs, Symptoms and Treatment
Posted July 17, 2019
When any part of your urinary system becomes infected, it is known as a urinary tract infection. One study defines it as “the microbial invasion of any tissues of the urinary tract.”4 The infection may occur in your ureter or kidneys, but most commonly manifests in the lower urinary tract, or the bladder and the urethra.5 Depending on which part of your urinary tract is infected, a UTI can be given different names, such as: Read more.
Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms of Sepsis
Posted July 17, 2019
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition triggered by a systemic infection, ultimately affecting the function of your vital organs. The infection is sometimes referred to as “blood poisoning” by the public. According to a study tracking data in two different hospital cohorts, 34.7% to 55.9% of American patients who died in hospitals between 2010 and 2012 had sepsis at the time of their death, depending on which inpatient cohort they were in. Read more.
