The Unsatisfied Need for Obviating Erectile Dysfunction
2007-08-11
There is an unsatisfied need for obviating Erectile Dysfunction that current drugs cannot meet.AE Medical is a Massachusetts biotech corporation, and the owner of intellectual property on devices and methods enabling AE technology to enter vast erectile dysfunction markets now dominated by Erectile Dysfunction (ED) drugs such as Viagra.
Last year Viagra gained $2 billion in sales for Pfizer, nearly 60 percent of which was in the United States. In addition, all new ED drugs on the market work by blocking an enzyme called PDE-5, which affects penile blood flow, but not without potentially harmful side-effects.
A large business opportunity is created by the need and demand of the estimated 30 million men over 40 years of age who cannot achieve an erection with Viagra or any other ED drug treatment.
Analysts at Merrill Lynch believe there is room for new entrant competition for erectile dysfunction, since their estimate is that more than 28 percent of male patients who have tried Viagra and other internal, invasive ED drugs with side-effects, and after extended trials are left unfulfilled and frustrated because they simply cannot achieve an adequate erection for sexual intercourse.
The AE proprietary external, non-invasive technology without side-effects, proven to be effective for men who cannot benefit from ED drugs, and a much lower cost ED device solution and method. The present refined and tested, easier to use AE device for non-prescription, over the counter sales, has been proven reliable and capable of consistent, repeatable erection enhancement and performance for all men.
The main AE business strategy is to produce and market this safe, full-erection capability directly to the consumer through advertising, Internet web sites, mail order, retail stores, and pharmacies. Only licensed medical physicians can prescribe Viagra, and medical insurance for all males generally limits payment for only about four ED drug pills per month at a cost of about $500 per year.
Since the AE device is reusable and costs significantly less than Viagra, there is a larger ready market for AE Medical, with the only practical, effective erectile device for all men to enhance their performance.
The AE device and method was originally designed and developed with a Urologist under a CDA for an older patient with Impotence who was operated on for Prostate Cancer and is also a Type II diabetic. AE conducted further research with a Cardiologist in Internal Medicine, who wants to have an ED alternative to replace the use of Viagra and related ED drugs with their side effects and the attendant cardiovascular risks.
AE is reviewing the design with the FDA for final release to production and sales through Physicians and Medicare approved outlets.
David Estabrooks has a (CDA) Confidential Disclosure Agreement with members of the Joslin Diabetic Clinic for their interest in the AE external penile device for erection capability in Diabetic men, where more than 50% have unsolved erectile dysfunction. AE Medical is planning to obtain FDA approval and Medicare authorization for 80% reimbursement in order to satisfy the prescription ED device demand by physicians.
AE Erectile Devices are designed over counter, non-prescription and consumer sales. But also to meet external ED device FDA guidelines and materials standards for Medicare and medical prescription by physicians, the proprietary AE device and method is the only solution capable of effectively creating erections, and at the lowest possible cost.
Without a strict requirement for a prescription by a physician, AE can easily thru conventional sales outlets, enter into the rapidly growing Viagra dominated marketplace for all male age groups.
Since Viagra is only prescribed by licensed medical physicians, medical insurance for males generally limits payment for only about four Viagra pills per month at a cost of about $50, AE Medical will have a significant low price advantage with much less restriction of use by all males.
Medicare has a patient reimbursement program with a physician's prescription for any FDA approved external, non-invasive ED devices and methods without side-effects. And, in the case Medicare reimbursement with a physcian, AE will have a very large market.
At much lower consumer cost, simple, reliable AE products will capture large sales revenues with adequate profit margins for AE Medical investors. The AE business strategy is to become the most popular penile erection treatment for erectile dysfunction.
The new AE products will succeed, where other current ED devices for obviating erectile dysfunction have failed in achieving substantial revenue growth in supplanting Viagra and other ED drugs. AE will follow this focused, logical progression to make its high quality, low cost, safe effective product, the preferred ED solution, the "must have" AE erection device and method.
With the potential for large customer interest and demand, U.S. Patent Applications are filed to protect the AE Apparatus and Method for Obviating Erectile Dysfunction. There are no competitive products currently on the market, and no evidence of prior art, or any patent like the proprietary AE Technology.
It is anticipated that AE Erectile Devices due to their simplicity and ease of use will enjoy a high success rate with increasing consumer and medical acceptance.
AE will change the face of the erectile treatment industry over the next few years. It is planned that the AE venture development will be financed entirely with individual and angel investment in AE Medical Common Stock.
Additional funding will be derived with hospitals such as the Joslin Diabetic Clinic and other institutions becoming involved in licensing and sales participation.
It is estimated that the first stage of product development, manufacture, and sales does not require more than $350,000 to reach profitability. For investor information and a CDA to learn more about this revolutionary AE Technology,
Viagra May Accelerate Recovery From Jetlag
2007-08-09
Scientists in Argentina have shown that low doses of sildenafil (more commonly known as the brand Viagra) helped hamsters' circadian rhythms to adapt more quickly to a new day-night pattern similar to eastbound jetlag.
Their findings are published in the early online edition of the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The research was conducted by Patricia Agostino and colleagues from the Laboratorio de Cronobiología (Chronobiology Laboratory), Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología (Department of Science and Technology), Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Chronobiologists study the biological rhythms of organisms.
Mammals have a biological master clock that controls their circadian rhythm (sleep-wake cycle). The master clock is located in the brain, inside the hypothalamus in a region called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN controls the release of hormones and neurotransmitters that regulate a multitude of body and brain functions over a 24 hour period.
Light-activated brain signals play an important role in "training" the master clock to keep time.
Agostino and colleagues already knew that the master clock could be trained to a different 24 hour cycle, for instance as when people gradually adapt to being in London as opposed to New York, but they did not know exactly how the mechanism worked. They had a hunch that it depended on triggering an enzyme to make cGMP (cyclic guanosine monophosphate) and its related protein kinase PKG.
And they also knew that sildenafil (Viagra) enhanced the effect of cGMP by stopping it from being broken down by the enzyme phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5).
So they injected low doses of sildenafil (Viagra) in hamsters and trained them to get used to an earlier daytime by switching lights on 6 hours earlier (like someone in London waking up before someone in New York).
The found that the hamsters who had the sildenafil (Viagra) adapted more quickly to the earlier daylight, for instance they were more active, as they would have been in real day time. It did not work for the reverse, in other words the equivalent of having jet lag from flying west, from London to New York for example.
They also showed that the SCN of the hamsters contained PDE5, leading them to surmise that the effect of sildenafil (Viagra) was to inhibit PDE5 which in turn increased cGMP and its related protein kinase PKG, thereby suggesting that they play a role in the speed with which the master clock adapts to environmental change.
Agostino and colleagues concluded that:
"These results suggest that sildenafil may be useful for treatment of circadian adaptation to environmental changes, including transmeridian eastbound flight schedules."
There is a suggestion that these findings could point research in the direction of other drugs that affect cGMP levels, and one day they could be used to help shift workers, airline crew, and long-haul travellers or anyone who needs to adapt quickly to new time-shifts.
There is no suggestion that people start taking the currently available sildenafil (Viagra) for any other use except that for which it has been approved.
Read more about medical products here.
Some can't quit antidepressants
2007-08-01
When Gina O'Brien decided she no longer needed drugs to quell her anxiety and panic attacks, she followed doctor's orders by slowly tapering her dose of the antidepressant Paxil.
The gradual withdrawal was supposed to prevent unpleasant symptoms that can result from stopping antidepressants cold turkey. But it didn't work.
"I felt so sick that I couldn't get off my couch," O'Brien said. "I couldn't stop crying."
Overwhelmed by nausea and uncontrollable crying, she felt she had no choice but to start taking the pills again. More than a year later she still takes Paxil, and expects to be on it for the rest of her life.
In the almost two decades since Prozac - the first of the antidepressants known as SRIs, or serotonin reuptake inhibitors - hit the market, many patients have reported extreme reactions to discontinuing the drugs. Two of the best-selling antidepressants - Effexor and Paxil - have prompted so many complaints that many doctors avoid prescribing them altogether.
"It's not that we never use it, but in the end I will tend not to prescribe Effexor or Paxil," said Dr. Richard C. Shelton, a psychiatrist at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Patients report experiencing all sorts of symptoms, sometimes within hours of stopping their medication. They can suffer from flu-like nausea, muscle aches, uncontrollable crying, dizziness and diarrhea. Many patients suffer "brain zaps," bizarre and briefly overwhelming electrical sensations that propagate from the back of the head.
"It's almost like pins and needles, and jittery on the inside," said a New York children's entertainer who asked that his name be withheld to protect his professional reputation.
Though not exactly painful, they are briefly disorienting and can be terrifying to patients who don't know what they are experiencing. There are case reports of people who have just quit antidepressants showing up in hospital emergency rooms, thinking they are suffering from seizures.
Toni Wilson certainly didn't know how unpleasant going off Zoloft could be when her doctor recently switched her to Wellbutrin, telling her that the new drug would "take the place of" the old one. The two antidepressants actually work on entirely different neurochemical systems, so going straight from one to the other was equivalent to quitting Zoloft cold turkey.
"After about three days I felt real anxious and irritable," Wilson said in an e-mail message. "I would shake, not eat much, it felt like little needles in my body and head."
After two weeks, Wilson said, she was rescued from the brink of suicide by a friend who recognized the severity of the situation and took her to the hospital. That was where she learned what had happened to her.
Generic Azithromycin Products Can Correct Misbranding
2007-07-31
Pfizer Inc said today that it has filed a Citizen Petition alerting the FDA that generic azithromycin products sold by Teva Pharmaceuticals U.S.A. and Sandoz Inc. appear to be misbranded because their labels do not accurately describe the drugs' active ingredients.Pfizer also has brought patent infringement actions against the two companies claiming that these products violate a recently-issued Pfizer patent. The Teva and Sandoz drugs are generic versions of Pfizer's antibiotic, Zithromax?.
Pfizer's petition asks the FDA to initiate a recall of the Teva and Sandoz medicines to correct their misbranding. Pfizer also asks the agency to review the product approval applications filed by the two companies to ensure the information contained within them is accurate and complete and, if not, to take appropriate remedial action.
"Patients and physicians must be able to trust that the medicine in the bottle is the same as that which is described in the label," said Hank McKinnell, Pfizer chairman and chief executive officer. "Pfizer wants to ensure that patients do not receive generic products that fail to meet FDA standards."
In its patent infringement actions, Pfizer is claiming that the Teva and Sandoz products violate a recently-issued Pfizer patent covering azithromycin sesquihydrate. Pfizer is requesting that the court impose preliminary and permanent injunctions against further sales of the drugs.
Pfizer alleges that the drugs contain significant amounts of azithromycin sesquihydrate rather than the azithromycin monohydrate that they claim in their labels. Both Pfizer's Zithromax? and a generic azithromycin launched by the company's Greenstone subsidiary contain azithromycin dihydrate, which is the product approved in Pfizer's NDA. Zithromax's composition-of-matter patent in the U.S. expired in November 2005.
Teva and Sandoz each launched their generic products in November, 2005. In response to those launches, Greenstone introduced its generic azithromycin in the same month. Pfizer will continue to market its generic azithromycin through Greenstone.
Avandia should be pulled from the market
2007-07-31
Those risks, combined with no unique short-term benefits in helping diabetics control blood-sugar levels, fail to justify keeping Avandia on the market, according to a copy of a slide presentation by Food and Drug Administration scientist Dr. David Graham.
The document was distributed at the onset of a daylong meeting of a joint panel of outside experts convened to consider whether the drug should restricted to use in select patients and branded with prominent warnings or removed altogether from sale. Previously, the FDA said information from dozens of studies of the GlaxoSmithKline PLC drug points to an increased risk of heart attack.
Glaxo officials, meanwhile, disputed that conclusion, according to copies of company presentations to be given later Monday.
The FDA isn't required to follow the advice of its advisory committees but usually does.
The FDA moved up the date of Monday's meeting following the May publication of a study by The New England Journal of Medicine that generated new concerns about Avandia's safety. The pooled analysis of 42 studies revealed a 43 percent higher risk of heart attack for those taking Avandia compared with people taking other diabetes drugs or no diabetes medication.
Glaxo, meanwhile, says its own data show no increase in heart risks with Avandia compared with other diabetes drugs, including Actos.
About 1 million Americans with Type 2 diabetes use Avandia to control blood sugar by increasing the body's sensitivity to insulin. That sort of treatment has long been presumed to lessen the heart risks already associated with the disease, which is linked to obesity. News that Avandia, also called rosiglitazone, might actually increase those risks would represent a "serious limitation" of the drug's benefit, according to the FDA.
Relieve Your Allergies
2007-07-28
At Least You're Not Clay Aiken
Next time you're hit with hay fever, try to remember that things could be worse. You could be Clay Aiken. The American Idol also-ran is allergic to coffee, chocolate, shellfish, tree nuts, and mushrooms. And mints. Imagine going into anaphylactic shock because you wanted fresh breath. On the other hand, Aiken can easily avoid his triggers, something that, sans a SARS mask, is difficult to do if you're allergic to pollen. Or ragweed. Or her beloved cat.
Inhaling allergens may be inevitable, but suffering isn't. We've developed a five-step plan that's the closest thing you'll find to an "off" switch for your overreacting immune system. Each step provides progressively more powerful medicine, taking you from a simple herbal treatment to cutting-edge science. And at no point will you need to do as Aiken did in his youth: Run over the cat.
Consider your OTC options
With predicted sales of nearly $400 million in 2004, Claritin is the most popular over-the-counter allergy aid after Kleenex. But Claritin's two main selling points--maximum relief and minimum drowsiness--may be more hype than health benefit. In a study published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, researchers found that old-school Benadryl was actually 20 percent more effective in treating the itchiness and sneezing caused by seasonal allergic rhinitis, a.k.a. hay fever, than was Claritin. And in a separate study review, researchers determined that Claritin (as well as its cousins Zyrtec and Allegra) may actually have significant sedative effects, while diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl, isn't as sedating as people think.
Bottom line: Try taking the smallest recommended dose of store-brand diphenhydramine: 25 milligrams (mg) every 6 hours. If that doesn't work, then try Claritin or, better yet, the store brand of the stuff (usually labeled "loratadine"). "One drug will work better on some people than on other people," says Richard Lockey, M.D., chief of the allergy division at the University of South Florida. "We're biologically diverse."
The coauthor of a study that links the diabetes drug Avandia to an increased risk of heart attack and death says patients need to stay calm and talk to their doctors
2007-07-26
On June 6, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it would require GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of Avandia, to put a "black box" warning on the drug to strengthen an existing advisory about a condition in which the heart does not adequately pump blood. Takeda Pharmaceuticals will have to issue the same advisory for a competing drug called Actos. (This warning is separate from the study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine which said that Avandia increased the risk of heart attack.) FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach said the agency is reviewing dozens of often conflicting studies about how these drugs affect diabetics and has scheduled a July 30 meeting to review the data with outside expertsPlus: Ashlee Simpson a new
2007-07-26
At least some people are pretty pleased with Ashlee Simpson's lip synching debacle: the makers of medication for acid-reflux disease.
The teen crooner, explaining why she didn't sing live on Saturday Night Live, said on the Today Show that her voice was hoarse because she had been suffering from "severe acid reflux." And that makes marketers of acid reflux medications such as Nexium and Prevacid quite happy.
"Somebody of her high profile helps raise the profile of the disease," David Albaugh of AstraZeneca - makers of Nexium, the widely advertised "purple pill" - told The Scoop. "Obviously, it's good to have improved and increased awareness of acid reflux."
"We believe that celebrities who talk about their experience with certain health conditions, such as acid reflux in this case, can help educate people on important health issues, as well as motivate people to talk to their doctors and get properly diagnosed and treated," a spokeswoman for TAP, the company that makes Prevacid, e-mailed The Scoop in a statement. "We wish Ashlee Simpson the very best on her road to relief from acid reflux."
Quick visit, lasting effects
2007-07-15
Another study found that even a brief visit by a drug sales rep could have a powerful impact. The study analyzed surveys done by a market research firm that chronicled a doctor's intention to prescribe the epilepsy drug gabapentin during the period of 1995 to 1999, when it was sold by Warner-Lambert under the brand name Neurontin.Pfizer Inc., which acquired that unit in 2000, paid a $240 million fine four years later for illegal promotion of the drug for unapproved uses such as migraines or pain.
The surveys involved 116 visits to 97 doctors.
They found that after 46 percent of the visits, the doctors said they intended either to prescribe gabapentin more often or to recommend it to colleagues more often.
"The remarkable thing is how effective a very brief visit by a drug representative - most often less than five minutes - can be in influencing physicians' choices to use a drug for an unapproved indication," Dr. Michael Steinman of the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center said in a statement.
Besides free drug samples, salespeople often bring gifts, lunch for the doctor or office staff, new pens and coffee mugs. "The doctor feels subtly, even subconsciously, indebted to the representative," Steinman said.
Simple test to spot eye infection
2007-07-07
The test, developed by a Cambridge University team, can detect trachoma, a disease spread by flies.
A Lancet study involving more than 600 Masai children in Tanzania showed the test to be more effective than an alterative current widely in use.
It took just one hour to train local health workers to carry out the tests.
The results were evaluated without the benefit of electricity or running water using tables and chairs as makeshift lab benches.
The infection, caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria, causes the eyelid to fold inward and the lashes to scar the cornea.
It is estimated that 84 million people, mainly in the developing world, carry the infection and require treatment.
The infection can be cleared by a single dose of a drug called azithromycin.
But because it mainly strikes in poor areas with stretched health systems, it is a leading cause of blindness.
The wafer-thin, 8cm long trachoma dipstick is an adaptation of a test first developed to diagnose the sexually-transmitted form of chlamydia.
Professor David Mabey, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, was involved in the trial.
He said: "The test is an important advance in the fight against trachoma.
"At present, the amount of azithromycin pledged by the manufacturer, Pfizer, will not be sufficient to treat everyone living in endemic communities.
"Yet, much of the drug is wasted in treating communities which no longer need it.
"The new test will enable programme managers to find out for themselves which communities still harbour the infection and thus to focus treatment on the communities which really need it."
Dr Paul Courtright, is co-director of the Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology at Tumaini University in Moshi, Tanzania.
He said: "The findings from this study will likely lead to a major re-think on how we conduct trachoma control in Africa.
"It will help us become more targeted in our approach-saving time and money."
"The potential to accurately identify households and villages with trachoma and provide the interventions needed to eliminate this disease just took a leap forward with this study."
Report backs benefits of antidepressants for kids
2007-06-30
Benefits outweigh risks, especially for anxiety, according to researchers
Authors of a new comprehensive analysis of antidepressants for children and teenagers say the benefits of treatment trump the small risk of increasing some patientsвЂTM chances of having suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
The risk they found is lower than the one the Food and Drug Administration identified in 2004, the year the agency warned the public about the drugsвЂTM risks in children. After the warning, U.S. youth suicides increased and some mental health experts said reluctance to try antidepressants might be to blame.
The new analysis includes data from seven studies that were not part of the previous FDA analysis, including two large pediatric depression trials that were unavailable three years ago.
Researchers analyzed data on 5,310 children and teenagers from 27 studies. They found that for every 100 kids treated with antidepressants, about one additional child experienced worsening suicidal feelings above what would have happened without drug treatment. In contrast, the FDA analysis found an added risk affecting about two in 100 patients.
There were no suicides in any of the studies. The antidepressants included Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, Effexor, Serzone and Remeron.
“The medications are safe and effective and should be considered as an important part of treatment,” said study co-author Dr. David Brent of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “The benefits seem favorable compared to the small risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior.”
Antidepressants worked best when used to treat anxiety, the analysis found. They worked moderately well treating obsessive-compulsive disorders. They worked less well, but were still effective in treating depression.
'Good for your heart, good for your penis'
2007-06-28
"From an erection standpoint, anything that's good for your heart is good for your penis," says Dr. Mulhall. Too much saturated fat can, over time, clog arteries and, in doing so, prevent an adequate flow of blood from reaching the genital region. This not only interferes with the ability to perform, but also with sexual pleasure. Too little fat, on the other hand, is also bad.
"You need fat to produce your hormones," says Beverly Whipple, professor emerita at Rutgers University and president of the World Association for Sexology. "Cholesterol is metabolized in the liver, and you get your testosterone and estrogen, which you need for your sex drive," she says. Olive oil, salmon and nuts are optimal sources of the "good" kinds of fats -monounsaturated and polyunsaturated online pharmacy shipp international.
According to Dr. Judith Reichman, author of "I'm Not in the Mood: What Every Woman Should Known about Improving Her Libido," medical and hormonal problems are major contributors to sexual dysfunction and a low libido - but so are too much stress, relationship difficulties and psychological issues. Antidepressants, such as Prozac by GlaxoSmithKline and Paxil by Eli Lilly, can negatively affect sex drive as well.
Study Details
2007-06-28
Study participants were required to have a condition that required treatment with daily, prescription-strength doses of a COX-2 or nonselective NSAID for at least one month. They also were required to be free from Helicobacter pylori -- bacteria often associated with stomach ulcers.Participants were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. Each treatment group received once-daily oral doses of esomeprazole (40 mg), lansoprazole (30 mg) or pantoprazole (40 mg) for five days followed by a 10-day break. The same regimen was followed for each of the two remaining treatments. Each treatment group received the study drugs in a different sequence. Pantoprazole is not indicated for risk reduction of NSAID-associated gastric ulcers.
By the end of the study, all patients received five-day courses of all three proton pump inhibitors. On day five of each treatment period, patients underwent a catheter- based 24-hour pH study to evaluate the percent of time gastric pH was greater than 4.0 (pH is measured on a 14-point scale with 7 being neutral and lower numbers being more acidic).
Among COX-2 users (e.g., Celebrex, Vioxx, and Bextra, n=38) esomeprazole maintained a pH of greater than 4.0 for 17.5 hours compared with 16.1 hours for lansoprazole and 14.6 hours for pantoprazole. Among users of nonselective NSAIDs (e.g., ibuprofen, naproxen, n=39) esomeprazole maintained a pH of greater than 4.0 for 18.1 hours compared with 15.8 for lansoprazole and 14.6 hours for pantoprazole.
The most common side effects of esomeprazole include headache, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Vermont Removes Nexium From Medicaid Preferred Drug List To Reduce Costs
2007-06-26
Vermont on Monday began requiring Medicaid beneficiaries to obtain prior authorization from their physicians before obtaining prescriptions for the acid reflux treatment Nexium, the Burlington Free Press reports. According to the Free Press, the move illustrates the "state's strategy to curb the growth in the cost of prescription drugs in the Medicaid program," which faces a projected budget deficit of $42 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007. In recent years, prescription drug spending has outpaced spending for nursing home care and inpatient hospital care, becoming the No. 1 expense under the Medicaid program. To help control costs, the state in 2002 established the Drug Utilization Review Board to create and monitor a Medicaid preferred drug list. In order for a beneficiary to receive coverage for a medication that is not on the list, a physician must demonstrate to the state prescription drug manager that there is no other acceptable treatment for the beneficiary's condition. James Gray, chair of the Drug Utilization Review Board, said, "If we aren't careful about how we use our drugs, we are going to run out of money," adding, "Better to choose from drugs that are much less costly." The state in 2005 spent $14.6 million gastric acid reducers, such as Nexium. Gray said the change "is not only to control costs, but to choose the medication that is most appropriate for the problem that you are dealing with." Ann Rugg, deputy director of the Office of Vermont Health Access, said the issue of high prescription drug cost is "not unique to Vermont" and "not unique to Medicaid." She added that "clinically appropriate alternatives" to Nexium are "available at [a] lesser cost." Gastric acid reducers, along with medications for high cholesterol and mental health conditions, are the top prescription drug expenses for both Medicaid and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, the state's largest private insurerDrugs giants merge
2007-06-26
US pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Warner-Lambert are to merge, ending a three-month takeover battle and creating a company worth $230bn.In terms of sales and market share, the combined group will be the largest drugs company in the US, and the second-largest in the world.
Only Glaxo SmithKline would be bigger, which itself is the result of a merger agreed just a few weeks ago. The top rival on the US market is Merck.
The stock market value of Pfizer Warner-Lambert, though, is much bigger than that of its rivals, ahead of Merck's $175bn and Glaxo SmithKline's $162bn - if that merger goes ahead.
Pfizer, best-known for its impotency drug Viagra, and Warner-Lambert are the industry's two fastest-growing companies.
Pfizer's chief executive William Steere, said: "By combining two world-class organisations to create the fastest-growing, major pharmaceutical company in the world, we are positioned for global leadership in the discovery of new medicines that will benefit millions of patients around the world."
David Saks, portfolio manager of Gruntal & Co.'s MedScience Fund, described "Pfizer plus Warner-Lambert [as} an awesome combination".
"Inherently, both companies are vibrant and robust. Now, let's just hope they work things out emotionally, in terms of politics", he said.
The two firms announced that they intend to ramp up their spending on research and development to $4.7bn this year.
But there will be cuts, with projected cost savings of $1.6bn by 2002.
The loser of the take-over battle is American Home Products (AHP), which has now been spurned three times by potential merger partners.
At one point AHP and Warner-Lambert were pondering to merge with a third firm, consumer products firm Procter and Gamble, to avoid Pfizer's overtures.
But Wall Street clearly preferred the Pfizer option. To avoid difficulties, Pfizer will pay AHP a $1.8bn break-up fee.
In return AHP will drop its Warner-Lambert stock options.
The new firm will be run by Pfizer's chairman William Steere, will keep the name Pfizer and operate from the firm's New York Headquarters.
Pfizer share holders will own 61% of the combined company, and Warner-Lambert's share holders the remaining 39%.
Under the terms of the proposed deal, Pfizer will pay 2.75 shares of Pfizer stock for every Warner-Lambert share, up from its original offer of 2.5 shares.
This would value Warner-Lambert at $98.31 a share based on Pfizer's closing price on Friday of 35-3/4.
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Patents set to hit Pfizer profits
2007-06-23
Pfizer, the world's largest drug company, has warned that its profits could be affected by the expiry of patents on four key medicines in 2005.Pfizer said earnings this year were expected to be in line with market forecasts but performance in 2005 could be affected by stiffer competition.
It reported third quarter profits up 34% at $3.3bn(£1.8bn), as sales of its anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor soared.
However, sales of its best known drug- impotency pill Viagra - fell 15%.
Sales of Viagra were affected by the launch of two competitors.
Strong prospects
Pfizer cautioned that sales in 2005 were likely to be affected by the advent of competitor drugs to four of its most popular medicines.
Patents on anti-fungal drug Diflucan, epilepsy treatment Neurontin, antibiotic Zithromax and hypertension treatment Accupril expire next year.
The four drugs have combined sales of more than $5bn.
The New York-based company was boosted by a strong third-quarter display.
Sales grew 4% to $12.83bn between July and September.
Lipitor, Pfizer's anti-cholesterol drug, produced a stand-out performance, as sales rose 11% to $2.74bn.
Bextra, an arthritis drug, also performed strongly.
Hank McKinnell, Pfizer's chairman and chief executive, said the firm continued to show strong growth despite increased competition, pressure on prices and a tough regulatory environment.
"While we expect these issues to temper revenue and income growth in 2005, Pfizer's long term prospects remain strong," he said.
Concerns about prospects for 2005 lead to a 1.3% fall in the firm's shares in early trading.
How's it diagnosed?
2007-06-22
Diabetes may be detected from a routine urine test where excess glucose is present. In type 1 diabetes, people often develop symptoms over a short period of time, usually weeks or months. They feel tired, thirsty all the time, need to urinate a lot and may lose weight.
Itching of the genitals or regular episodes of thrush or blurred vision may also occur. When symptoms have drawn attention to the problem, a blood test will confirm whether or not the underlying cause is diabetes.
In type 2 diabetes, symptoms develop slowly or there might not be any symptoms at all. Diabetes may only be detected on routine screening.
When blood sugar levels become very high, there's a risk of coma and death.
Egypt to legalise Viagra
2007-06-21
Egypt has decided to legalise the anti-impotence drug Viagra following a ban that led to a thriving black market.
The Health Ministry has agreed to approve limited prescriptions to patients who undergo health tests.
Cairo customs officials this week seized a large quantity of Viagra from an Eqyptian travel agent accompanying a group of tourists from Britain.
Correspondents say Viagra pills have been selling for more than $10 each and customs officials have made regular seizures.
Viagra could aid jetlag recovery
2007-06-20
Viagra could be used to help people flying eastwards recover from jetlag, animal research suggests.A team of Argentine scientists found the drug helped hamsters recover up to 50% faster from forward shifts in their daily time cycles.
However, the drug only worked in conjunction with light therapy, and only in one time direction - the equivalent to flying eastbound.
The study features in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In mammals, the light-dark cycle regulates the body's biological clock, which promotes activity during the daytime, when it is light, and sleep at night.
Time shift
The researchers from the National University of Quilmes shifted the light-dark cycle of hamsters six hours forwards, by switching on lights six hours earlier than usual.
They then monitored the hamsters' running wheel activity to assess when their body clocks had adjusted to the new time cycle - the hamsters are active in the day but stop running when the lights go out.
Injection of Viagra before the time shift meant the hamsters adjusted to the new time cycle faster, even when low doses of the drug, which did not cause penile erections, were used.
Viagra, the drug sildenafil, was originally developed for the treatment of high blood pressure and angina, and is used to treat erectile dysfunction.
When used without the shifts in light, the drug did not induce changes in the hamsters' activity, so it seems to work by enhancing the light-induced response online pharmacy shipp international.
Dr Diego Golumbek, who led the research, said the drug seemed to work via a molecule called cGMP which is known to have a role in setting the body's time clock - it is present at higher levels during the day.
The Viagra blocks the activity of an enzyme which breaks down cGMP, allowing higher levels to build up.
Bug mutates into medical mystery
2007-06-20
First came stomach cramps, which left Christina Shultz doubled over and weeping in pain. Then came nausea and fatigue -- so overwhelming she couldn't get out of bed for days. Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, the nastiest diarrhea of her life hit -- repeatedly forcing her into the hospital.Doctors finally discovered that the 35-year-old Hilliard, Ohio, woman had an intestinal bug that used to be found almost exclusively among older, sicker patients in hospitals and was usually easily cured with a dose of antibiotics. But after months of treatment, Shultz is still incapacitated.
"It's been a nightmare," said Shultz, a mother of two young children. "I just want my life back."
Shultz is one of a growing number of young, otherwise healthy Americans who are being stricken by the bacterial infection known as Clostridium difficile -- or C. diff -- which appears to be spreading rapidly around the country and causing unusually severe, sometimes fatal illness.
That is raising alarm among health officials, who are concerned that many cases may be misdiagnosed and are puzzled as to what is causing the microbe to become so much more common and dangerous.
"It's a new phenomenon. It's just emerging," said L. Clifford McDonald of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. "We're very concerned. We know it's happening, but we're really not sure why it's happening or where this is going."
In addition to being resistant, the dangerous C. diff strain also produces far higher levels of two toxins than do other strains, as well as a third, previously unknown toxin. That would explain why it makes people so much sicker and is more likely to kill. In Quebec, C. diff killed 6.9 percent of patients -- which is much higher than the disease's usual mortality rate -- and was a factor in more than 400 deaths.
Adding to the alarm is evidence that the infection is occurring outside of hospitals. When the CDC began looking for such cases earlier this year, investigators quickly identified 33 cases in New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania, including 23 people who had never been in the hospital and 10 women who had been hospitalized only briefly to deliver a baby, the agency reported this month. Eight of the patients had never taken antibiotics. Online pharmacy shipp international.
"This is the first time we've started to see this not only in people who have never been in the hospital but also in those who are otherwise perfectly healthy and have not even taken antibiotics," McDonald said.
"It's probably going on everywhere," he said.
It remains unclear whether the cases occurring outside the hospital are being caused by the same dangerous strain.
"We don't really know what's going on here," McDonald said. "We know it's changing in some ways; we know it's changing the kinds of patients it's attacking, and we know it's causing more severe disease. But we don't know exactly why."
Canadian researchers, however, have found one possible culprit: popular new heartburn drugs. Patients taking proton pump inhibitors, such as Prilosec and Prevacid, are almost three times as likely to be diagnosed with C-diff , the McGill University researchers reported in the Dec. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. And those taking another type called H2-receptor antagonists, such as Pepcid and Zantac, are twice as likely. By suppressing stomach acid, the drugs may inadvertently help the bug, the researchers said.
Whatever the cause, the infection often resists standard treatment. That is what happened to Shultz, who had been taking antibiotics to help clear up her acne when C. diff hit in June. Because the bacterium can hibernate in protective spores, patients can be prone to recurrences. It can take multiple rounds of antibiotics -- or sometimes infusions of antibodies or ingesting competing organisms such as yeast or the bacteria found in yogurt -- to finally cure them.
"I'm trying to stay positive," Shultz said. "People tell me it does go away and I will get rid of it someday. I'm looking forward to getting my life back, but I'm not convinced I'll ever be normal again."
Effects of Cialis reportedly last longer than Viagra
2007-06-19
A third pill to treat impotence was approved for sale in the United States on Friday, intensifying competition in a billion-dollar slice of the drug market. The new pill will be sold under the name Cialis. It joins Viagra, the oral drug that went on the market in 1998, and Levitra, which was approved earlier this year by the Food and Drug Administration.All three drugs act on an enzyme that helps prompt and maintain erections by relaxing muscles in the penis and blood vessels. The duration and onset of the drug action is different, however, with each pill.
Cialis, manufactured by Eli Lilly & Co., was found in studies to stay longer in the body than Viagra. Studies suggest that a 20 mg dose of Cialis is active for 24 to 36 hours. In France, where the drug has been on the market for some time, Cialis is called “Le weekend” pill. Levitra and Viagra reach their full effectiveness in an hour, on average.
Some market studies suggest that about 30 million men over the age of 40 have symptoms of impotence. The sales of Viagra last year were reported at $1.2 billion.
Cialis, whose chemical name is tadalafil, was tested in trials with 4,000 men. The studies found that it helped promote erection within a half hour and enhanced that ability for up to 36 hours.
The drug is not recommended for patients on some heart medications, such as nitroglycerin tablets or some alpha blockers, because the combination can cause a sharp drop in blood pressure. This can cause fainting or even death in some men.Recommendations call for dosage limitations of Cialis for patients with kidney or liver disorders. The drug should not be taken by men for whom sexual activity is inadvisable because of heart conditions.
The most common reported side effects from clinical trials of Cialis were headache, indigestion, back pain, muscle aches and flushing.
Effects of Cialis reportedly last longer than Viagra
2007-06-19
A third pill to treat impotence was approved for sale in the United States on Friday, intensifying competition in a billion-dollar slice of the drug market. The new pill will be sold under the name Cialis. It joins Viagra, the oral drug that went on the market in 1998, and Levitra, which was approved earlier this year by the Food and Drug Administration.All three drugs act on an enzyme that helps prompt and maintain erections by relaxing muscles in the penis and blood vessels. The duration and onset of the drug action is different, however, with each pill.
Cialis, manufactured by Eli Lilly & Co., was found in studies to stay longer in the body than Viagra. Studies suggest that a 20 mg dose of Cialis is active for 24 to 36 hours. In France, where the drug has been on the market for some time, Cialis is called “Le weekend” pill. Levitra and Viagra reach their full effectiveness in an hour, on average.
Some market studies suggest that about 30 million men over the age of 40 have symptoms of impotence. The sales of Viagra last year were reported at $1.2 billion.
Cialis, whose chemical name is tadalafil, was tested in trials with 4,000 men. The studies found that it helped promote erection within a half hour and enhanced that ability for up to 36 hours.
The drug is not recommended for patients on some heart medications, such as nitroglycerin tablets or some alpha blockers, because the combination can cause a sharp drop in blood pressure. This can cause fainting or even death in some men.
Recommendations call for dosage limitations of Cialis for patients with kidney or liver disorders. The drug should not be taken by men for whom sexual activity is inadvisable because of heart conditions.
The most common reported side effects from clinical trials of Cialis were headache, indigestion, back pain, muscle aches and flushing.
Heart-failure Patients Benefit From Pharmacist Care
2007-06-18
Heart-failure patients take their medicine more reliably when under the care of a pharmacist, resulting in fewer emergency-room visits and hospital stays as well as lower health-care costs, according to a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Pharmacy.
The American Heart Association says more than 5 million people in the United States are in various stages of heart failure with total health-care costs exceeding $29 billion.
The UNC study, published in the May 15, 2007 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, included 314 low-income patients with heart failure. They were placed into two groups: one received typical services from a pharmacist; the other received care from a specially trained pharmacist who had access to customized educational materials, provided comprehensive instruction to participants and reminded them to refill their prescriptions.
"For every $1 we spent on the intervention group, the health-care system gained $14 in savings by decreasing emergency-room visits and hospitalization," said Michael D. Murray, the Mescal S. Ferguson Distinguished Professor at the UNC School of Pharmacy and lead author of the study.
Compared to patients in the control group, those who received special intervention:
- took their medications 16 percent more consistently,
- visited the emergency room and were hospitalized 19 percent less, and
- had direct annual health-care costs nearly $3,000 lower per patient.
"The key to the success of our intervention was taking time with patients to create a regular schedule for taking their medicines that fit their lifestyle," said James Young, the intervention pharmacist involved in the study.
"We made sure that patients understood how their medications worked and why taking them consistently was so important," said Young, a research pharmacist with Wishard Health Services in Indianapolis and a co-author of the study.
The study investigators created special patient-specific materials designed to help patients with lower levels of health literacy. For example, heart patients taking an ACE inhibitor received their pills in a bottle marked with an ace of hearts sticker. A corresponding information sheet, designed to be easy to read and understand, was also marked with the ace-of-hearts.The educational materials used in the study can be viewed and downloaded at http://www.pharmacy.unc.edu/cpop.
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Other authors of the study are: Wanzhu Tu, Ph.D.; Jingwei Wu, M.S.; Michael Weiner, M.D., M.P.H.; Daniel Clark, Ph.D.; Irmina Gradus-Pizlo, M.D. and D. Craig Brater, M.D., the Indiana University School of Medicine; Faye Smith, M.A.S., Regenstrief Institute Inc.; Shawn Hoke, the Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Indianapolis; Daniel Morrow, Ph.D., the University of Illinois; Kevin T. Stroupe, Ph.D., the Hines Veterans Affairs Hospital, Hines, Ill.; and Morris Weinberger, Ph.D., the UNC School of Public Health.
Heart Disease: Strategies to Prevent and Control High Blood Pressure
2007-06-18
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a major risk factor for heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and heart failure.
What Blood Pressure Is Considered Too High?
A blood pressure of 140/90 or higher is considered high. This is called hypertension.
A blood pressure between 120/80 and 139/89 is called prehypertension. This means that you do not have hypertension, but you are likely to develop it in the future unless you adopt lifestyle changes to keep your blood pressure under control.
Blood pressure less than 120/80 is normal.
How Can I Prevent High Blood Pressure?
You can prevent high blood pressure by:
- Maintaining a healthy weight. Lose weight if you are overweight.
- Exercising more.
- Eating foods low in salt.
- Eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.
- Drinking alcoholic beverages in moderation, if you drink at all.
These changes are also recommended for treating high blood pressure, although medicine is often added as part of the treatment
How Is Blood Pressure Related to Weight?
As your body weight increases, your blood pressure rises. In fact, being overweight can make you more likely to develop high blood pressure than if you are at your desirable weight. More than 60% of adults in the United States are overweight. You can reduce your risk of high blood pressure by losing weight. Even small amounts of weight loss can make a big difference in helping to prevent and treat high blood pressure.
How Can I Lose Weight?
To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. But don't go on a crash diet to see how quickly you can lose those pounds. The healthiest and longest-lasting weight loss happens when you do it slowly, losing 1/2 to 1 pound a week. By cutting back by 500 calories/day, by eating less and being more physically active, you can lose about one pound in a week.
Here are some tips to help you lose weight and get on the road to healthy eating:
- Choose foods low in calories and fat. Naturally, choosing low-calorie foods cuts calories. But did you know that choosing foods low in fat also cuts calories? Fat is a concentrated source of calories, so eating fewer fatty foods will reduce calorie intake. Some examples of fatty foods to cut down on are: butter, margarine, regular salad dressings, fatty meats, skin of poultry, fried foods, whole-milk dairy foods like cheese, cookies, cakes, and snacks.
- Choose foods high in starch and fiber. Foods high in starch and fiber, like fruits, vegetables, dry peas and beans, as well as whole-grain cereals, pasta, rice and breads, are excellent substitutes for high fat foods. They are lower in calories than foods high in fat and are also good sources of vitamins and minerals.
- Limit serving size. To lose weight, it's not just the type of foods you eat that's important, but also the amount. To take in fewer calories, you need to limit your portion sizes. Try especially to take smaller helpings of high calorie foods like high fat meats and cheeses. And try not to go back for seconds.
- Keep a food diary. Keep track of what you eat, when you eat and why, by writing it down. Note whether you snack on high fat foods in front of the television, or if you skip breakfast and then eat a large lunch. Once you see your habits, you can set goals for yourself.
- Exercise. Another important ingredient to losing weight is increasing physical activity. Cutting down on fat and calories combined with regular physical activity can help you lose more weight and keep it off longer than only eating less or only exercising. Exercise can also lower blood pressure. People who are physically active have a lower risk of getting high blood pressure than people who are not active. You don't have to be a marathon runner to benefit from physical activity. Even light activities, if done daily, can help lower your risk of heart disease. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, or park farther away from the entrance so that you have to walk farther. Avapro & Adalat
Love Potions
2007-06-17
Sex may be a natural act, but for the millions who suffer from sexual dysfunction, it can be vexingly unattainable. Below, a guide to some of the medical treatments available for what ails our libidos:
OPTIONS MEN
PRESCRIPTION THERAPIES
--Viagra, Levitra and Cialis: All these drugs work the same way, by relaxing smooth-muscle cells and widening blood vessels, primarily in the penis. Cialis stands out as particularly long-acting--up to 36 hours, compared with four or five hours for the others
--Testosterone: For men who don't produce enough, patches (Androderm, Testoderm) and gels (Androgel) deliver extra hormone through the skin
--Alprostadil: This vasodilating drug can be self-administered as an injection (Caverject) in the penis, or inserted into the urethra as a suppository (MUSE)
[OPTIONS] WOMEN
[PRESCRIPTION THERAPIES]
--Testosterone: Doctors prescribe the hormone in lower doses than typically used for men, though it's not approved for this use by the FDA. Women can also take under-the-tongue drops specially formulated by pharmacies or use patches and gels
--Estrogen: Tablets (Vagifem), creams (Estrace, Premarin) and a silicone ring (FemRing) inserted into the vagina release estrogen to alleviate such symptoms of menopause as vaginal dryness
--Viagra and Levitra: Initial trials are disappointing, but the drugs appear to work for some women
[OPTIONS] [MEN]
NONPRESCRIPTION THERAPIES
--Ginkgo biloba: Better known as a memory enhancer, this herb is believed by some to improve blood flow to the body, including the penis. Conclusive scientific proof is lacking
--Ginseng: In the lab, ginseng has been shown to release nitric oxide, but there's no evidence to suggest that it improves erectile function
--L-arginine: This naturally occurring amino acid is a precursor to nitric oxide and is believed to improve the flow of blood to the genitals
[OPTIONS] [WOMEN]
[NONPRESCRIPTION THERAPIES]
--Avlimil: The pill contains various plant leaves and roots and is touted as the female Viagra, but experts question its effectiveness
--Zestra: A botanical-oil lotion applied to the genitals can create a tingling sensation and enhance orgasm (breath mints or a few drops of Binaca on your partner's tongue during oral sex do the same)
--XZITE: A daily capsule, manufactured in Marina del Rey, Calif., containing Chinese plant bark, flowers and roots, which doctors at UCLA's Female Sexual Medicine Center say works for many of their patients
[OPTIONS] [MEN]
DEVICES
--Penile prostheses: These surgically implanted devices are still used by men who, for medical or physical reasons, don't respond to drugs
[OPTIONS] [WOMEN]
[DEVICES]
--Slightest Touch: UCLA doctors express high hopes for this device, which uses a set of electrodes to stimulate nerve pathways
By Sora Song
Jobs boost as drugs firm expands
2007-06-16
US pharmaceutical giant Quintiles Transnational has announced plans to invest a further £7.25m in Scotland, creating 150 jobs.
The company which already employs about 470 people in Bathgate and Livingston, intends to create a base for its product development business. The new facility will be built at Livingston's Alba Campus, after it was bought from Scottish Enterprise. The project is being aided by a £1.25m regional selective assistance grant. The move to create the Quintiles facility comes after the company purchased the site from Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian. Graham Murray, general manager of Quintiles Laboratories Europe, said the expansion would enhance the company's level of customer service throughout the UK and Europe. He added: "Our lab business is expanding globally and in Europe because of our proximity to clinical trial sites and our tight quality control. "I'd like to thank Scottish Development International and its parent organisations, the Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise, as well as West Lothian Council for their support in securing this project for Scotland." Quintiles Transnational provides a broad range of professional services, to the pharmaceutical, biotechnological and healthcare industries and is the largest life sciences contract research organisation in the world. The company said it had helped to develop or commercialise every one of the world's top 30 best-selling drugs.
'Emerging strengths'
Enterprise Minister Jim Mather said: "Quintiles' ambition to expand not only brings jobs and investment to West Lothian, it also supports Scotland's growing strengths in the global life sciences sector. "Quintiles' investment in the new Livingston facility is excellent news for the Scottish economy generally and shows the high regard in which Scotland's scientific knowledge and expertise is held across the world." The company has the option to increase the facility by an additional 30% in scale in the future to accommodate any growth. The company's move to Alba Campus is expected to reinforce West Lothian's emerging strengths in the life sciences sector and underlines Alba Campus' strategic role in attracting new investment and jobs to grow the West Lothian economy. Dave Anderson, senior director of operations for Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian, added: "Since its opening in 1998 the Alba Campus has been hugely successful in promoting Scotland's strengths in new technology, particularly in the field of electronic design."
Viagra could aid jetlag recovery
2007-06-16
Viagra could be used to help people flying eastwards recover from jetlag, animal research suggests.
A team of Argentine scientists found the drug helped hamsters recover up to 50% faster from forward shifts in their daily time cycles.
However, the drug only worked in conjunction with light therapy, and only in one time direction - the equivalent to flying eastbound.
The study features in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In mammals, the light-dark cycle regulates the body's biological clock, which promotes activity during the daytime, when it is light, and sleep at night.
Time shift
The researchers from the National University of Quilmes shifted the light-dark cycle of hamsters six hours forwards, by switching on lights six hours earlier than usual.
They then monitored the hamsters' running wheel activity to assess when their body clocks had adjusted to the new time cycle - the hamsters are active in the day but stop running when the lights go out.
Injection of Viagra before the time shift meant the hamsters adjusted to the new time cycle faster, even when low doses of the drug, which did not cause penile erections, were used.
Viagra, the drug sildenafil, was originally developed for the treatment of high blood pressure and angina, and is used to treat erectile dysfunction.
When used without the shifts in light, the drug did not induce changes in the hamsters' activity, so it seems to work by enhancing the light-induced response.
Dr Diego Golumbek, who led the research, said the drug seemed to work via a molecule called cGMP which is known to have a role in setting the body's time clock - it is present at higher levels during the day.
The Viagra blocks the activity of an enzyme which breaks down cGMP, allowing higher levels to build up.
One direction only
Dr Golumbek said the fact that different mechanisms may be used to slow down and speed up the body clock explains why Viagra only worked when the lights were switched on early, not late. Professor Robert Lucas, from Manchester University, said although looking for ways adjust biological clocks was important, regulating light exposure was the most widely accepted strategy for doing this.
He said the new research raised the possibility of using Viagra in conjunction with this light treatment, but he added: "We will have to wait for more research to know whether this will work in humans." more information....
Pfizer, the makers of Viagra, said the drug should only be used in accordance with the approved labelling.
Hot article. Sales of Cialis, which costs about $12 a pill. About viagra online buy.
2007-06-15
For those who do not have electronic mail, mine has traditionally offered up a daily smattering of newspaper-related stuff, an occasional effort by pornographers to get me to open attachments, friends sending humorous and sometimes off-color joke e-mails, and a smorgasbord of stuff you just can't find in the local convenience store.He literally sparkles with the glee of knowing that 235 of his friends (or one, really crazy one) thought enough of him to either write him an email..The good news, however, is that in most cases, sexual dysfunctions can be treated simply and effectively. Even cases like Leonardo's have solutions. He is scheduled for surgery to implant an inflatable prosthesis that will allow him to achieve an erection once again, but this time with the press of a gumball-sized button implanted near his scrotum
MAP Pharmaceuticals Reports Positive Phase 2 Results For Its Inhaled Migraine Drug Candidate
2007-06-14
MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that its Tempo(TM) Migraine drug candidate met its primary endpoints in a Phase 2 clinical program consisting of two separate trials. The candidate is a proprietary orally inhaled formulation of dihydroergotamine (DHE) for the treatment of acute migraine.The first Phase 2 study demonstrated clinically significant results in a randomized, outpatient, placebo-controlled study at nine U.S. headache centers. In addition, a second Phase 2 clinical trial indicated that Tempo Migraine was well tolerated by subjects with impaired pulmonary function.
In the first Phase 2 study, Tempo Migraine showed statistically significant pain relief at 2 hours and sustained pain relief at 24 hours compared to placebo in the treatment received population. In addition, Tempo Migraine demonstrated statistically significant pain relief at 10 minutes. While this study was powered on pain relief, it showed clinically significant trends in the resolution of phonophobia, photophobia, and nausea, reaching statistical significance at certain timepoints. No statistically significant drug related increase in nausea was observed. Furthermore, Tempo Migraine demonstrated statistically significant total migraine relief (from a composite score of the four main symptoms of migraine) versus placebo at 60 minutes and sustained relief at 24 hours for subjects receiving treatment. Tempo Migraine was also shown in the study to be well tolerated, with no serious adverse events reported, including cardiovascular or respiratory adverse events.
A second Phase 2 study was carried out to evaluate pulmonary delivery of the drug in adults with compromised pulmonary function. The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of Tempo Migraine in adult asthmatics. The trial demonstrated that the therapy was well tolerated by asthmatics with no serious adverse events reported. The pharmacokinetic profile in adult asthmatics was shown to be similar to non-asthmatic subjects receiving treatment in an earlier Phase 1 pharmacokinetic study conducted by the company.
"We are pleased to report that our Phase 2 studies using Tempo Migraine demonstrated potential clinical benefits of fast onset, sustained relief, and safety," said Stephen B. Shrewsbury MD, Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs at MAP Pharmaceuticals. "In this Phase 2 trial, we determined an effective dose in migraineurs to take into pivotal Phase 3 studies after discussions with the FDA at our scheduled End of Phase 2 meeting. We would like to thank the clinical investigators for their support, which was a key element to the successful implementation of these Phase 2 studies."
"Our migraine therapy is demonstrating for the first time that relief can potentially be achieved within 10 minutes with sustained relief over a 24-hour period," said Timothy S. Nelson, Chief Executive Officer of MAP Pharmaceuticals. "The results of this Phase 2 study underscore our efforts to provide fast onset, long lasting, and convenient therapy to patients who are suffering from acute migraines."
The company plans to present the results from this study at a future scientific conference. Earlier this week, the company announced that its pediatric asthma candidate also met its primary efficacy endpoint in a Phase 2 clinical trial and that it also expects to enter into Phase 3 clinical studies later this year.
EPG Patient Direct Partners With Merck Serono To Produce Psoriasis Quick Guide
2007-06-14
IMR International Limited, developers of e-communication and clinical information solutions, today announced that Merck Serono will partner with the Company to develop a new online interactive guide to psoriasis. The new resource will form part of the EMA (European Medical Association) sanctioned EPG Patient Direct, a new web service dedicated to providing patients and the general public in Europe with a credible source of independent health-related information. The Psoriasis Quick Guide will launch with EPG Patient Direct in June 2007 as part of a series of guides dealing with a broad range of medical conditions.
"We recognise that today's patients are faced with an overwhelming challenge in sourcing healthrelated information that is comprehensive, trustworthy and easy to understand" said Chris Cooper, Managing Director of IMR International Ltd. "By working with partners in healthcare such as Merck Serono, we are connecting patients and their carers with information and advice that is independent, authoritative and objective."
The Quick Guide will include background to psoriasis, its causes and symptoms, and what can be done to treat this often worrying and sometimes serous illness. The new Psoriasis Quick Guide will join other interactive guides to form part of the EPG Patient Direct interactive online knowledge 'library', a range of guides designed specifically for use by the general public. Other guides will focus on health topics such as Diabetes, Arthritis, Eczema, Fertility, Multiple Sclerosis and Meningitis.
"We recognize that psoriasis has a huge impact on patients' daily lives and hence there is a tremendous need for information" said Rajesh Gupta, Vice President for Dermatology at Merck Serono. "We hope that the online platform that is used for the Psoriasis Quick Guide will provide patients an easy way of searching for and finding materials and tools that will be useful for them to be able to cope better with psoriasis."
In addition to its 'Quick Guides', EPG Patient Direct will provide access to medical news, support groups and personal health tests. "Our aim is to provide a service that the general public can turn to as a trusted source for all of their health related research." said Michelle Kelly, Partnership Director for EPG Patient Direct. "We hope to see EPG Patient Direct quickly become a house-hold name across Europe as a 'one stop' medical website for patients."
The service will be funded through pharmaceutical industry sponsorship and educational grants. Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is a global business focusing on innovative prescription pharmaceuticals with headquarters in Geneva. The division was established on January 5, 2007 following the acquisition of Serono S.A. (now Merck Serono S.A.) by Merck and the integration of the business with the former Merck Ethicals division. The entity has leading brands serving patients in the areas of Oncology (Erbitux®), Neurology (Rebif®), CardioMetabolic Care (Glucophage®, Concor®), Reproductive Health (Gonal-f®), Dermatology (Raptiva®) and other therapeutic areas. Merck Serono's research programs are focused on growing these businesses and on establishing new therapeutic areas, including autoimmune diseases.
t the PROactive Study
2007-06-12
PROactive (PROspective PioglitAzone Clinical Trial In MacroVascular Events) was a landmark study that prospectively looked at the impact in total mortality and macrovascular morbidity using ACTOS, a glucose-lowering agent. It was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled outcome study of 5,238 patients with type 2 diabetes and macrovascular disease. Patients were randomized to receive either ACTOS or placebo in addition to standard-of-care treatment (including the routine use of anti-hypertensives such as ACE inhibitors and beta blockers; glucose-lowering agents such as metformin, sulfonylureas and insulin; antiplatelet drugs such as aspirin, and lipid-modifying medicines such as statins and fibrates).This study focused on two key endpoints: a primary combination endpoint of seven different macrovascular events including both disease and procedural endpoints; and a principal secondary combination endpoint of death, heart attack and stroke.
As reported at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in September 2005, the primary endpoint was reduced by 10 percent but had not reached statistical significance by study end (P=0.095). The principal secondary endpoint showed that ACTOS significantly reduced the combined risk of heart attacks, strokes and death by 16 percent (P=0.027) in high-risk patients with type 2 diabetes.
FDA Issues Warning to MDs, Pharmacists About Errors Related to Zyprexa, Zyrtec
2007-06-12
FDA has issued a warning to physicians and pharmacists about errors in the prescription and dispensation of two medications with similar names -- Zyprexa, an antipsychotic manufactured by Eli Lilly, and Zyrtec, an antihistamine manufactured by Pfizer, the Wall Street Journal reports. In a letter sent to health care professionals that appeared on the FDA Web site on Tuesday, Lilly officials said that the company has received reports of errors related to the two medications. "These reports include instances where Zyprexa was incorrectly dispensed for Zyrtec and vice versa, leading to various adverse events in some instances," the letter said, adding, "These errors could result in unnecessary adverse events or potential relapse in patients suffering from schizophrenia or bipolar disorder." Heather Lusk, a spokesperson for Lilly, said that the company has received 79 reports since the medications reached the market in 1996 from patients who received incorrect prescriptions. She added that "few" of the errors related to the medications have resulted in hospitalization. As part of a promotional campaign targeted at health care professionals, Lilly plans to revise the label of the 10-milligram bottle of Zyprexa to help reduce the risk for errors, company officials said. The revisions will include "capitalizing Zyprexa, except for the letter 'y' and offsetting the last five letters in yellow highlights," Lusk said (Dooren, Wall Street Journal, 2/9)."Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health
Just Dropped By To See What Condition My Condition Was In
2007-06-12
Waking up to day 3 of Effexor 150mg cold turkey withdrawal! I am a 31 y/o mother of 3 children under 7 years of age and am 5 weeks pregnant with #4. I have tried to get off of "Satan's little helpers" a couple of times and could not make it a full 48 hours.This time, because of pregnancy, I am more determined than ever to do this and maybe offer some helpful suggestions to my fellow FXr addicts. I cannot put a baby through this kind of pain.
I am proud of anyone who has made the decision to get off this crazy train, it is a rough ride. The only thing that I am learning is to have a huge support system. DO NOT TRY TO DO THIS ALONE!!! You need to have someone, even if it is one of those suicide/drug hotlines, that you can call in the middle of the night when you are sure you are going to lose your mind. I cannot stress this enough!!
Another tip I have found to be extremely helpful is to make slow, non-jerky movemments. Walk as if you are on carpet made of eggshells! I know it sounds silly, but the slower you move the easier it gets. Move your head slowly to help with the eye/brain tracking problem. If when you turn your head you pretend like you have a stiff neck, it aleviates the zaps.
I have also noticed that eye blinking seems to hurt also, but I have no suggestion for that one. My final bit of advice is to PRAY!! I do not care if you are into religion or not, I am not here to sell God to you, (you'll find God on your own at the end of your second day! ;) Anyway, even if you pray to that thing in the dryer that eats all the socks, pray, pray, pray. We are obviously flawed and helpless in the first place or we would have never been to a psychiatrist to get on this stuff, right? So find a higher power and pray! Also, if you feel like crying- CRY! It will help. It really does temporarily squash the zaps.
I am thinking of starting a FXr Anonymous group in my area so we can all help each other. I would suggest that everyone try to find or start a group in your area. Good luck to all and I will keep you in my prayers!
Viagra Improves High Altitude Exercise Performance Up To 45% For Some
2007-06-11
Sildenafil (Viagra) significantly improved the cardiovascular and exercise performance measures of trained cyclists at high altitude, mostly because the drug helped some participants improve a lot -- up to 45% -- while others showed little change. Sildenafil provided no benefit at sea level.Ten cyclists who took sildenafil at altitude collectively lowered the time it took to cover six kilometers by 15% compared to placebo trials at altitude. The cyclists also significantly improved stroke volume (the volume of blood moved out of one ventricle of the heart per beat) and cardiac output (stroke volume times heart rate) compared to the placebo trial. Sildenafil also minimized the decline of arterial oxygen saturation of the arteries when the cyclists were at simulated altitude of 12,700 feet.
But the researchers discovered that these improvements occurred largely because some people achieve major gains with sildenafil at altitude while others improve much less or not at all. The responders improved 39% in the time trial performance at altitude compared to their performance at altitude with a placebo. Some in the responder group improved as much as 45%, according to a study in the Journal of Applied Physiology published by The American Physiological Society. Non-responders improved an insignificant 1%.
The study, "Sildenafil improves cardiac output and exercise performance during acute hypoxia but not normoxia," by Andrew R. Hsu, Kimberly E. Barnholt, and Nicolas K. Grundmann, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System; Joseph H. Lin and Stewart W. McCallum, Stanford University Medical Center; and Anne L. Friedlander, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System and Stanford University appears in the June issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology.
Drug expands the blood vessels
Sildenafil citrate is best known as Viagra, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction. The drug was originally developed to relieve high blood pressure. It causes blood vessels in certain tissues, such as the lungs, to relax. This improves blood flow from the heart and increases oxygen transport to working muscles. Because the high altitude atmosphere contains less oxygen, it is more difficult to get enough oxygen to support strenuous physical activity than it is at sea level.
Sildenafil works by inhibiting phosphodiestrase-5, an enzyme which degrades cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) a cell messenger that causes the blood vessels to relax, Friedlander explained. By inhibiting the enzyme, the drug allows greater vasodilation and greater blood flow. Although the drug works in different target sites, this study focused on the lungs.
The researchers hypothesized that the drug would allow the study's participants to improve their performance at altitude because it would reduce the constriction of vessels in the lungs that sometimes occurs at altitude. In turn, that would allow greater blood flow through the heart, better transfer of oxygen from the lungs to the blood and improved oxygen delivery to working muscles.
The participants, all trained cyclists, performed a total of 10 cycling trials, with and without sildenafil at sea level and at simulated altitude of 3,874 meters. Neither the participants nor the researchers knew whether the trial included a placebo or one of the two sildenafil doses, 50 mg or 100 mg.
The high altitude simulation was achieved by changing the mix of air. The cyclists began breathing the high altitude mix starting one hour before the exercise session and continuing through the session. The simulation did not include the lower air pressure that would occur at altitude, Friedlander said.
Researchers analyzed the changes in each individual's performance under various exercise conditions and also compared the group's performance under different drug conditions.
Responders versus non-responders
Four of the 10 participants responded to sildenafil while the remaining six did not, Friedlander said. The responders showed the greatest drops in stroke volume, cardiac output, and cycling performance between the sea level and high altitude trials without the drug.
"Without sildenafil, their performance went down more than others," Friedlander said. "With it, it brought them back up to the levels of the non-responders." The results suggest that the responders experienced a greater degree of constriction of the vessels in the lungs at altitude and therefore benefited more from the vessel relaxation effects of sildenafil.
"One of the messages of the paper is that not everybody benefits," Friedlander said. Sildenafil could be considered as a treatment for those who suffer most at altitude but, because of side effects that can include severe headaches and the apparent inability to help some people, it should not be taken as an exercise aid by everyone, she said.
The bigger picture
This study adds to the scientific knowledge of what physiological factors limit performance at altitude, including the role that cardiac output plays, Friedlander said. For instance, physiologists don't know why some people have trouble at altitude and may develop illnesses such as acute mountain sickness or high altitude pulmonary edema while others adapt quickly. Studies like this may help identify some of the underlying differences between people and lead to better treatments.
In future studies, Friedlander wants to identify:
* what steps individuals could take to acclimatize before they go to altitude
* who is likely to acclimatize quickly at altitude and who may need additional help
* how to minimize performance declines at altitude
Friedlander and her team are working on issues that could apply to those who have to rapidly acclimatize to high altitude. For instance, when soldiers deploy to Afghanistan, they must quickly undertake physically taxing work at 12,000-14,000 feet, conditions that can severely affect performance under potentially life-threatening conditions.
In a study Friedlander and colleagues conducted at 14,000 feet on Pike's Peak, Colorado, participants showed marked hormonal changes at altitude. These changes facilitate oxygen delivery. However, this benefit is suppressed when individuals don't eat enough and the body shifts focus to store more energy, Friedlander explained. That study appears in the June issue of the American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, also published by APS.
Response To Asthma Medications May Be Affected By Obesity
2007-06-10
As the nation's collective waistline has swelled in recent decades, rates of asthma diagnoses also have accelerated. Indeed, much research has affirmed a link between the two conditions.But doctors also recognize that asthma may not behave the same way among people who have different body types. With a variety of asthma medications on the market, what kinds work best for lean people and what kinds work best for obese people? The answer may be different for each group.
A new study suggests that people who are overweight or obese may have better results with the prescription pill sold as Singulair than with a type of inhaled steroid, while leaner people may have better luck with an inhaled steroid, called beclomethasone and sold as beclovent, vanceril and other brand names. The findings appear in the new issue of the European Respiratory Journal.
"It is increasingly recognized that obese people are more prone to develop asthma, but there is no information about whether obesity influences people's responses to particular asthma medications," says lead author Marc Peters-Golden, M.D., professor of internal medicine and director of the Fellowship Program in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.
"Our findings are the first to suggest the possibility that obesity might be a factor that influences how well asthmatics respond to particular medications," Peters-Golden says.
Singulair is the brand name of montelukast sodium and is sold by Merck & Co., which funded this study.
Researchers looked at data from four previous multi-center, randomized clinical trials from 3,073 patients with moderate asthma. The data included the patients' responses to Singulair/montelukast, a beclomethasone inhaled steroid and a placebo, and the participants' body mass index numbers, which placed them in the categories of normal, overweight and obese.
In general, the severity of people's asthma was found to be greater among those in the overweight and obese groups, which supports findings from other studies.
In addition, the inhaled steroid was found to be better than Singulair at increasing the number of asthma control days (ACD) among people in the normal weight category. An ACD is defined as a day with no more than two puffs of an inhaler, no night-time awakenings and no asthma attacks.
On the other hand, the inhaled steroid resulted in a reduced effect in the percentage of ACDs among obese people in the study
- that is, the benefit of the inhaled steroid declined with increasing body mass index.
In contrast, the positive impact of Singulair did not decrease in obese and overweight people when compared to its impact on people of normal weight. The research also suggests that the higher a person's body mass index, the greater his or her response to Singulair compared to a placebo, a pill with no medicinal benefit. This is an indication, Peters-Golden says, that obese and overweight people may in fact respond better to this medication.
Still, he is not inclined to suggest that doctors change the way in which they prescribe medication
- not yet, anyway.
"Our study looks back at material from previous trials. I'd like to see a prospective study in which lean patients and heavy patients are enrolled at the outset, and you compare both types of medications in both groups," Peters-Golden says. If verified by other studies, this insight may help physicians to better tailor medication regimens to meet individual patient needs.
Peters-Golden also notes that much research about asthma and other conditions is exploring the possibility that genetic factors might explain individual variations in responses to medications. He says it is likely that a variety of factors, including genetic ones and acquired factors such as weight, combine in a complex and intertwined manner to influence a person's reaction to medications.
Information about Singulair/montelukast: This medication, usually taken once a day, is a type of leukotriene antagonist • that is, it blocks leukotrienes in the body. Leukotrienes are chemicals in the human body that can affect the breathing passages. Information about the beclomethasone inhaled steroid: Beclomethasone is a steroid that prevents the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation. Inhalation of beclomethasone prevents asthma attacks and other conditions involving inflammations of the lung tissues.
Viagra protects mountain climbers' lungs from pulmonary hypertension
2007-06-10
Viagra protects mountain climbers' lungs from problems associated with high altitude, such as pulmonary hypertension, researchers say. Pulmonary hypertension can be triggered by a lack of oxygen.According to research carried out at the University of Geissen, Germany, Viagra protects the lungs of mountain climbers from pulmonary hypertension.
You can read about this study in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
The scientists say this discovery could give Viagra another indication - not just for mountain climbers, but patients who develop pulmonary hypertension (without climbing mountains).
If you have pulmonary hypertension your heart has to work a lot harder as the blood vessels around your lungs constrict. You can suffer heart damage, heart attacks and even death. We still do not know why most patients develop pulmonary hypertension.
The researchers got a group of 14 healthy male volunteer mountain climbers to see whether Viagra would offer them any benefits with regards to pulmonary hypertension.
Half the group were given Viagra while the other half got a placebo (dummy drug).
The group was tested at sea level and then again when they were at the Mount Everest Base Camp.
It seems that the Viagra reduced their blood pressure as well as enhancing the transport of oxygen to their lungs - both at sea level and high altitude.
This is the first time any drug has been shown to enhance exercise capacity at both sea level and high altitude.
The researchers said the penis and the lungs both share a biochemical similarity. Both the penis and the lungs have lots of phospodiesterase, this is an enzyme which constricts blood vessels in the lungs.Viagra (sildenafil) stops the enzyme from working, the result being better erections and blood supply to the walls of the lungs.
Meeting of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, Europe
2007-06-06
The Committee adopted three positive opinions on initial marketing authorisation applications for:
-- Avastin (bevacizumab), from Roche Registration Ltd, for the treatment of metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum. EMEA review began on 22 December 2003, with an active review time of 202 days.
-- Fendrix (Hepatitis B (rDNA) vaccine (adjuvanted, adsorbed)), from GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA, for active immunisation against hepatitis B virus infection for patients with renal insufficiency, from the age of 15 years onwards. EMEA review began on 26 May 2003 with an active review time of 168 days.
-- Quintanrix (combined vaccine), from GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA, for primary vaccination of infants and for booster vaccination of young children against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), hepatitis B and invasive disease caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b. EMEA review began on 23 June 2003 with an active review time of 215 days.
The Committee also adopted the extensions of indication for medicinal products that are already marketed in the European Union.
-- Intron A and Viraferon (interferon alfa-2b) , Schering-Plough Europe, to extend the use to the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in children over three years in combination with rabavirin. Intron A and Viraferon were first authorised in the European Union on 9 March 2000.
-- Rebetol (ribavirin), Schering Plough Europe, to extend the use to the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in children over three years in combination with interferon alfa-2B. Rebetol was first authorised in the European Union on 7 May 1999.
-- Vfend (voriconazole), Pfizer Limited, to extend its use to the treatment of candidemia in non-neutropenic patients. Vfend was first authorised in the European Union on 19 March 2002.
CHMP to review COX-2 inhibitors
Following the worldwide withdrawal of Vioxx (rofecoxib), the European Medicines Agency has been asked by the European Commission, as a precautionary measure, to conduct a review of COX-2 inhibitor medicines.
The CHMP, the Agency's scientific committee responsible for human medicines, will look at all aspects of cardiovascular safety of the COX-2 inhibitors celecoxib, etoricoxib, lumiracoxib, parecoxib and valdecoxib, including thrombotic events (e.g. heart attack and stroke) and cardio-renal events (e.g. hypertension, oedema and cardiac failure).
Start of referral procedure
The CHMP began two Community-wide review procedures under Article 30 of the Community code on human medicines:
-- A referral for Neurontin (gabapentin) and associated names was initiated by Italy to harmonise the divergent summaries of product characteristics across the European Union, especially with regard to the indications. Gabapentin is authorised in some Member States for treatment of partial epilepsy and neuropathic pain and in others only for the treatment of epilepsy.
-- A referral for Calcium Sandoz Effervescent tablets, 500/1000 mg, from Novartis Consumer Health SA was initiated on request of the marketing authorisation holder to harmonise the divergent summaries of product characteristics across the EU.
A more detailed CHMP meeting report will be published shortly
Cutting heart risks
2007-05-31
Another study presented at the meeting found that Type 1 diabetics who closely watched their blood sugar levels dramatically cut their risk of heart disease even if they relaxed their control later on. Type 1 diabetics make up 5 percent to 10 percent of the 18 million Americans who have the disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of diabetes-related deaths, and diabetics are more than twice as likely to die from it than non-diabetics.Researchers followed 1,375 people from the 1980s. For 6½ years, one group managed diabetes aggressively, getting insulin at least three times a day. The other group got regular treatment and only one or two shots of insulin a day.During the next decade, all controlled blood sugar. Most who got regular treatment adopted stricter blood sugar control while the intensive group became lax. The result was that the blood sugar levels in both groups evened out.However, only 4 percent of people treated intensively in the early years had a heart problem during the following decade compared to 7 percent of those initially given regular care. There were a total 46 heart attacks or similar problems in the intensive care group compared to 98 in the other group."If you control your diabetes well from the get-go, even if you let things slip later on, you still reap the benefit from those early formative years of intensive management," said Dr. Martin Abrahamson of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. He was not part of the study."People should try to do intensive therapy as early as possible for as long as possible," said Dr. David Nathan, director of the Diabetes Center at Massachusetts General Hospital who co-chaired the study. It was funded by the National Institutes of Health and Genentech Inc., which makes several diabetes drugs.Also at the meeting, researchers led by Dr. Andre Scheen of the University of Liege in Belgium reported that an experimental pill that attacks obesity by blocking a pleasure center in the brain reduced blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes, the type linked to obesity.It was the first test of the French company Sanofi-Aventis drug rimonabant in diabetics. After a year, out of the 1,045 participants, 43 percent who got the drug had normal blood sugar levels compared to 21 percent in the control group. The drug has previously shown promise as a way to control both weight and smoking.
Paxil, Paxil CR (Paroxetine) by shreya
2007-05-30
Paroxetine is an anti-depressant drug that influence on the chemicals that nerves in the brain use to be in contact with one another. Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers that are released by one nerve and taken up by other one. If some neurotransmitters that have been released are not taken up by other nerves then they are taken up by the nerves that release them ("reuptake"). Many experts consider it to be an disproportion among the amounts of the different neurotransmitters that are released and these process becames the reason of depression. Paroxetine functions by preventing the reuptake of serotonin by the nerves that release it. This action allows more serotonin to be available to be captured up by other nerves. Paroxetine belongs to the class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft) are also included in the class. Paxil, Paxil CR (Paroxetine) by shreya.Viagra’s rivals may help end stigma of erectile dysfunction
2007-05-28
Chicago office of urologist Dr. Kevin McVary has been crowded over the last month with men anxious to try the new erectile dysfunction drug, Levitra. McVary's patients - many of whom were disappointed by their experiences with the so-called wonder drug Viagra - have high hopes the little orange pill that just hit the market will help them with their impotence problems."All those guys are coming in looking for the magic bullet," said McVary, associate professor of urology at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. "Many men who failed with Viagra are wondering if Levitra will be better, if there will be fewer side effects."
McVary estimates that the number of prescriptions he's written for the new drug outnumber requests for Viagra by five-to-one, a result of the multi-million-dollar marketing blitz from Levitra's manufacturers Bayer and GlaxoSmithKline.
But Dr. James Cummings, director of urology at St. Louis University School of Medicine, hasn't yet written any prescriptions for the new drug. None of his male patients have requested it, so the urologist continues to give out free samples and prescriptions of Viagra, the little blue pill that has revitalized the sex lives of millions of men for the last 5 years.
"I don't see any reason to recommend Levitra and nobody has asked for it by name," Cummings said.
While some doctors like Cummings see enzyme-blockers such as
<a href="http://www.bestdrugsnow.com/levitra/">Levitra (vardenafil HCl)</a> and Viagra (sildenafil citrate) as "basically interchangeable" in the way they treat erectile dysfunction, the newcomer is off to a blockbuster start in the United States following its approval by the Food and Drug Administration in August. In less than a month, Levitra captured half of all new prescriptions written for impotence problems.
An end to the stigma? Levitra's out-of-the-gate success says as much about the widespread nature of erectile dysfunction as it does about the racy advertising that's accompanied the tablet's arrival.For example, in one Levitra commercial a handsome 40-something man repeatedly tries to throw a football through a tire hanging from a tree. When he finally succeeds, he's joined by a beautiful, smiling woman. The voice-over says, "Sometimes you need a little help staying in the game. When it gets in the zone, it's good."
Even though the phenomenal publicity around Viagra has made it synonymous with sexual potency, most men who suffer erection problems don't get help for them.
Over half of all males between 40 and 70 years of age experience erectile dysfunction, making it the most common chronic condition affecting men. ED can be caused by diabetes, blood pressure medications, prostate cancer surgery or numerous other conditions.
Whether because of embarrassment or lack of information about treatment, as many as 90 percent of men with the condition don't get help, experts say.
"One of the most difficult things for a doctor is to ask patients about their sexual health," said Cummings.
That's why doctors are supportive of Levitra. Whatever gets those men who can't throw the football through the tire to ask their doctors for help is good thing, they say.
From pills to vacuums: In pursuit of better sex
2007-05-26
Since the dawn of time, people have looked toward elixirs and potions to improve their sex lives. Why else, after all, would one consume ground tiger penis, horny goat weed and Spanish Fly? Perhaps because nearly one in five men in the U.S. suffer from erectile dysfunction, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Medicine. Some researchers have estimated that as many as 40 percent of U.S. women have low libido or inability to reach orgasm. Most quick fixes simply don't work, and some, like Spanish Fly - a supposed aphrodisiac derived from beetles that can cause kidney damage - are harmful. But modern medicine has found ways - both proven and experimental - to improve your sex life. Might they help make this Valentine's Day more memorable?
That's anyone's guess. One place to start: old-fashioned remedies, which some say work best. Regular exercise can actually improve erectile function in most men, says Andrew McCullough, a urologist at New York University Medical Center, and we're talking jogging, not the acrobatic feats found in the back of a magazine. Not particularly athletic? Therapists say that paying attention to your feelings is as important as any pill, nose spray or cream. "Have a really wonderful role-play with your partner, have a really great dinner out or watch a romantic movie together," says Robert Dunlap, who has researched aphrodisiacs at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco. "The greatest aphrodisiac is your mind."
Hope in a bottle
But that's not stopping the $600 billion global pharmaceutical industry from trying to think up new sex drugs. Viagra, the little blue pill Pfizer launched a decade ago, brings in $1.7 billion in sales every year. Cialis, the longer-acting imitator made by Eli Lilly, rakes in another $1 billion, with several hundred million more for Levitra, from Bayer and Schering-Plough. Other remedies increase blood flow, like the penis injection Caverject, and bring in $30 million more.A product that could improve women's sexual function might bring in even more money, if it were truly effective. So far, though, companies have been unsuccessful. Viagra failed in tests on women. Procter & Gamble tried to push a testosterone patch for female sexual dysfunction through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but in 2004 the agency balked, citing a lack of long-term safety data.Now the idea of using testosterone as a sex-booster for women is being pushed by Lincolnshire, Ill.-based BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Its LibiGel is rubbed on the upper arm daily, delivering testosterone, which is thought to increase libido, to the bloodstream over time. The company just began late-stage trials, and, after discussions with the FDA, will start a big safety trial before submitting data to regulators in 2009. Palatin Technologies, of Cranbury, N.J., is trying to get in on the game, developing a nose spray called bremelanotide to treat men and women with sexual dysfunction. Applied 10 to 15 minutes prior to sex, it travels through the central nervous system to increase blood flow in the penile or vaginal tissue. The company hopes to get FDA approval for men in 2009 and women around 2011. "On the female front, we've got a chance to be first to market," says CEO Carl Spana. "People wonder how many women will come in for treatment, but my gut tells me they will come in."
How does KAMAGRA Oral Jelly work?
2007-05-21
The physiologic mechanism of erection of the penis involves release of nitric oxide (NO) in the corpus cavernosum during sexual stimulation. NO then activates the enzyme guanylate cyclase which results in increased levels of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) producing smooth muscle relaxation in the corpus cavernosum and allowing inflow of blood.Kamagra Oral Jelly has no direct relaxant effect on isolated human corpus cavernosum but enhances the effect of NO (Nitric oxide) by inhibiting phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) which is responsible for degradation of cGMP in the corpus cavernosum. When sexual stimulation causes local release of NO, inhibition of PDE5 by Kamagra Oral Jelly causes increased levels of cGMP in the corpus cavernosum resulting in smooth muscle relaxation and inflow of blood to the corpus cavemosum.So buy cheap Kamagra oral jelly 100mg online here.Can you take a break from osteoporosis meds?
2007-05-21
have osteoporosis and I've been on Fosamax for six years. Although I don't experience any side effects, the drug is expensive and is one more thing that I need to remember to take on a timely basis. I've heard that you can go off the drug and it will continue to work. Is this true?
A:Recent data show that you can go off of Fosamax and take a "drug holiday" if your bone density has improved over the last five years while on this drug and if you haven't had any vertebral fractures. This is assuming your osteoporosis isn't severe.
One study of 226 subjects found that bone mineral density (BMD) maintained itself for 15 months after the subjects stopped taking Fosamax. Now another study called the FLEX (Fracture Intervention Trial Long-Term Extension) trial has also looked at this issue. The trial randomized 1099 postmenopausal women who had been taking Fosamax for five years and put them into three groups. One group was given 5 mg of the drug daily for another five years, another group was given 10 mg daily, and the last group was given a placebo. (Note that today we usually give Fosamax as a weekly dose of 70 mg.... studies show this is comparable to 10 mg a day).
The trial found that women who took the placebo lost a clinically small amount of bone density (two to three percent) in their hip and spine after five years when compared to those who took Fosamax for the full ten years. However, for all the groups the baseline bone mineral density (BMD) remained above that with which they started the trial and, most importantly, there was no increase in clinical fractures or X ray detected fractures of the spine.
That said, because there was a slight decrease in BMD in the women who went off the drug for five years, the researchers warned that this could translate into a slight increase in risk of clinical vertebral fractures for these women in the future.
So what does this all mean? If you take all of these numbers into account, for women who have had a good response on Fosamax for five years (which means a three to five percent increase in hip BMD and an eight to 10 percent increase in spine BMD) a drug holiday of five years appears to be okay.
Remember, Fosamax and other bisphosphonate medications work by decreasing the microscopic holes constantly being created in the bone (I call this "bone drilling") and in the meantime allow the "bone filling" cells to do their thing, strengthening bone density. It appears that bone filling continues (or at least doesn't get worse) over the next five years even without the medication. If you fall (not literally of course; the one thing we do not want you to do is fall) into the "I improved on Fosomax in the past five years" category you might be a candidate for stopping. Discuss taking a drug holiday with your doctor.
Dr. Reichman's bottom line: You may be able to take a break from Fosamax if your osteoporosis isn't severe and you've had a good response to the therapy. Talk to your doctor to see if it's an option for you.
Who should not take KAMAGRA Jelly?
2007-05-17
KAMAGRA Jelly is not for newborns, children, or women. Do not let anyone else take your KAMAGRA Jelly. KAMAGRA Jelly must be used only under a healthcare provider's supervision. Before you start any treatment with KAMAGRA Jelly, be sure to ask your healthcare provider if your heart is healthy enough. If you're a man who uses nitrate drugs, like nitroglycerine, never take KAMAGRA Jelly. The combination of KAMAGRA Jelly and nitrates can make your blood pressure suddenly drop to unsafe levels. You could get dizzy, faint, or even have a heart attack or stroke. Nitrates are found in many prescription medications that are used to treat angina (chest pain due to heart disease) such as: Nitroglycerin (sprays, ointments, skin patches or pastes, and tablets that are swallowed or dissolved in the mouth) Isosorbide mononitrate and isosorbide dinitrate (tablets that are swallowed, chewed, or dissolved in the mouth) Nitrates are also found in recreational drugs such as amyl nitrate or nitrite ("poppers"). If you are not sure if any of your medications contain nitrates, or if you do not understand what nitrates are, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.Fosamax (Alendronate)
2007-05-16
Alendronate is accepted for the treatment of osteoporosis (thinning of bone) in women after menopause. After menopause, it is observed an increased rate of bone loss (resorption). In these patients, alendronate extends bone density by strengthening bone, and reduses the rate of bone fractures. Alendronate can also help during the treatment of Paget's disease of the bone. This disease consists from a disorderly and accelerated bone's remodelation which leads to bone weakness and pain. DOSING: For the best absorption alendronate should be taken at least 30 minutes before food, beverage, vitamins or medicines. Alendronate should be accepted with a full glass of plain water first thing in the morning. It is necessary for prevention of chemical irritation of the esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth with the stomach). You shouldn't chew or suck the tablet. In case of having abnormalities of the esophagus which delay esophageal emptying, such as scarring (stricture) or poor motility (achalasia) patients shouldn't accept this drug. Patients shouldn't lie down for 30 minutes after swallowing the tablets if it is impossible this drug should be avoided.
Kamagra Oral Jelly
2007-05-15
What is Kamagra Oral Jelly? : Kamagra Oral Jelly is a brand name for Ajanta's Sildenafil Citrate Oral Jelly.Kamagra Oral is used for Erectile Dysfunction treatment.Kamagra Oral Jelly is in the jelly form, meant to be consumed orally and should be allowed to dissolve in the oral cavity before it is swallowed.More easily swallowed than tablets and therefore Kamagra Oral Jelly is suitable for elderly people and also people who have difficulty in swallowing. Kamagra oral Jelly is available here as Kamagra Oral Jelly 100mg.
How does KAMAGRA Oral Jelly work? : The physiologic mechanism of erection of the penis involves release of nitric oxide (NO) in the corpus cavernosum during sexual stimulation. NO then activates the enzyme guanylate cyclase which results in increased levels of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) producing smooth muscle relaxation in the corpus cavernosum and allowing inflow of blood.Kamagra Oral Jelly has no direct relaxant effect on isolated human corpus cavernosum but enhances the effect of NO (Nitric oxide) by inhibiting phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) which is responsible for degradation of cGMP in the corpus cavernosum. When sexual stimulation causes local release of NO, inhibition of PDE5 by Kamagra Oral Jelly causes increased levels of cGMP in the corpus cavernosum resulting in smooth muscle relaxation and inflow of blood to the corpus cavemosum.So buy cheap Kamagra oral jelly 100mg online here.
BestDrugsNow.com - online pharmacy.
2007-05-14
Who we are : BestDrugsNow.com - the project created in 2006, our purpose is to deliver cheap & quality drugs for your health. We sell and we ship worldwide medicines and vitamins approved for use in USA and other countries. All purchases are delivered wordwide free of charge by express mail (Global Express - EMS). We'll contact you after approval of your purchase (normally within 48 hours) and will provide you with tracking # so you'll be able to trace your order online and. It takes about 6-7 business