Etravirine (Intelence) Approved for HIV Treatment

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new HIV drug recommended as an adjunct therapy for patients who did not respond to other treatment regimens. Etravirine (Intelence) belongs to a new class of anti-HIV drugs known as non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI).

Findings of two clinical trials showed that a combination of darunavir (Prezista) and etravirine (Intelence) was associated with higher percentage of patients reaching undetectable levels of HIV, than a single darunavir (Prezista) therapy. A total of 599 individuals participated in these randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Read more

Carrots Have Been ‘Kicked Up A Notch’

One of nature’s most nutritious foods has just been “kicked up a notch” according to researchers at the University of Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. The study, which was reported in the recent issue of the National Academy of Sciences, resulted in a genetically engineered carrot that provides extra calcium. Researchers hope that adding this “super carrot” to a normal diet could help ward off conditions such as brittle bone disease and osteoporosis. Read more

Cloned Animals Deemed Safe To Eat By FDA

The Food and Drug Administration released a report this week indicating that food products from cloned animals (such as meat and milk) are safe to eat. While the announcement gives a governmental “go ahead” many food producers say they will think carefully before embracing the controversial technology and gauge consumer reactions to the possibility of eating foods from cloned animals. Read more

Do Calcium Supplements Increase Heart Attack Risk In Women?

A New Zealand study suggests that the calcium supplements often prescribed to post-menopausal women to boost bone density may also increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. University of Auckland researchers analyzed data from a study on bone density in which nearly 1,500 healthy women over the age of 55 were enrolled. The results of the study were reported in this week’s issue of the British Medical Journal. Read more

Med Science Loves Lab Rats

MedHeadlines - Man-made human organs that really work. The concept is alive and well in science fiction novels but still only a dream in the very real world of medical science. Researchers at the University of Minnesota, however, have come one giant step closer to fulfilling that elusive but collective dream of medical science. In an announcement made on Sunday, the research team described how they used live heart cells to create a new, beating rat heart where a dead heart had been. Read more

WHO Praises Asian Countries for their Fight Against the Bird Flu

The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed its appreciation for the prompt reporting of the latest cases of bird flu by the Asian countries after the disease hit Pakistan and Myanmar. Countries that have shown remarkable results in preventing the virus from spreading uncontrollably.

According to a spokesman for Asia-Pacifi,c Peter Cordingley, “People have learned that hiding cases just makes things worse,” However China, previously accused of hiding its outbreaks, has now reported a 27^th death due to the virus, whereas Indonesia has been greatly affected, with the toll rising to 93 deaths up to this month. Few more cases of bird flu have been reported among chickens in Russia and Germany. The outbreak so far has claimed 200 deaths so far since the reemergence of the virus in the late 2003. Read more

Prognosis Grim for Zetia and Vytorin

MedHeadlines - Clogged arteries. Plaque build-up. Cholesterol. Heart attack. Stroke. Zetia. Vytorin. Crestor. Zocor. Lipitor.  So many scary sounding words. And they all mean important decisions need to be made. What’s a person to do?  The first thing to do, of course, is to see a doctor. Chances are, he or she will prescribe one of the very popular, and very well advertised, drugs listed above to treat the symptoms and medical conditions also mentioned above. But are they the best drugs for the situation?

On Monday, two major drug companies announced the disappointing results of a joint study they’ve recently concluded on the drug Vytorin, which both companies, Merck and Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals, market extensively. Vytorin is a combination of two other popular cholesterol-lowering drugs, Zocor and Zetia.

The disappointment comes from study results that indicate no significant benefit to plaque-laden arteries when taking the prescription medication as a means of lowering cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. In addition to controlling cholesterol, the drug was also expected to stop, or at least slow, the build-up of plaque along artery walls and to reduce the thickness of the plaque already there in study subjects who took the drug throughout the two-year study.

Vytorin, and Zetia as a result of its association to Vytorin, produced no significant improvement on plaque build-up although they are both effective in reducing cholesterol levels. In some patients receiving Vytorin during the study, arterial plaque actually increased. The other popular cholesterol-lowering drugs - Crestor, Lipitor, and Zocor - not only reduce cholesterol levels effectively but they also generate significant reduction in arterial plaque deposits.

Based on prescriptions written in 2006, Zetia was prescribed 14 million times and Vytorin 18 million times, making them two of the most commonly used cholesterol-lowering drugs on today’s market.

Upon learning of the announcement, some doctors suggested the drugs should no longer be considered a first line of defense against elevated cholesterol levels and should be prescribed instead only when other, more effective, drugs have failed. They further claim that by taking these medications, patients risk higher levels of heart disease and side effects while being denied access to safer, more effective, medications instead.

Stock prices dropped markedly for both drug companies after the study results were announced. Schering earns about 70% of its income from the sale of Vytorin and Zetia. Merck has been trying to improve its tarnished reputation after its painkiller, Vioxx, was removed from the market a few years ago due to dangerous side effects.

New Hope for Spinal Injuries

Med Headlines - One of the most heartbreaking aspects of spinal cord injuries is that they so often lead to permanent paralysis with little hope of recovery. Now, however, the exciting results of a study recently conducted from UCLA (University of California - Los Angeles) suggest that, in some cases, the future might not be so bleak. Read more

Gargle Test May Help Diagnose Head And Neck Cancer

Med Headlines - A study conducted at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center suggests that something as simple as a morning gargle could help diagnose head and neck cancers. The study, which was reported in the January 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, demonstrated that a “swish and spit” assay can detect tumor suppressor genes that are turned off in most head and neck tumors. Read more

Sweet Sleep Staves Off Diabetes

Med Headlines - The merits of a good night’s sleep were the subject of a study led by University of Chicago’s Dr. Ersa Tasali. Of particular interest to researchers was the connection between a good night’s sleep and the body’s ability to metabolize insulin.

When in a state of deep sleep, measured by electrical impulses in the brain moving in long, slow delta waves, a sleeper’s metabolism changes. Study subjects were not allowed to maintain this sleep state during several nights. Instead, they were awakened with a loud bang whenever this sleep state had been reached. Read more

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