Two Eczema Creams Must Carry Black Box Cancer Warnings: FDA
Two prescription skin creams used to treat eczema -- Elidel and Protopic -- will have to carry black box label warnings that they may pose possible long-term cancer risks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.
A black box warning is the most serious type of alert.
The FDA also said the two drugs' labels must clarify that the creams are for use only after other prescription topical medications have been tried by patients, the Associated Press reported.
This action is based on a recommendation made last February by an FDA advisory committee. As of last October, the FDA had received reports of 78 cases of cancers in patients treated with the two creams. The cancers included lymphoma and skin cancer.
"This is something that is a possible risk, is a long-term possibility and is something that still needs to be researched," FDA spokeswoman Susan Cruzan told the AP.
The two drugs control eczema by suppressing the immune system.
Many Americans Doubt They Can Reduce Cancer Risk
Nearly half (47 percent) of Americans believe there's little or nothing they can do to reduce their risk of cancer, according to a survey released by the American Cancer Society.
The finding is troubling because many common types of cancers, such as breast, colorectal, lung and prostate, often can be prevented or successfully treated if they're detected at an early stage, Cancer Society officials said.
The telephone survey of 1,019 people also found that 65 percent of the respondents were very or somewhat concerned that they will get cancer, the Associated Press reported.
Younger people were more worried about getting cancer than older people. Among those aged 35-54, about 70 percent were very or somewhat concerned about getting cancer, compared with 62 percent of those aged 55-64, 55 percent of people 65-75, and 47 percent of those 75 and older.
The survey also asked people about cancer screening and found that 75 percent of women 18 and older said they had a PAP smear in the past two years and 75 percent of women 40 and older said they had a mammogram, the AP reported.
Among men 50 and older, 64 percent said they'd had a prostate exam or PSA test and 44 percent of adults 50 and over said they had been screened for colon cancer.
Guidant Documents Suggest Internal Debate on Faulty Heart Devices
Executives at Guidant Corporation may have been debating whether to publicly disclose short circuit-related failures of its Contak Renewal heart defibrillator six months before they actually alerted doctors, according to internal company documents released Thursday.
The New York Times reported that the documents suggest that some Guidant executives recommended in January 2005 that the company inform doctors about the problem with the implantable devices.
The documents, which include handwritten notes said to come from a top company executive, were disclosed Thursday as part of court proceedings in Texas.
Although it's not clear whether the handwritten notes' "recommendation" to alert doctors refers directly to the Contak Renewal, that does appear to be the case, The Times reported.
Guidant declined to comment on the notes or offer any explanation.
Five people are known to have died due to short circuits in Contak Renewal defibrillators and a related model called Contak Renewal 2. Two other people are known to have died due to short circuits in the Prizm 2 DR defibrillator, also made by Guidant.
Malaria Drug's Effectiveness Under Threat: WHO
The malaria drug artemisinin may become ineffective because of the way that some drug companies market it in poor nations, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.
Improper use of artemisinin -- developed in China from the wormwood plant -- may enable the malaria parasite to develop resistance against the drug. The same thing has occurred with all previous malaria treatments, the Associated Press reported.
Resistance to artemisinin would be a disaster.
"If this occurs, we will have no drugs that can cure malaria anywhere for the next 10 years," WHO malaria specialist Dr. Pascal Ringwald told the AP.
A combination therapy of artemisinin and older medicines is 95 percent effective in curing malaria. This combination therapy is called ACT and most organizations that fund malaria treatments in developing nations only pay for ACT.
The WHO is concerned about the use of artemisinin on its own. This type of monotherapy can enable the malaria parasite to develop resistance much more quickly, the AP reported.
In poor countries, some doctors dispense artemisinin alone because it's cheaper for patients who are unable to afford the $2 cost of ACT. In addition, artemisinin monotherapy often includes written instructions to take the drug in five days.
Five-day treatment with artemisinin alone won't cure malaria, Ringwald said.
In an effort to halt this problem, the WHO issued a call to more than a dozen manufacturers to stop selling artemisinin monotherapy, the AP reported.
Caffeine Boosts Female Rats' Sex Drive
Coffee may put a little more sizzle into the female sex drive, according to a study with rats conducted by researchers at Southwestern University in Texas.
They gave 108 female rats a moderate dose of caffeine before mating and found that it increased the rodents' libido. The caffeine shortened the amount of time it took the females to return to the males for another round of mating, BBC News reported.
This boost in sexual behavior was caused by caffeine's stimulation of the part of the brain that regulates arousal, the researchers said. They're not sure caffeine would have the same effect in humans.
"These rats had never had caffeine before. In humans, it might enhance the sexual experience only among people who are not habitual users," lead researcher Dr. Fay Guarraci told BBC News.
The study appears in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior.
Strangulation Hazard Prompts Recall of Fisher-Price Chairs
Fisher-Price is recalling about 614,000 Laugh & Learn Musical Learning Chairs that pose a strangulation hazard.
Children can get lodged between the seatback and side table of the chair, which could lead to entrapment of their neck and possible strangulation. So far, Fisher-Price has received three reports of children getting their necks trapped between the seatback and side table. A child who received a welt on the neck is the only reported injury.
The recalled chairs have model numbers H4609, H7167 through H7173, H8157, H8998, and J0272 through J0275. The model numbers are located on the underside of the chair seat. The chairs were sold across the United States from May 2005 through January 2006 for about $27.
The recalled chairs should be taken away from children. Consumers can contact Fisher-Price for a free repair kit that prevents the possibility of child entrapment. Contact Fisher-Price at 1-866-552-3914 anytime.
Food Fact:
Apple insider.
Shake the right tree, and your weight loss plan will be more fruitful. If you have a couple of hours to go until dinner, an apple is a near-perfect snack -- only 80 calories, practically fat-free and it's filling, so you're less likely to go prowling around afterward for more food. If you find Red Delicious's tough skin and bland flesh uninteresting, there are more than 2,000 other North American varieties to explore. And apples do help keep doctors away -- particularly the cardiologist. Apples are rich in pectin, a soluble fiber that lowers cholesterol. They also contain boron, a trace mineral that strengthens bones.
Fitness Tip of the day:
Hit that perfect beat.
Dancing raises your pulse -- a key to a healthy heart. Running and biking will do the same. Regular physical activity has many other disease-fighting benefits. It reduces your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, lowers your risk of developing cancer, and helps you prevent bone loss (osteoporosis), and maintain mobility and independence in later years.
FAQ of the day:
Will drinking water make me less hungry?
Water quenches thirst, not hunger. When volunteers in a study at Penn State University drank water with dinner, they consumed just as many calories as when they had nothing to drink. But when they were served water-rich foods, like fruits and vegetables, or broth-based soups, they spontaneously consumed fewer calories. So eat a lot of water-rich foods, and drinking water instead of high-calorie soft drinks is always a plus, but don't try to drown out your hunger.
No comments:
Post a Comment