Health Headlines - August 9

Nasal Allergies Linked to Increased Parkinson's Disease Risk

People with nasal allergies are nearly three times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease later in life than the general population, says a Mayo Clinic study published Tuesday in the journal Neurology.

While the study of 196 Parkinson's patients concluded that allergic rhinitis was associated with increased the risk of the disease, it found no link between other inflammatory diseases (such as asthma, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis) and Parkinson's, United Press International reported.

Study lead author James Bower noted that this was a small study and that Parkinson's is a complex disease and many factors contribute to its development.

"I wouldn't worry if you have allergies. Treat the allergy symptoms you have to alleviate them at the time," Bower said.

Wide Variation in Family Health Insurance Premiums

In 2004, health insurance premiums for job-related family coverage varied by as much as $4,000 a year between the least expensive and most expensive state, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The District of Columbia had the most expensive average cost for family coverage ($11,742), while North Dakota had the least expensive ($7,800). The national average cost was $10,006.

The four other most expensive states were: New Jersey ($11,425); New Hampshire ($11,156); Connecticut ($11,035); and Maine ($10,823). The four other least expensive states were: Arkansas ($8,383); Hawaii ($8,580); Utah ($8,654); and Idaho ($8,908).

These premiums can be paid totally by the employer or the employee, or they can share the cost.

Generic Version of Plavix Being Sold in U.S.

A cheaper version of the best-selling blood thinner drug Plavix is now being sold in the United States by Canadian generic drug maker Apotex Corp.

However, the new drug faces challenges. Plavix maker Bristol-Myers Squibb and its partner, Sanofi-Aventis SA, which markets Plavix outside of the United States, claim that their patent has been infringed. The companies say they're exploring legal and commercial options to fight the generic drug, the Associated Press reported.

However, due to an agreement they signed with Apotex, the two companies have to wait five days before they can seek an injunction to stop sales of the generic drug.

An Apotex spokesman would not divulge how much of the drug has been sold so far in the United States, or the price of the pills, the AP reported. Last year, sales of Plavix totaled about $5.9 billion. It's the second-best selling drug in the world, after the cholesterol drug Lipitor.

Sleeping Pill Sales Surge in U.S.

Americans' use of prescription sleeping pills rose nearly 50 percent -- from 29 million to 43 million prescriptions -- between 2001 and 2005, according to a study by the Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports magazine.

The study said the growth in direct-to-consumer advertising of sleeping pills is one reason for surging sales, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The findings add to the debate about how drug company advertising influences medical choices made by doctors and patients. Some critics say sleeping pill ads may lead to unnecessary use of the drugs.

"We've always known there are people who suffer from insomnia. But what the advertising has done is make a big noise about a problem that may not have been that big of a problem. In a sense, they've helped create the disease," Dr. Marvin M. Lipman, chief medical officer for Consumers Union, told the Times.

In 2005, the drug industry spent more than $4 billion in consumer advertising, a fivefold increase from a decade ago. The United States is one of the few countries that allows direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising.

JAMA Won't Ban Authors Who Don't Disclose Pharma Links

Researchers who don't disclose ties to drug companies will not be barred from publishing studies in the Journal of the American Medical Association, says the journal's editor-in-chief.

Catherine DeAngelis told the Bloomberg news service that drugmakers would launch lawsuits if medical journals joined together to ban authors who did not reveal their financial ties to pharmaceutical companies.

"There's a risk for antitrust suits. I've talked to lawyers, and so have other journals," DeAngelis said.

However, authors who do fail to disclose links to drugmakers can expect "appropriate corrective actions," from their universities, DeAngelis wrote in an editorial published Monday.

Last month, it was revealed that two separate studies published in JAMA were authored by researchers who did not disclose their ties to drug companies. The journal published corrections for both studies, Bloomberg reported.

While medical journals may face legal action if they collectively agree to ban authors who violate disclosure rules, there's nothing to stop the journals from sharing the names of such authors, said Pennsylvania State University law professor Stephen Ross, a former lawyer for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Doctors Separate Conjoined Twins With Shared Kidney

Doctors in Utah successfully separated four-year-old conjoined twins and finished reconstruction surgery Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.

The twin girls -- Kendra and Maliyah Herrin -- were born fused at the midsection and shared a kidney and one set of legs. It took nearly 16 hours of surgery to separate them. During the operation, the doctors divided the girls' shared liver and cut Maliyah's connection to Kendra's kidney.

Maliyah will be placed on dialysis and is expected to receive a kidney from her mother within three-to-six months. Doctors at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City said this was the first known surgical attempt to separate twins with a shared kidney, the AP reported.

After the surgery to separate the twins, doctors began separate operations to reconstruct the girls' pelvic rings and several internal organs. The girls are expected to remain in intensive care for about a week and will be hospitalized for at least a month, the wire service said.