In the United States, the management of glaucoma costs about $2.5 billion per year. Of the $1.9 billion in direct costs, glaucoma medications account for an estimated 38% to 52% of the total. In an article published in the January 2008 issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology, researchers from The Texas A&M University System [...]
Study Compares Two Common Glaucoma Medications
A multinational study group including ophthalmologists from Finland, Germany, Ireland, Spain, and the United Kingdom recently reported the results of their study comparing Xalatan (latanoprost) and Alphagan (brimonidine) at the European Glaucoma Society meeting. The study group sought to determine both effectiveness and safety of the two commonly used glaucoma [...]
Remember . . .
When putting drops into your eyes, follow doctor’s orders.
Be sure your doctor knows about any other drugs you may be taking (including over-the-counter items like vitamins and aspirin) and about any allergies you may have.
Wash your hands before putting eye drops into your eyes.
Be careful NOT to touch the tip of the [...]
GlaxoSmithKline Plc announced further clinical trial results on Sunday underlining the ability of a drug combination including its product Tykerb to fight breast cancer that has spread to the brain.
An extension to an earlier Phase II study involving 49 patients showed 20 percent of those receiving a mix of Tykerb and Roche’s Xeloda experienced at [...]
Many medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, can negatively interact with foods, supplements or other drugs.
Here are guidelines to help prevent food-drug interactions, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:
Check prescription and over-the-counter drug labels to see if they contain any warnings.
Follow directions on all medications carefully.
Unless you get your doctor’s OK, never break up [...]
Taking a blood pressure pill at bedtime instead of in the morning might be healthier for some high-risk people.
New research suggests that simple switch may normalize patterns of blood pressure in patients at extra risk from the twin epidemics of heart and kidney disease.
Why? When it comes to blood pressure, you want to be a [...]
Schering-Plough said the results of a first prospective trial specifically designed to evaluate erectile function in erectile dysfunction (ED) patients with dyslipidemia showed that Levitra (vardenafil HCl), used in treating ED, significantly improves the ability of men with ED and dyslipidemia to achieve and maintain an erection for successful sexual intercourse.
The double-blind, placebo-controlled study is [...]
Merck & Co., Inc. said it voluntarily recalled 13 lots of its Hib vaccine given to ankle-biters to prevent meningitis and pneumonia as quality control found production equipment may not have been properly sterilised.
Merck recalled 11 lots of Pedvaxhib [Haemophilus b Conjugate Vaccine (Meningococcal Protein Conjugate)], and two lots of its combination Haemophilus influenzae type [...]
Telmisartan, a drug widely used to help control blood pressure, may have uniquely potent activity in preventing stroke, according to a new study conducted in an animal model.
Whether they used the drug alone or in combination with a different type of antihypertensive medication, ramipril, Weill Cornell Medical College researchers found that rats fed a high-salt, [...]
The findings of clinical trials have linked the use of thiazolidinediones, a class of diabetes drugs, with congestive heart failure and possibly heart attacks. Now, new research indicates that these associations, at least with Avandia, also apply to individuals in the community, and not just clinical trials.
Dr. Lorraine L. Lipscombe, from the Institute for Clinical [...]
