Prescription Drugs

Scientists are to study a group of proteins that are highly effective at killing bacteria and which could hold the key to developing new types of antibiotics.

Researchers from the Universities of York and Leeds have been awarded ?3.3m from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to find out how a family of proteins known as colicins force their way into bacterial cells before destroying them.

The Hong Kong Department of Health received notification from Global Medical Solutions (GMS), a medical supply company, about the missing of a pack of iodine-125 seeds when it was transshipped through Hong Kong from Shanghai by China Eastern Airlines on June 23.

It was reported that the package which contained 60 seeds of iodine-125 in two lead containers could not be located when GMS tried to collect the package at the airport for re-export today.

Health Canada is informing Canadian health care professionals and consumers of recent restrictions regarding the use of the prescription drug piroxicam. Health Canada has conducted a safety review and concluded that piroxicam should no longer be used to treat short-term pain and inflammation due to an increased risk of serious skin reactions and gastrointestinal problems relative to other similar drugs.

Piroxicam is a prescription drug in the family known as non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and is used to relieve pain and inflammation.

It’s common knowledge that a protective navy of bacteria normally floats in our intestinal tracts. Antibiotics at least temporarily disturb the normal balance. But it’s unclear which antibiotics are the most disruptive, and if the full array of “good bacteria” return promptly or remain altered for some time.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today advised consumers to stop using three products marketed over-the-counter as cold remedies because they are associated with the loss of sense of smell (anosmia). Anosmia may be long-lasting or permanent.

The products are:

--Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel
--Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs
--Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size (a discontinued product)

Welsh patients who are charged for prescriptions at hospitals in England after having treatment will be able to get a refund, announced Health Minister Edwina Hart.

At present, patients who have prescriptions from English hospital pharmacies have to pay for prescriptions at the English rate of ?7.20, if they are not exempt due to age or medical condition.

A study examining stimulant use among children and adolescents found an association between stimulants and sudden unexplained death in youth with no evidence of pre-existing heart disease. The finding draws attention to the potential risks of stimulant medication, according to the study's authors; an accompanying editorial notes that the rarity of sudden unexplained death and the lack of long-term data on the effectiveness of these medications for reducing other health risks make a full benefit/risk assessment difficult.

Background

Much has been said recently about how cutting prescription drug costs could save $20 to $50 million or more, at the expense of the vulnerable population of those living with severe mental illness. Of course we need to be careful with every dollar spent in this economy, and it makes sense to use science to guide our efforts. But there’s the rub: the studies point out that if you do anything to limit access to medications patients show adverse effects. The last thing we need to do is to save a dollar on prescription medications and spent hundreds on a hospitalization.

A new statewide discount drug card program called the Kentucky Rx Card is being launched today. The program, which is free to all residents of the Commonwealth, will provide savings of up to 75% on prescription drugs (savings should average roughly 30%). This program has no restrictions to membership, no income requirements, no age limitations and no applications to fill out. Kentucky Rx Card is accepted at over 50,000 pharmacy locations across the country.

Vanderbilt investigators have found that parents often misunderstand the product labels on over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for children.

Russell Rothman, M.D., assistant professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Vanderbilt Medical Center, is senior author of the study in June's Pediatrics, entitled "Parental

Misinterpretations of Over-the-Counter Pediatric Cough and Cold Medication Labels." The lead author is Nicole Lokker, Pharm.D., from the University of Wisconsin, who performed the study during her Pharmacist residency at Vanderbilt.