During a recent divisional grand rounds presentation, I asked a room full of my colleagues how many of them had been asked about turmeric by a patient within the past year, month, week or day. Most hands remained up by the end of the exercise. During a recent trip to New York City, I was…
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most used drugs for acute and chronic pain. More than 30 billion doses of NSAIDs are consumed annually from more than 70 million prescriptions.1 Despite their common use, NSAIDs are not free of serious toxicities. In the pre-Vioxx (rofecoxib) era, gastrointestinal toxicity was the primary concern for many NSAIDs….
According to new research, knee OA patients reported greater pain relief from intra-articular corticosteroids, but naproxen was more effective at improving function…
Opana ER Pulled from U.S. Market Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked Endo Pharmaceuticals to remove oxymorphone hydrochloride extended release (Opana ER) from the U.S. market due to public health consequences related to abuse. The agency has concerns that the risks presented by the treatment do not outweigh its benefits.1 On…
Romosozumab’s Future Is Uncertain Romosozumab, which has the possible U.S. brand name Evenity, is awaiting approval from the FDA.1 The treatment is an investigational, injectable biologic for treating osteoporosis. It increases bone formation and bone density, reducing a patient’s risk of fractures. The manufacturer no longer expects the FDA to approve the drug this year…
NSAIDs Increase Myocardial Infarction Risk According a recent meta-analysis of real-world non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, NSAIDs may increase the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The analysis used individual patient data meta-analysis of studies from healthcare databases in Canada, Finland and the U.K. to determine the time course for risk of AMI, as well…
Receipt of an unsolicited communication that a sweepstakes award has been won may con some people (especially, but not limited to, those underprivileged or undereducated as to legalities), but can’t fool all of the people all of the time. The names of the organizations and products involved are often marketing tool inventions, which imply special…
(Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is strengthening an existing warning label that non-aspirin, non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. NSAIDs include ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac and celecoxib, all of which carry FDA warning labels. The agency said it would require updates to the labels of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC)…
Plus, updates on buprenorphine, diclofenac sodium, secukinumab and other rheumatology drug news, safety information
A reader questions whether insurers’ practice of promoting medications has undermined physicians’ ability to provide quality patient care