FDA Updates Belbuca, buccal-administered buprenorphine, has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for treating severe chronic pain.1 The dosage form is a dissolving film that is absorbed through the inner lining of the cheek for chronic pain management. It’s expected to be commercially available in the first quarter of 2016. Seven dosage strengths…
View the question. Findings/Diagnosis An anteroposterior (AP) radiograph of the right foot shows hallux valgus of the first metatarsal phalangeal (MTP) joint, erosive changes at the first and fifth metatarsal bones and degenerative changes at the fourth and fifth metatarsal-cuboid joints. An AP radiograph of the left foot shows extensive erosive and degenerative changes at…
Editor’s note: In this recurring feature, we first present a series of images (this page) for your review, and then a brief discussion of the findings and diagnosis. Before you turn to the discussion, examine these images carefully and draw your own conclusions. History A 33-year-old woman with a 16-year history of systemic lupus erythematosus…
PARIS (Reuters)—One person has been left brain dead and five others are in a serious condition after taking part in a clinical trial in western France of an experimental medicine from an unnamed drug company, the French health ministry said on Friday, Jan. 15. The ministry did not say what the medicine was intended to be used…
Sarilumab is proving effective for treating RA. In a clinical trial, pregabalin did not meet its endpoint for treating post-traumatic peripheral neuropathic pain. And a 12-hour ibuprofen patch is in development…
(Reuters)—Kitov Pharmaceuticals Holdings Ltd. said on Tuesday its lead drug, KIT-302, met the main goal of a late-stage study, reducing pain without increasing the risk of heart diseases in patients with osteoarthritis. Israel-based Kitov says its drug does not need to be labeled with health warnings, but will instead say it reduces the risk of…
(Reuters Health)—Water- or land-based exercise should provide some short-term benefit in pain management for hip osteoarthritis, though there are few well-designed trials testing it, according to a new review. “It is nice to finally have some hip-specific data, as hip and knee osteoarthritis are often grouped together, and it’s almost certain that there are differences…
The FDA recently approved a form of naloxone hydrochloride in a nasal spray that will help counter opioid overdoses. The FDA also approved an ibuprofen injection as an adjunct to opioids for use in children 6 months and older…
(Reuters)—Indiana-based medical device manufacturer Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. on Friday was cleared of liability in the first of more than 900 U.S. lawsuits to go to trial over claims that its NexGen Flex knee replacements were prone to painful, motion-impairing loosening. Following a three-week trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of…
(Reuters Health)—Total knee replacement can usually relieve pain and improve function, but a nonsurgical regimen can also be effective in some people without posing the complication risks of surgery, according to a new study. The study found that while 85% of patients who underwent surgery showed clinically-significant improvement after one year, so did 67% assigned…