A drug interaction between some statins and certain antibiotics puts older adults taking them concurrently at an increased risk for hospitalization and death, according to a study published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Statin medications, prescribed to lower… Read More ›
Researchers have pinpointed variations in 2 genes that can help predict which women at high risk of breast cancer will respond to preventive treatment. The findings represent a major step toward personalized breast cancer prevention therapy, the study authors said…. Read More ›
More than half of all drugs used to treat malaria in low- and middle-income countries are substandard or counterfeit, which contributes to preventable deaths and the emergence of drug resistance. But the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hopes that… Read More ›
When health authorities approve a new drug for use in Europe, they are unable to assess the potential safety risks of drugs that will be taken for extended periods because of a lack of long-term data, according to an analysis… Read More ›
Following certain strategies could save the lives of the many patients who die in US hospitals because of unsafe practices by health care workers, a team of investigators report today in a supplement of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Each… Read More ›
A new approach toward preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission in Malawi boosted the number of pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV who started antiretroviral therapy (ART) by more than 7-fold in 1 year, federal health officials reported today. Malawi’s Ministry… Read More ›
After South Africa rolled out large-scale antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs for people with HIV infection during the early 2000s, life expectancy in 1 rural community increased sharply and treatment was proven cost-effective, according to new research in today’s Science. Researchers… Read More ›
Some patients with high blood pressure require as many as 3 antihypertensive drugs to bring their condition under control. For patients receiving such triple therapy, research appearing today in BMJ suggests taking certain commonly used painkillers such as ibuprofen or… Read More ›
Changes in pill color that patients often experience—typically when they switch from a brand-name drug to a generic version (or vice versa) or from one generic version to another—may make patients less likely to continue taking their medications as prescribed,… Read More ›
Benzodiazepines, a commonly prescribed class of drugs used for treating insomnia, anxiety, and other conditions, may also increase a person’s risk of contracting and dying from pneumonia. Patients who were taking these drugs or had taken them in the past… Read More ›
