Health News Roundup
Jim Swanson June 7th, 2007 - 8:04 pmFDA Seeks Strictest Warning for Diabetes Drugs
The U.S.Food and Drug Administration has asked that two controversial type 2 diabetes drugs carry a “black box” warning on the potentially heightened risk of congestive heart failure in some patients.
In prepared testimony before a Congressional committee that was convened Wednesday following a published report on the cardiac dangers of Avandia, FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach said the agency had asked that Avandia, made by GlaxoSmithKline, and Actos, made by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, carry the more prominent warning because “despite existing warnings, these drugs were being prescribed to patients with significant heart failure.”
According to von Eschenbach’s testimony, the request for the warning — the strictest one possible — was issued to both companies May 23, two days after publication of a study in the
New England Journal of Medicine that found Avandia (rosiglitazone) increased the risk of heart attack by as much as 43 percent.Insurance Limits, Costs Keep Migraine Patients From Meds
Insurance restrictions and out-of-pocket costs cause many migraine sufferers to not take medications when needed because they’re concerned about running out of the drugs, a new U.S. study contends.
That can result in people having to cope with potentially disabling migraine pain and suffering poorer quality of life, the researchers say.
” ‘I want to make sure it’s a migraine’ is one of the common phrases we hear,” study lead investigator Robert A. Nicholson, assistant professor at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and School of Public Health, said in a prepared statement.
“They’re in a quandary, because they figure if it’s not a migraine, they don’t want to ‘waste’ a pill. But research shows that if people think it’s a migraine, they’re almost always right,” Nicholson said.
The study included 233 migraine sufferers who took triptan drugs to treat their migraines. Of those patients, 42 percent said their insurance plan restricted the number of triptan doses covered per month, and 37 percent said they had not bothered to fill a triptan prescription because of the cost.
Health Tip: Choosing a Baby Formula
If you’re a new mother who decides not to breast feed, you’ll need to select a baby formula.
Which one should you choose? Here are options to discuss with your doctor, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:
* Does your baby need an iron-fortified formula, or one that doesn’t contain extra iron?
* Cow’s milk and soy-based formulas are both options. But your baby could be allergic to either one. Most family doctors recommend cow’s milk-based formulas, the academy says.
* Baby formulas are sold in three forms: ready-to-use (no mixing required), concentrated liquid (mixed with water), or powder. Again, discuss these options with your doctor.
