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Josh Bloom, Boston Herald November 4, 2011
Federal drug R&D ill conceived. Vertex thriving with own resources

A new study suggests that, when treating locally invasive prostate cancer, patients response to hormone therapy which is the standard treatment may be significantly improved by adding radiotherapy to the treatment regimen.

Oral contraceptives are one of the most effective means of preventing an unwanted pregnancy, yet different versions of the Pill carry different risk-benefit profiles. Now, a new study has shed light on what may be a risk for women who use a newer variety of birth control pill that contains the hormone drospirenone, which includes popular brand names like Yaz and Yasmin.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting about one in 110 U.S. children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though the disorder itself is well characterized, its cause has eluded researchers for decades.

Recent statistics on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States offer mixed news about the prevalence of these illnesses among Americans. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that, while new syphilis infection rates have fallen slightly in 2010, STDs still take an enormous toll on the country, with 19 million new STD infections each year in the U.S., costing the country $17 billion on an annual basis.

Two studies on obesity just published in the New England Journal of Medicine both found that primary care physicians (PCPs) can deliver safe and effective weight-loss interventions.

Patients who are diagnosed with aortic stenosis, a narrowing and stiffening of the aortic valve in the heart, have for years faced a dire prognosis: either undergo risky open heart surgery, or face a two-year mortality rate of over 50 percent. But now a new artificial heart valve that can be inserted without any major surgery may allow old or frail patients to obtain the life-extending benefits of valve replacement without the risk of extensive surgery.

There have been concerns that medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children could increase their risk for serious cardiovascular events, such as stroke or sudden cardiac death. However, a large new study reports that there is no evidence that this is a valid concern.

Twelve pills instead of 270. Once a week instead of once a day. Three months instead of nine. These are the promising new guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to treat tuberculosis.

The executive arm of the European Union, the European Commission is, once again, considering an end to its ban on the export of Swedish snus to other EU countries. The Commission, which has considered lifting the ban several times before, has frequently been made aware of the comparatively low smoking and cancer rates in Sweden, the only EU country where snus (smokeless tobacco contained in small sachets) is legally available.

Aspirin may help reduce the risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) following the cessation of anticoagulant therapy, reports a new study. VTE is a potentially life-threatening condition in which larger veins in the pelvis and leg become inflamed, and a clot forms as a consequence. These clots can break off and now called emboli travel up the venous system to the heart, and then out into the lung circulation, where they block pulmonary arteries. This can cause illness ranging from cough and shortness of breath, to sudden death.

The good news is that, in many states across the country, fewer teenagers are smoking cigarettes but the bad news is that many of them have begun to smoke flavored cigars instead. While flavored cigarettes were prohibited by the FDA in 2009, flavored cigars, including Black & Mild cigarillos, are exempt from the ban.

We were disappointed to learn that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has taken an unfavorable stance toward modified risk tobacco products (MRTPs), advising the FDA to set high hurdles for the manufacturers of such products before they can market them as less harmful alternatives to cigarettes. The IOM report released yesterday concluded that MRTPs, which include a variety of smokeless tobacco products and clean nicotine del

Speaking of getting your children vaccinated on schedule, a disconcerting trend in some pediatric practices has been reported in a new study: Over half of pediatricians surveyed report that they are willing to alter a child s immunization schedule at a parent s request.

In Louisiana, two U.S. Senators are pushing back against the NRDC s relentless efforts to promote their usual irresponsible, unscientific claims. Despite rigorous screening measures and protocols for ensuring the safety of Gulf Coast seafood following last year s devastating oil spill, the NRDC continues to claim that these food products contain toxic levels of chemicals and are dangerous to eat.

It certainly had a nice run. In fact, the nicest of any drug ever. But the Lipitor party ends today and while Pfizer's attempt to derail generic sales by selling the drug over the counter might be a good business move, it is a bad medical move. And not even original.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for developing regulatory standards based on scientific assessments of a given chemical s toxicity.

And while Dr. Landrigan may believe that environmental toxins are the cause of several neurological disorders, a new study published in Nature Genetics supports the more likely theory that genetics play a much bigger role specifically for patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Although about one third of U.S. children are overweight, less than a quarter of these children s parents could recall their doctors telling them that their children were overweight, according to the results of a recent survey. Researchers led by a specialist in obesity and adolescent medicine at the University of North Carolina s School of Medicine surveyed nearly 5,000 parents of children ages two to 15 over the course of almost a decade.

While weight-loss surgery has been championed as an effective treatment for many severely obese adults who were otherwise unsuccessful at losing their excess weight, there is still an ongoing debate over the minimum age required to receive such a procedure.

Affecting over 2 million people in the U.S., atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart beat) and can be associated with palpitations, chest pains, fainting, and congestive heart failure. The condition can be diagnosed by simply taking a patient s pulse or looking at an ECG. However, some people may not be aware that they have this condition; that is, they have silent AF.

As we enter the new year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides Americans with some optimistic statistics: We re living longer by about a month, to be more precise. According to the new report, the average life expectancy in 2009 was 78.6 years, compared to 78.7 years in 2010. During the same time period, U.S. death rates also dropped by about half a percent, with a 3.9 percent decline in infant mortality and a 13.3 percent drop for HIV/AIDS.

Speaking of allaying chemical fears, ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross gave a presentation yesterday to members of the International Fragrance Association in New Jersey. The topic was the pervasive influence of chemophobic fears on our policy makers and the public, which are largely based on ideology and junk science.

Although media coverage might lead us to believe that the U.S. obesity epidemic is only getting worse, two new studies in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggest that national obesity levels may actually be leveling off.

As we check in on the Gulf seafood scare one of ACSH s Top Health Scares of 2011 the FDA continues to reassure the public that Gulf seafood is indeed safe to eat. Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, there have been lingering concerns among the public that seafood from the Gulf coast may be contaminated by oil and chemicals used to diffuse the oil, known as dispersants.