Studies have proved that taking testosterone can raise a man’s risk of stroke, heart attack and death, so why did the FDA just approve another testosterone replacement gel? Not only are there scads of testosterone meds and delivery systems – gel, cream, patch, injection – there are also an increasing number of lawsuits over their….
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Pradaxa Manufacturer Settles Cases Over Uncontrolled Bleeding
Pradaxa is a blood-thinning drug prescribed to reduce the chance of stroke, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (internal blood clots). Despite life-threatening problems that prompted its manufacturer to pay $650 million to settle a lawsuit, the company continues to defend its questionable behavior. About 4,000 patients were plaintiffs in the lawsuit, and will receive….
Continue ReadingStriking Number of Deaths from Common Causes Are Preventable, and Here’s How
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as 4 in 10 deaths from the five leading causes are preventable. Each year, says a new CDC report, nearly 900,000 Americans die prematurely from heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke and unintentional injuries. Together, these causes represented more than 6….
Continue ReadingNew Guidelines Boost Statin-Eligible Patients by 12.8 Million
Last autumn, the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) revised the guidelines for prescribing statins. Those drugs compromise the body’s ability to produce cholesterol, and are intended to prevent heart disease. It was a controversial decision; some people questioned the science that would classify many more people as candidates for….
Continue ReadingPanel Says Most Carotid Screening Is Unnecessary
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has targeted another common screening test as being overused and too often resulting in inappropriately aggressive follow-up care. This one involves taking ultrasound pictures of the arteries in the neck. We’ve explained the USPSTF’s less-is-more guidelines for ovarian, prostate and breast cancer screenings, to name a few. This time,….
Continue ReadingManufacturer Hid Research Data About Pradaxa
In the four years since Pradaxa was approved to treat people at risk of blood clots and stroke, it has generated more than $2 billion in sales. But had people known what the manufacturer knew, its success might have been less meteoric. According to the New York Times, Boehringer Ingelheim, the German drug maker, was….
Continue ReadingMore Bad News About Smoking
It has been 50 years since the surgeon general’s world-rocking report on the hazards of smoking, and last week another report from the same source, “The Health Consequences of Smoking – 50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General,” piled on yet more bad news. As summarized by USAToday.com, the report concludes that….
Continue ReadingOsteoporosis Drugs Might Carry Risk of Atrial Fibrillation
A few years ago, reports began to surface of people suffering fractures of the femur (thigh bone) and jaw necrosis (deterioration and death of the jaw bone) after they began taking a class of drugs called bisphosphonates. The drugs, whose brand names include Fosamax, Boniva and Actonel, often are prescribed to menopausal women to prevent….
Continue ReadingBenicar Users Are at Risk of Serious Intestinal Side Effects
About 10.6 million prescriptions of Benicar and similar drugs to treat high blood pressure were dispensed last year. Earlier this month, the FDA issued a warning about Benicar, Azor, Tribenzor and their generic versions concerning intestinal side effects that can be severe enough to send patients to the hospital. The active ingredient in the drug,….
Continue ReadingAggressive Removal of Clots in Brain Arteries Works No Better than IV Clot-Busting Drugs
The fourth-leading cause of death in the U.S. is stroke-approximately 800,000 people have a stroke each year, and about 130,000 of them die from it. About 9 in 10 strokes result from a clot blocking an artery in the brain. If blood flow isn’t restored quickly, brain tissue is damaged or destroyed, and functions like….
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