Risk of Stroke Expected to Decrease with New Screening Guidelines
For the first time, a set of screening guidelines for the detection of carotid stenosis, the thickening of the blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain and a leading cause of stroke, has been developed by a multidisciplinary committee of internationally recognized neurologists and surgeons. These guidelines will help reduce the death and disability rates associated with stroke by identifying carotid stenosis in a timely manner, allowing treatment before a stroke occurs. These guidelines appear in the latest issue of Journal of Neuroimaging.
FDA approves LIALDA™ (mesalamine)
Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY, TSX: SHQ) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved LIALDATM(mesalamine) with MMX® technology, indicated for the induction of remission in patients with active, mild to moderate ulcerative colitis. LIALDA is the first and only FDA-approved once-daily oral formulation of mesalamine. Mesalamines are a part of a drug class called aminosalicylates, which contain 5-aminosalicyclic acid (5-ASA), a well-established drug of choice and often a first-line treatment for patients with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis. Shire will launch LIALDA in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2007.
Once-daily LIALDA with MMX technology contains the highest mesalamine dose per tablet (1.2 g), so patients can take as few as two tablets once daily. Other currently available mesalamines require three to four times daily dosing and 6 to 16 pills a day. A recent study conducted by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) found that 65 percent of patients with ulcerative colitis are poorly compliant with their medication, citing pill burden and inconvenience associated with the medication.
Long-term narcotics use for back pain may be ineffective and lead to abuse
Narcotic drugs (opioids) are commonly prescribed for short-term relief of chronic back pain, but their effectiveness long-term has been questioned in a review article by researchers at Yale School of Medicine, who also found that behaviors consistent with opioid abuse was reported in 24 percent of cases.
“Patients with chronic back pain commonly request pain medication, and opioid medications are used despite the concerns clinicians have with patients developing an addiction to these medications,” said first author Bridget Martell, M.D., assistant clinical professor of general internal medicine at Yale School of Medicine. “Our findings suggest that clinicians should consider other treatments with similar benefits but fewer long-term adverse effects.”
