Life, Health and Enjoyment

European Medicines Agency Recommends New Malaria Treatment For Approval The European Medicines Agency has recommended the approval of Eurartesim, from Sigma-tau Industrie Farmaceutiche Riunite S.p.A., a fixed combination product consisting of dihydroartemisinin and piperaquine phosphate. Eurartesim is intended for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in adults, children and infants aged 6 months or over and weighing 5 kg or more. Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in 2009, malaria caused nearly 800,000 deaths, mostly among African children. The disease is present in over 100 countries and threatens half of the world's population. Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite causing the most lethal type of human malaria has become resistant to many conventional treatments in most parts of the world. Over the past decad...

BANGKOK: A vaccine for dengue fever could be a reality by 2015 - bringing relief to countries like Thailand where the disease strikes millions each year. For the estimated 220 million people infected annually, dengue fever starts with only a small mosquito bite. Two million children a year develop a potentially deadly form of the disease. More than 70 per cent of the world's population at risk for dengue fever live in ASEAN countries, and the month of June is peak dengue season. Dengue has become an epidemic due to unprecedented population growth, lack of effective mosquito control, and unchecked urbanization. Health consequences aside, families are often faced with the economic burden of treatment. In Thailand's Ratchaburi province which has some of the highest incidences of dengue in the Kingdom, Sanofi Pasteur and Mahidol University are spearheading the world's first efficacy trial for a dengue vaccine. So far, there is reason for hope. "Its really q...

Cutting back on sleep, even for a little while, may have a dramatic effect on men's testosterone levels. A preliminary new study shows a week of sleep loss lowered testosterone levels by up to 15% in group of healthy young men. Researchers say low testosterone levels can negatively affect men's health in a variety of ways, in addition to affecting sexual behavior. For example, very low testosterone levels or testosterone deficiency is associated with low energy, reduced libido, poor concentration, and fatigue. Testosterone is also critical to building muscle mass and strength and bone density. Testosterone levels naturally decline in men aged 40 and over by about 1% to 2% per year. Sleep Affects Testosterone Levels In the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers compared testosterone levels in a group of 10 healthy young men after a week of normal sleep and a week of sleep loss. In the first week, the participants slept eight...

A medicine used to treat asthma may also be a fat-burning drug, new research suggests. When taken in pill form, the drug known as formoterol boosted fat burning while preserving protein metabolism, thus maintaining muscle mass, says researcher Paul Lee, MD, PhD, of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and an endocrinologist at St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, Australia. "Fat burning was increased up to 25%," he says of his study results. "But the amount of protein burned is less [than without the pill].'' That could be good news for people trying to shed fat and for people who have noticed an age-related decline in muscle mass, he says. "It can promote a loss of fat while preventing the inevitable loss of muscle," Lee tells WebMD. Lee presented his findings Saturday at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Boston. Two experts in obesity treatment who reviewed the findings say the research is promising. However, they also say t...

The 10 most prescribed drugs in the U.S. aren't the drugs on which we spend the most, according to a report from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. The institute is the public face of IMS, a pharmaceutical market intelligence firm. Its latest report provides a wealth of data on U.S. prescription drug use. Continuing a major trend, IMS finds that 78% of the nearly 4 billion U.S. prescriptions written in 2010 were for generic drugs (both unbranded and those still sold under a brand name). In order of number of prescriptions written in 2010, the 10 most-prescribed drugs in the U.S. are: Hydrocodone (combined with acetaminophen) -- 131.2 million prescriptions Generic Zocor (simvastatin), a cholesterol-lowering statin drug -- 94.1 million prescriptions Lisinopril (brand names include Prinivil and Zestril), a blood pressure drug -- 87.4 million prescriptions Generic Synthroid (levothyroxine sodium), synthetic thyroid hormone -- 70.5 million prescriptions Generic ...

Daliresp Will Be Sold in Pill Form to Treat Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease March 1, 2011 -- The FDA has approved a new treatment for people with worsening symptoms of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung disorder that makes breathing difficult. The drug, roflumilast -- carrying the trade name Daliresp -- will be sold in pill form, unlike some other medications for COPD, which are inhaled. The FDA says roflumilast, a new drug class for COPD treatment, is an inhibitor of an enzyme called phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE-4). The pill is recommended for people with severe COPD to treat symptoms of cough and excess mucus linked to bronchitis. It is not intended to treat another form of COPD, which involves primary emphysema. The FDA's approval was announced even though the agency's advisory panel voted 10-5 on April 7, 2010, not to recommend approval of the once-daily pill. At the time the panel members decided the drug had too many adverse effect...