Latest Drug News

• First Patient Gets Biogen’s New Alzheimer’s Drug

  A man has received the first infusion of a new Alzheimer’s drug that drew criticism from some doctors after its FDA approval last week.

• Top JAMA Editor Out Amid Podcast Investigation

  The American Medical Association’s Joint Oversight Committee announced that Howard Bauchner, MD,  is on leave beginning at the end of the day. Bauchner is the top editor at JAMA, the journal of the AMA.

• Amazon Offers Help with Biden COVID Vaccine Plan

  Amazon has offered to help President Joe Biden’s Administration with the national distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

• MLB to Allow Some Fans at World Series

  Major League Baseball says that during the World Series, they will allow a limited number of fans to watch the games in person.

• COVID-19 Restrictions Vary for July 4 Weekend

  Rules for the Fourth Of July weekend differ as some state and local leaders have imposed curfews, closed businesses and required face masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus while others have reopened beaches and lifted restrictions.

• Poll Shows More Americans Now Fear the Virus

  An ABC News/Ipsos poll shows an increase in the number of Americans who fear the coronavirus and are now wearing face masks.

• New Results for Experimental Alzheimer's Drug

  Studies on aducanumab were halted earlier this year because the drug didn't appear to be effective. But the new results suggest it's effective at a high dose, the Associated Press reported.

• African Americans Face Unique Mental Health Risks

  While African Americans are just as likely to report serious psychological distress, they are less likely to get behavioral treatment.

• Some Blue Bell Ice Cream May Contain Plastic Pieces

  The recalled ice cream was sold in nine states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. No injuries have been reported from ice cream in this recall.

• Airlines Seek to Serve Hearing-Impaired Passengers

  Delta becomes the latest major airline to take steps to help their customers who are deaf or hard of hearing have a smoother time traveling.

• Toxic Algae Kills Dogs Across the Country

  The killer is blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, that can be found in fresh or salt water and contain toxins that can be fatal to dogs within minutes, hours, or days of exposure.

• EPA's Methylene Chloride Ban Excludes Workers

  The EPA says it will issue a rule that bans the sale of methylene chloride to consumers, but allows for its continued use in commercial products.

• Healthy Diet Might Not Lower Dementia Risk

  In the end, people who ate their fruits and vegetables were at no lower risk than those who favored sweets and steaks.

• Rapid Test for Cancer Developed by Researchers

  The team at the University of Queensland in Australia created the test after discovering that cancer forms a unique DNA structure when placed in water, CNN reported.

• Nasal Spray Recall Expands to Hundreds of Products

  Hundreds of products including nasal sprays and baby oral gels sold at CVS, Walgreens, Dollar General, Family Dollar and other stores are being recalled because of possible contamination.

• FDA Warns of Serious Genital Infection With Diabetes Meds

  The FDA is warning about rare cases of necrotizing fasciitis – sometimes called “flesh-eating bacteria” -- of the genitals and genital area in patients taking type 2 diabetes drugs known as SGLT2 inhibitors.

• Children’s Advil Recalled Over Dosage Cup Labeling

  Pfizer Consumer Healthcare is recalling Children’s Advil Suspension in bubble gum flavor because of a potential for overdose.

• Common Meds May Help Spur Antibiotic Resistance

  Researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, in Germany, tested about 1,000 medicines on 40 species of gut bacteria. Of 923 non-antibiotics tested, 250 affected the growth of at least one of species of gut bacteria.

• Recall: Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine

  Bayer is voluntarily recalling some kinds of Alka-Seltzer Plus because the ingredients listed on the box may not be what’s actually in the product.

• Is Herbal Drug Kratom a Health Friend or Foe?

  Disagreement centers largely upon the herb's ability to activate opioid receptors in the brain, experts say.

• Antidepressants Do Work, Some Better Than Others

  The researchers analyzed data from 522 trials -- published and unpublished -- that included more than 116,000 participants. Of the 21 antidepressants studied, all of them worked better than a placebo.

• Your Tax Dollars Fund Research on Hundreds of New Meds

  Nearly $64 billion of that spending was for the development of 84 first-in-class drugs that use new biological mechanisms or targets.

• Widely Used COPD Meds Tied to Higher Fracture Risk

  COPD -- often linked to smoking -- is a combination of emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It is a progressive, debilitating illness that currently has no cure.

• Opioid Maker To Stop Marketing Painkillers to Docs

  The company is slashing its sales force in half to 200, and the remaining representatives will no longer visit doctors to market Purdue's opioid products, the Los Angeles Times reported.

• Do Over-the-Counter Painkillers Alter Emotions, Reasoning?

  The studies focused on how nonprescription painkillers might temporarily alter emotions such as empathy, or even a person's reasoning skills.