More than two-thirds of people who suffer from major depression can become symptom-free if they are willing to work with their doctors and try various treatments to determine which work best for them, which may involve taking different antidepressants or adding cognitive therapy to the mix.
Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited said that recently, in two separate rulings, the Spanish courts (the Mercantile Court of Barcelona, No. 2) found Spanish patent ES 2,167,306 (counterpart of Pfizer’s EP 409 281) to be invalid for lack of novelty. The two rulings made on September 26, 2006, in Lek Pharmaceuticals v. Warner Lambert Co. and in Laboratorios Cinfa et al. v. Warner Lambert, found claims 1 to 3 of Pfizer to be invalid. These decisions came after considering the views of the Spanish Patent Office (SPO), in addition to technical expert reports.
New data suggest that Strattera? (atomoxetine HCl) improved ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents who had both ADHD and a reading disorder, like dyslexia. Results were announced at a meeting of child and adolescent psychiatrists.
Describing AIIMS Director P Venugopal as “one of the best doctors”, his bete noire Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has said that not all doctors make good administrators. “Venugopal is one of the best doctors in this country. We all respect him. But he is also one of the worst administrators in this country,” Ramadoss said in an interview to a private news channel.
Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY, TSX: SHQ) announced that its Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patch, DAYTRANA tm (methylphenidate transdermal system), has significant efficacy in reducing the symptoms of ADHD in children aged 6 to 12 years, even when the ADHD patch is taken off earlier than the recommended nine hours. The ability to remove the patch earlier than the recommended nine-hour wear time allows physicians the opportunity to manage the potential for late-day side effects, such as lack of appetite or difficulty sleeping. These phase IIIb clinical trial results were reported today at a major scientific and educational meeting of child and adolescent psychiatrists in San Diego, Calif.
What’s the best treatment for a cold? Some say rest and lots of liquids, others say to feed a cold and starve a fever. But what if a person has a cold with a fever? Does medication help?
Intrauterine contraception (IUC) is very effective, with a failure rate of less than one percent (similar to that of sterilization), which is one reason why many female ob/gyns choose this method of birth control for themselves. In fact, research shows that female ob/gyns are nine times more likely to choose an IUC for themselves compared with women in general. Misinformation and misperceptions about the IUC may have contributed to its limited use among women in the U.S. to date.
A prestigious British science journal has spoken out about a trial in Libya involving six foreign medical workers. Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor are accused of deliberately injecting more than 400 children with HIV-infected blood in 1998.
Leptospirosis has been diagnosed clinically in two men recently returned from a fishing holiday at a resort in the Picardie region of north-east France. One case has since been serologically confirmed. Both patients were at the same resort at the same time (mid-September), and became unwell about one week after their return to the United Kingdom.
A class of painkillers which includes ibuprofen can increase the risk of heart attacks if taken over long periods. The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) has written to every doctor in the UK warning them that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – which are routinely taken by arthritis and back pain sufferers – “may be associated with a small risk of heart attack or stroke” when used for long-term treatment.