Thursday, November 23, 2006
Nonprescription Plan B now in pharmacy
At Sutton's Drug Store, packages of nonprescription Plan B are behind the counter. Sutton's has carried the so-called morning after pill for several years. Only now, it is available to women 18 years and older without a prescription. "We've had calls for it, to want to know if we do carry it," explained John Woodard, the pharmacist who owns Sutton's Drug Store. "I don't know if it's from people who want to know if they can come and get it, or whether it's just from people who want to know if we're stocking it." In August, the FDA decided to make Plan B available as a nonprescription. Pharmacies like Sutton's have to keep it behind the counter and check buyers' IDs to make sure they are at least 18. "It allows [women] to actually have exactly what the name is, a Plan B," said Christopher Hollis, who is with Planned Parenthood Health Systems. "It certainly opens up access to a drug that is long overdue for behind the counter usage. We know that it prevents unintended pregnancies." But some opponents argue the pill is essentially a medical abortion, although Plan B is not the same thing as the abortion pill, RU-486. Opponents also say the morning after pill encourages frequent use, which could have risks. "We don't give people open access to antibiotics or other things like that for similar reasons -- just because people would tend to take them way too much, and that causes problems," said Dr. Omar Hamada, who is an OB/GYN. Back at Sutton's, pharmacist John Woodard says he has not seen much demand for the pill, but says it is available, now without a prescription. Women under the age of 18 need a prescription to get Plan B, and one dosage costs about $40. The drug was first approved by the FDA in 1999. Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
New breast cancer drugs on NHS
A breakthrough class of breast cancer drugs, which were trialled in Dorset, have been made available nationwide. The drugs, used in Bournemouth, were found to cut the risk of a relapse by a third in post-menopausal women who had had two to three years of therapy. A Royal Bournemouth Hospital consultant said the decision to make the drugs available on the NHS was "momentous". The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) released its guidance for the drugs on Wednesday. The decision to make these medications available on the NHS is momentous for all affected women Tony Skene, consultant breast surgeon Aromastase inhibitors (AIs) are licensed to treat the early stages of the most common form of breast cancer, which affects about 33,000 women a year. The drugs, which have been available to patients in Scotland for a year, have been hailed as one of the most cost-effective treatments available. Research carried out by NICE showed that by switching to exemestane, a type of AI, after two to three years of tamoxifen treatment the risk of cancer returning can be reduced by nearly a third. It can also cut the chance of cancer occurring in the other breast by a half. 'Great news' Tony Skene, consultant breast surgeon at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, said: "The decision to make these medications available on the NHS is momentous for all affected women and for those involved in the management of women with breast cancer in the UK." Elaine Pollington, from Ferndown, is one of those who took part in the trial and was treated with the exemestane drug Aromasin. She told BBC News: "I feel really well now. I think it's great news and I'm sure it will help a lot of people in the future." Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs
Monday, November 20, 2006
Two prescription drug plans available
If you are a Medicare beneficiary, you are eligible for Medicare prescription drug coverage, regardless of your income, health status or current prescription expenses. There are two types of Medicare plans that provide prescription drug coverage: Medicare Prescription Drug Plans and Medicare Health Plans. Following are descriptions of each from the Web site Medicare.gov. Medicare Prescription Drug Plans Offered by insurance companies and other private companies approved by Medicare, they add coverage to: n The original Medicare plan n Some Medicare Cost plans n Some Medicare Private Fee-for-Service plans n Medicare Medical Savings Account plans With a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan: n Generally, you pay less for your prescriptions n You will get a plan member card after you enroll. You use this card when you go to the pharmacy to get your prescriptions filled n You will pay the copayment, coinsurance, and/or deductible, if any If you have limited income and resources, you may get extra help to pay for your Medicare drug plan costs. Medicare Health Plans Some of these plans cover both health care and prescription drugs. Medicare Health Plans include: n Medicare Advantage plans n Other Medicare Health plans Medicare Advantage Plans (like HMOs and PPOs) that include prescription drug coverage as part of the plan are health plan options that are approved by Medicare but run by private companies. They are part of the Medicare Program. If you join a Medicare Advantage Plan you are still in Medicare. With Medicare Advantage Plans: • You generally get all your Medicare-covered health care through that plan. • You may get extra benefits, such as coverage for vision, hearing, dental, and/or health and wellness programs. • You usually will have to pay some other costs (such as copayments or coinsurance) for the services you get. Out-of-pocket costs in these plans are generally lower than in the Original Medicare Plan, but vary by the services you use. • You may have to see doctors that belong to the plan or go to certain hospitals to get covered services. • You don't need to buy a Medigap policy. Medicare Advantage Plans include: • Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) • Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO) • Private Fee-For-Service (PFFS) Plans • Medicare Medical Savings Account (MSA) Plans • Medicare Special Needs Plans (SNP) Other Medicare Health Plans There are some types of Medicare Health Plans that include prescription drug coverage as part of the plan but that aren't part of Medicare Advantage that are still part of the Medicare Program. With these plans, you generally get all your Medicare-covered health care through that plan. • Medicare Cost plans • Demonstrations/Pilot Programs • PACE (Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Pfizer firm over Viagra rights
US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has taken a Chinese pharmaceutical company to court over infringing its copyright for its erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, state media reported Friday. The case against Guangzhou Welman pharmaceutical company was heard in a Beijing court on Thursday but a verdict was not delivered immediately, the Beijing News reported. No one at Pfizer's China office was immediately available to comment on Friday. The legal action comes after New York-based Pfizer won a court ruling upholding its China patent for Viagra in June. Pfizer had originally obtained a Chinese patent license for Viagra in 2001. However the country's patent review board, the State Intellectual Property Office, revoked the license in July 2004 following complaints by 12 Chinese pharmaceutical companies. In delivering its ruling, the patent review board claimed Pfizer was in breach of intellectual property law because it failed to accurately explain the uses of the pill's key ingredient, sildenafil citrate. But the Beijing Intermediate court ruling in June reversed the review board's verdict. The Chinese drug companies from various cities around the country claim to have invested over 100 million yuan ($12m) in less expensive imitations of the little blue pill. Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs
Doctors mull adult drugs for obese kids
Doctors are warning that obese children may have to start taking adult cholesterol-lowering drugs amid evidence that 5-year-olds are developing heart disease. Canadian researchers believe the explosion in child obesity means that medication may be the only way to help youngsters who already run the risk of premature heart attack. They also recommend regular cholesterol and diabetes checks for children, particularly if there is a family history of either condition. Speaking at a major heart disease conference in Chicago, researchers from McMaster University said 15 studies from around the world showed early signs of heart disease were being detected in children as young as 5. Those who were obese and had high blood pressure or cholesterol had almost 10 per cent more thickening of their arteries than children without any risk factors. Lead researcher Sanaz Piran said that while diet and exercise were still the key to preventing childhood obesity, earlier treatment could include more aggressive use of statin drugs. But cardiologist Michelle Ammerer said not enough was known about the side effects of strong heart disease drugs on young bodies. Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs
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