A small collection of blood thinners and diabetes medication cause two-thirds of emergency hospitalizations in older Americans, a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

Officials say each year there are nearly 100,000 emergency hospitalizations for adverse drug events among seniors, and they are trying to identifying which drugs are most likely to lead to overdoses or cause an unintended effect on the patient.

“These data suggest that focusing safety initiatives on a few medicines that commonly cause serious, measurable harms can improve care for many older Americans,” said Dr. Dan Budnitz, director of CDC’s Medication Safety Program, in a statement. “Blood thinners and diabetes medicines often require blood testing and dosing changes, but these are critical medicines for older adults with certain medical conditions. Doctors and patients should continue to use these medications but remember to work together to safely manage them.”

Authors of the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, looked at data from 58 hospitals participating in the CDC’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance project between 2007 and 2009.

Those aged 80 and older suffered almost half of the adverse drug events and two-thirds were due to overdoses or unintended effects of normal doses. Four drugs, alone or together, accounted for two-thirds of the hospitalizations: warfarin for blood clots (33 percent), insulins to control blood sugar in diabetics (14 percent), antiplatelets such as aspirin to prevent clots (13 percent) and oral hypoglycemic agents for diabetes (11 percent).

For more information about programs to reduce adverse drug events, go to  www.cdc.gov/medicationsafety.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Diabetes, Drugs
        

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded its electronic tracking of antibiotic use from doctors’ offices to hospitals. The aim is to improve use and allow hospitals to compare themselves to others.

Some officials say up to half of antibiotic use is unnecessary. And it allows germs to evolve and become resistant, meaning there are no treatments for some infections. Also, some patients among the millions who take antibiotics every year have allergic reactions and other side effects.

“Hospitals and other health care facilities should monitor the antibiotics used in their facilities,” said Dr. Thomas R. Freiden, CDC director, in a statement. “This new system is a powerful tool that will enhance providers’ ability to monitor and improve patterns of antibiotic use so that these essential drugs will still be effective in the years to come.”

The new tracking system is part of the agency’s National Healthcare Safety Network, which is used to monitor infections in more than 4,800 hospitals. CDC is paying for four health departments and their academic partners to implement tracking in 70 hospitals. Other hospitals can gain access through their pharmacy software and the drugs’ barcodes.

The announcement comes during Get Smart About Antibiotics Week, an educational campaign.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Drugs
        

Switching hospitalized patients from intravenous medicines to pill forms could save millions of dollars a year, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

The study looked at the financial savings of of swapping four drugs at the Baltimore hospital and found a $1.1 million savings at the Department of Medicine. The study, published in the journal of Clinical Therapeutics, didn't include surgical patients.

 The researchers said the savings could be even greater.

 “Our study looked at just four drugs administered by one department in one hospital in one year and found more than a million dollars in potential savings,” Brandyn D. Lau, a medical informatics specialist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the study’s leader said in a statement. “Imagine if every hospital took a hard look at substituting oral medications for IV ones whenever possible. We’re talking about an enormous financial impact, with no risk to patients.”

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, about $293.2 billion in 2009, or 12 percen,t of U.S. health care expenditures were for medications and nondurable medical products.

Lau says a large-scale switch to oral medications has the potential to not only decrease costs, but also to reduce the need for puncturing veins to insert intravenous tubes or medications directly, procedures that carry a higher risk of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections, and longer hospital stays.

Simple reminders to physicians that their patients may be eligible to switch medication types could yield large savings, the researchers said.

The four medications reviewed in the study were chlorothiazide (a medication used to treat high blood pressure and address fluid retention), voriconazole (an anti-fungal), levetiracetam (to stop seizures) and pantoprazole (for acid reflux).

 To implement the swaps, Lau says hospitals with computerized medication systems could add alerts to their programs that would appear when a patient on an IV medication meets eligibility criteria for oral medication intake.

Posted by Andrea Walker at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Drugs
        

The Drug Enforcement Agency is giving people a way this weekend to get rid of all the drugs that have been sitting in their medicine cabinets unused.

The federal agency is hosting its National Take Back Initiative where people can drop off unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medications safely at sites around the country.

The agency hopes this will help reduce the number of prescription drug poisonings, misuse, abuse and theft. The program also provides an environmentally safe disposal method.

It is the third drop-off the DEA has held since 2010. Nearly, 4,000 state and local law enforcement agencies have participated, collecting more than 309 tons of medication.

Howard County has released its drop off sites, which will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Here are the sites:

Northern District Police Station, 3410 Court House Drive, Ellicott City

Southern District Police Station, 11226 Scaggsville Road, Laurel

Harper’s Choice Police Satellite Office, 5485 Harper’s Farm Road, Columbia

Long Reach Police Satellite Office, 8775 Cloudleap Court, Columbia

North Laurel Police Satellite Office, 9105 All Saints Road, Laurel

Owen Brown Police Satellite Office, 7154 Cradlerock Way, Columbia

Oakland Mills Police Satellite Office, 5820 Stevens Forest Road, Columbia

Wilde Lake Police Satellite Office, 10451 Twin Rivers Road, Columbia

Controlled and non-controlled prescriptions will be accepted. Over-the-counter medication will also be accepted. Intra-venous solutions, injectable medications and syringes cannot be accepted.

Posted by Andrea Walker at 2:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Drugs
        

Poultry farms that use organic methods that don’t involve antibiotics have significantly lower levels of drug-resistant bacteria that can potentially spread to human, according to a new study lead by the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a problem for health care providers whose choices become limited in treating infection in humans, but there hasn’t been enough data on the sources. So, researchers say the findings, published Wednesday online in Environmental Health Perspectives, are important.

Antibiotic use has been commonplace for decades on large farms in aiding production of meat. But that has drawn the ire of environmentalists and some health advocates. 

The study may provide fuel to the argument. It suggests restricting antibiotic use from large-scare poultry farms can reduce resistance for some bacteria quickly.

“We initially hypothesized that we would see some differences in on-farm levels of antibiotic-resistant enterococci when poultry farms transitioned to organic practices,” said Dr. Amy R. Sapkota, an assistant professor with the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health in the School of Public Health. “But we were surprised to see that the differences were so significant across several different classes of antibiotics even in the very first flock that was produced after the transition to organic standards. It is very encouraging.”

The researchers from Maryland, Pennsylvania State University and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health tested for the common chicken enterococci bacteria in poultry litter feed and water in 10 conventional and 10 newly organic poultry houses in the mid-Atlantic region. Then they tested resistance to 17 common antimicrobials. 

All farms tested positive for the bacteria, the organic farms had less of the antibiotic-resistant enterococci. With more organic farms over time, the researcher say they would expect drug-resistance to drop much more dramatically.

Photo of organic farm courtesy of the University of Maryland

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Drugs
        

Are people taking antidepressants when they don't need the drugs?

Are we becoming a nation who needs drugs to wipe away our sorrows?

A new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests we could at least be headed that way. 

Antidepressants have become one of the most commonly prescribed drugs, but not everyone who takes them has been diagnosed with a psychiatric condition, according to the research by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Much of the growth in the use of the drugs was driven by prescriptions written by doctors who weren't psychiatrists.

The results are featured in the August 2011 issue of Health Affairs.

Antidepressants are the third most commonly prescribed class of medications in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 8.9 percent of the population had at at least one prescription in this drug class during any given month in the time period from 2005-2008.

Nearly four out of every five antidepressant prescriptions are written by non-psychiatrist providers, according to Ramin Mojtabai, lead author of the study.

The number of times patients were prescribed antidepressants with no psychiatric diagnosis increased from 59.5 percent to 72.7 percent between 1996 and 2007, according to the study. The share of providers who prescribed antidepressants without a psychiatric diagnosis increased from 30 percent of all non-psychiatrist physicians in 1996 to 55.4 percent in 2007.

Posted by Andrea Walker at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Drugs
        

An existing anti-seizure drug may help those who are likely to get Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study.

More research is needed, but the results mean doctors may someday use levetiracetam, now used on epilepsy patients, to slow the loss of brain function before Alzheimer’s kicks in. The disease is expected to affect up to 16 million Americans by 2050 and has no cure.

The study effects “could be like taking your foot off the accelerator or tapping the brakes, and possibly could slow the progression on that path [to Alzheimer’s],” said principal investigator and neuroscientist Michela Gallagher, founder and a member of the scientific board of AgeneBio, a biotechnology company, in a statement. “We need further clinical studies with longer exposure to the drug to, first of all, make sure with rigorous evaluation that the drug is effective in the longer term, and, equally important, that it does no harm.”

The study conducted at Johns Hopkins was to be presented July 20 at the International Congress on Alzheimer’s Disease in Paris and was funded by the National Institute of Health.

Researchers tested 34 healthy older adults but had memory troubles beyond their years, or a condition called amnestic mild cognition impairment. They received the drug in one phase and a placebo in another phase. Tests and functional MRIs showed the drug reduced the kind of brain activity that impairs memories and may accelerate Alzheimer’s.

See a video of the researcher explaining the study above.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Drugs
        

We often worry about protecting our children from the dangers of drug poisoning, but may need to worry about our aging parents just as much.

The Maryland Poison Center is encouraging people to talk to the elderly people in their lives about medicine safety.

The group collected data from the American Association of Poison Centers that found that adults age 40 and older account for 16 percent of poisoning exposure calls to the nation’s 57 poison centers. But they make up 56 percent of deaths from poisoning.

The calls come from adults who have taken too much of their medicine, took someone else's medicine or are concerned about a drug interaction.

The Maryland Poison Center offers these tips to pass on to the elderly in your life:

1. Know about each medicine you take (name, color, markings, dosage, etc.).

2. Read the label to make sure you are taking the right dose.

3. Follow the instructions to take your medicine the right way. Some medicines interact with food or alcohol, and some should not be taken with other medications.

4. Never take someone else’s medicine.

5. Put on your glasses and turn on the lights before taking medicine, especially at night.

6. Keep a list of all your medications and share the list with your doctor at each visit.

7. If more than one doctor prescribes medicine for you, talk to each doctor and your pharmacist so they can check for drug interactions.

8. Talk to your doctor before you take a natural or herbal supplement.

To contact the Maryland Poison Center call 1-800-222-1222. The toll-free number is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Posted by Andrea Walker at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Drugs
        

As the country continues to face a nationwide drug shortage, federal regulators are working with drug makers to ease the impact on consumers.

The Food and Drug Administration said last week that it is asking for advanced warning of production shortages - particulary on "medically necessary" drugs.

The regulatory agency said medicine shortages are continuing to rapidly increase after reaching a record high in 2010. The number of drug shortages has nearly tripled over the last six years—jumping from 61 drug products in 2005 to 178 in 2010, according to the FDA. The figures don't include shortages of vaccines, immune globulin products, and other biologics, or products made from blood, tissue, or other biological source.

Most of the supply problems have involved “sterile injectables," or medicines that are given by injection or intravenously to patients in the hospital. The shortages include cancer drugs; anesthetics used for patients having surgery; “crash cart” drugs used in emergencies; electrolytes for patients being fed intravenously; and other drug products.

There have also been shortages of prescription drugs taken orally, including some drugs prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The FDA has a list of drug shortages.

They also want people to let them know if patients think their drug is also limited in supply, but is not on the list.

Send the name and dose of the drug and contact information to the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at drugshortages@fda.hhs.gov.

Doctors may be able to refer other drugs if there is a shortage.

The FDA can also work with other drug makers and ask them to ramp up production if they know about a shortage ahead of time.

However, drug makers are not required legally to say if they are going to stop production of a drug.

The shortages have been caused by lack of raw materials used to make the drug and increased demand for some drugs. Some companies have simply decided to stop producing older, less profitable drugs.

Posted by Andrea Walker at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Drugs
        

Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced Friday that have launched an investigation into synthetic recreational drugs known as bath salts, which could lead to a ban.

The investigation centers on the drug's active ingredients methylenedioxypyrovalerone (“MDPV”) and 4-methylmethcathinone (“mephedrone”). Those active compounds may be added to the list of controlled dangerous substances on "Schedule 1," which would effectively ban their sale in Maryland, according to a statement from the health department.

"We must be vigilant about new and potentially deadly threats to our communities,” said Governor Martin O‟Malley in a statement. “I support the state health department's effort to investigate this concern and look forward to receiving the results of the investigation.”

The health department said it is asking drug treatment providers evaluate new patients for past use of bath salts; assessing the availability of bath salts for sale in local communities; and seeking public comment on information, concerns and recommendations regarding bath salts; among other things.

The public can comment through July 11 by emailing regs@dhmh.state.md.us, calling 410-767-6499, or mailing to Michele Phinney, Director, DHMH Office of Regulation and Policy Coordination, 201 W. Preston Street, Room 512, Baltimore, Md. 21201.

The Baltimore Sun recently did a story on bath salts in Maryland. Read about it here.

Posted by Kim Walker at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Drugs
        

In an effort to find new therapies for 6,000 rare diseases, National Institutes of Health researchers are screening drugs approved for other uses. They’re hoping to find off-label uses for the diseases afflicting some 25 million Americans.

“This is a critical step to explore the full potential of these drugs for new applications,” said Dr. Francis S. Collins, NIH director, in a statement. “The hope is that this process may identify some potential new treatments for rare and neglected diseases.”

The research is being coordinated by the NIH’s Chemical Genomics Center and uses information on 27,000 active drug ingredients included in the center’s publicly available pharmaceutical collection browser. It also includes 2,750 small molecule drugs with regulatory approval in the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan as well as those registered for human clinical trials. The center hopes to add more compounds.

For now, the focus is on collaboration with disease foundations, industry and academic investigators who can test the limited amounts of the compounds in the database. New clinical trials would be needed to test the drugs on the rare, and neglected, diseases. As would U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.

The cost of drug development is so high that there are only therapies for less than 300 rare diseases now. But the hope is now that some of these other drugs have been vetted in large populations that there uses can be expanded. There are a few cases of new uses being found for drugs already.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Drugs
        

The Baltimore County Police Department will participate with the Drug Enforcement Administration on its Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday.

The officials don’t want these unused and potentially dangerous drugs thrown in the trash. No identification is required and no questions will be asked, and over-the-counter drugs will also be taken. (Remove prescription labels from packaging.)

Drop them off from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.:

+Precinct 2/Woodlawn, 6424 Windsor Mill Road, Woodlawn
+Precinct 7/Cockeysville, 111 Wight Avenue, Cockeysville
+Precinct 12/North Point, 1747 Merritt Boulevard, Baltimore

They can’t take intravenous solutions, injectibles and syringes.

Update: Here are Howard County sites collecting medications from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Northern District Police Station, 3410 Court House Drive, Ellicott City
Southern District Police Station, 11226 Scaggsville Road, Laurel
Harper’s Choice Police Satellite Office, 5485 Harper’s Farm Road, Columbia
Long Reach Police Satellite Office, 8775 Cloudleap Court, Columbia
North Laurel Police Satellite Office, 9105 All Saints Road, Laurel
Owen Brown Police Satellite Office, 7154 Cradlerock Way, Columbia
Oakland Mills Police Satellite Office, 5820 Stevens Forest Road, Columbia
Wilde Lake Police Satellite Office, 10451 Twin Rivers Road, Columbia

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Drugs
        

Many people turn to antibiotics to fend off stubbon pimples.

But with all the reports about overuse of antibiotics, it raises the questions about whether using the drugs to treat acne will cause bacterial resistance.

Not so, according to one new study.

The study, by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, contradicts beliefs about long-term use of antibiotics. It was posted online recently in the Archives of Dermatology and will run in the August print edition of the publication.

The reduction was found in both oral and topical antibiotics.

Posted by Andrea Walker at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Drugs
        

Teenagers are smoking marijuana more than cigarettes, according to a study by the National Institutes of Health.

In 2010, 21.4 percent of high school seniors smoked a joint in the past 30 days, compared to 19.2 percent who had smoked a cigarette.

The results are from an annual series of surveys of eighth, 10th and 12th graders conducted by the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. The survey is funded by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which is part of NIH. The findings were released today.

Marijuana use increased significantly among all three grades, the survey found.

"These high rates of marijuana use during the teen and pre-teen years, when the brain continues to develop, places our young people at particular risk," NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow said in a statement. "Not only does marijuana affect learning, judgment, and motor skills, but research tells us that about 1 in 6 people who start using it as adolescents become addicted."

The survey also showed a significant increase in the reported use of Ecstasy, with 2.4 percent of eighth-graders citing past-year use, compared to 1.3 percent in 2009. Similarly, past-year MDMA use among 10th-graders increased from 3.7 percent to 4.7 percent in 2010.

Prescription drug abuse also continued to remain a major problem. Although Vicodin abuse decreased in 12th graders this year to 8 percent, down from around 9.7 percent the past four years, other indicators confirm that nonmedical use of prescription drugs remains high. For example, the use of OxyContin, another prescription opiate, stayed about the same for 12th-graders at 5.1 percent in 2010.

Six of the top 10 illicit drugs abused by 12th-graders in the year prior to the survey were prescribed or purchased over the counter. The survey, like in the past, found that teens generally get these prescription drugs from friends and family, whether given, bought, or stolen.

Continue reading "Teens smoking more marijuana, taking more drugs" »

Posted by Andrea Walker at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Drugs
        

Five days after her 18th birthday, superstar Miley Cyrus was caught on video taking a hit from a bong. But she says she was smoking salvia and not marijuana.

That’s a hallucinogenic drug made from a plant in the mint family and it’s legal in many states, including California where the video was taken of Cyrus.

The video, reported by TMZ, shows her giggling.

I’m working on a story about salvia (stay tuned for that) because some Johns Hopkins scientists are trying to understand how the unique drug works in hopes that eventually it can be used as a non-addictive pain killer, or used to treat addiction or brain diseases.

They say in the lab it appears not to be harmful to humans, but they are not recommending its use. it can get you into trouble.

Users say it’s kind of an anti-marijuana and won’t get you high. It can make you lose touch with reality for up to 20 minutes and become deeply introspective. It’s been used by Mexican shaman for centuries for spiritual healing.

One Hopkins scientist said the Cyrus' response looked more like salvia than cannabis to him, from the effects, reactions and expectations of onlookers to the manner of smoking ("instigation to take one very large hit and experiencing effects rather than more casual ongoing smoking typical of cannabis.")

Any users out there want to weigh in on salvia's effects?

Reuters photo

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 6:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)
Categories: Drugs
        

Pregnant women who were given buprenorphine instead of methadone to treat heroin and prescription drug addiction had healthier babies, according to a study led by Johns Hopkins researchers.

The study, published in the Dec. 9 New England Journal of Medicine, found that those given buprenorphine were likely to need less morphine to deal with withdraw symptoms from the opioids. They also spent half the time in the hospital after delivery and recovered from neonatal abstinence syndrome in half the time.

That syndrome is caused when a fetus is exposed to opioids and means more medications and hospitalization for babies. I can cause hyperirritability and autonomic nervous system dysfunction.

Methadone, a synthetic opiate, is the current standard of care. Buprenorphine is newer and comparable to methadone in its side effects and outcomes for the mother, researchers said.

 “In newborns, buprenorphine produces a milder withdrawal than methadone,” said study leader Hendree Jones, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Hopkins’ school of medicine, in a statement. “Our results support the use of buprenorphine as the treatment of choice for opioid dependence in pregnant women.”

She said the use of buprenorphine in addicted pregnant women hadn’t been well studied. She said it still is not likely for everyone and more research is needed.  This study involved eight sites and 175 women in the scientific study.

If you want to read more about "bupe" and it's uses and abuses, The Sun published a series in 2007. Read it here.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Drugs
        

Residents in Harford, Washington and several Eastern Shore counties will be able to properly dispose of old and unwanted medications Saturday during the American Medicine Chest Challenge.

The B'More Green blog has written before about the damage flushing drugs down the toilet causes to waterways. The folks behind the Medicine Chest Challenge are also concerned about prescription drug misuse and overdoses. Unsupervised medicine ingestions result in almost 60,000 children under age 5 going to the emergency room a year, according to otcsafety.org.Reducing the amount of drugs you keep in the house can help safeguard against such incidents.

Challenge hours are 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Go to americanmedicinechest.com to search for drop-off locations.

Photo by PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images

Posted by Kim Walker at 3:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Drugs
        

Give a patient the wrong medication and it can have dire - even deadly - circumstances.

Dennis Quaid's newborn twins almost died when given an overdose of the blood thinner heparin.

Luckily, Maryland hospitals have improved on the number of mistakes they make when dispensing medication to patients.

A report by the Maryland Patient Safety Center found that Maryland hospitals increased their median safety each year for the last ten years. From 2005 to 2010 they increased it by 16 percent.

The report looked at 33 hospitals in the state.

It found that hospitals are doing a better job at keeping track of the medical history of hospitalized patients. This can help prevent complications from the wrong mixing of medications. They have also done better at checking and correcting errors before they happen.

The safety center said that technology, such as electronic records, can help prevent even more errors caused by medication mistakes.

Posted by Andrea Walker at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Drugs
        

I wrote a few weeks ago about an initiative by the Drug Enforcement Administration to get old prescription drugs out of people's medicine cabinets.

 Most of us don't know how to dispose of the unwanted drugs. Flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away can cause health hazards.

The DEA will have collection spots throughout the country Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where people can drop off their drugs anonymously - no questions asked.

The Howard County Police Department has announced two drop-off locations:

Northern District Police Station, 3410 Court House Drive, Ellicott City

Southern District Police Station, 11226 Scaggsville Road, Laurel.

Check out my previous post for more information on the program and how you can find other drop-off locations.

Posted by Andrea Walker at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Drugs
        

It’s hard to believe, but the flu vaccination season is almost upon us. Government officials and vaccine makers already are ready -- provided there are no surprises like last year's H1N1 flu virus.

Officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have approved vaccines for the 2010-2011 influenza season. And this year’s dose will protect against three strains of flu, including the H1N1 flu virus that caused the pandemic last year.

So, there will only be one shot needed this season, not two. And there won’t be any long lines at government-sponsored clinics. This will all be done in the doctors’ office, at the drug store clinic and other usual places.

Between 5 and 20 percent of Americans catch the flu every year, and approximately 36,000 people die.

“The best way to protect yourself and your family against influenza is to get vaccinated every year,” said Dr. Karen Midthun, acting director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in a statement. “The availability of a new seasonal influenza vaccine each year is an important tool in the prevention of influenza related illnesses and death.”

And just because there was next to no seasonal flu last season and the H1N1, or swine, flu wasn’t as deadly as everyone was anticipating, it hit kids particularly hard. No one can say what this year will bring, and officials say everyone 6 months and older should still get a vaccination.

Generally, the season doesn’t begin until October and peak of the season is in January. But the process of vaccinating everyone begins in September, or when doses are shipped.

Gaithersburg-based MedImmune has already begun shipping its nasal spray version of the vaccine, FluMist, to vaccine distributors.

MedImmune expects to provide approximately 15 million doses of its vaccine to doctors' offices, public health departments, schools, military bases and elsewhere.

The spray vaccine will be available in every state but South Dakota. Last year, FluMist was given to approximately a third of the children ages 2 to 18. Parents of kids who did not get last year's H1N1 vaccine should ask their doctors about giving two doses of this year's vaccine.

There are other vaccine makers, and at least one, Novartis Vaccine , has already begun shipping its vaccine Fluvirin. It’s also ahead of schedule.

The company said early shipping ensures early immunization programs can be initiated for the most at risk. That includes seniors, pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions. The company plans to supply 40 million doses for people 4 and older.

For more information on the flu, go to www.cdc.gov/flu. To get vaccinated, call your doctor, local health department or drug-store for the timing of appointments or clinics.

Associated Press photo

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Drugs
        

A Johns Hopkins pharmacologist who specializes in finding new uses for often-forgotten drugs has won a grant to develop a series of novel drugs.

Jun O. Liu, a professor of pharmacology and molecular sciences and oncology in the Hopkins School of Medicine, won the $2.5 million, five-year award from the National Institutes of Health.

Liu is the director of the Hopkins Drug Library, which houses, which houses 3,000 of the estimated 10,000 drugs used in medical practice. And there, he discovered that an antifungal antibiotic, itraconazole, is an inhibitor of the new blood vessel formation indicative of cancer, macular degeneration and other diseases. The drug is now in clinical studies for treating cancer.

Liu also found that an antibiotic once used to treat leprosy, clofazimine, may effectively fight autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis and psoriasis.

With his new grant, Liu will design and synthesize “cyclic combinatorial libraries,” which are collections of cyclic-shaped molecules. Liu will screen the libraries to identify compounds that can bind and affect the activity of proteins in humans. If the target is a disease process that could lead to the new drugs.

Getty Images file photo

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Drugs