Good news for people with migraine who take drugs before or during pregnancy
There’s good news for people with migraine who take common drugs before or during pregnancy — a new study found no increase in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and ADHD in their children. The study, which looked at drugs used for migraine attacks called triptans, is published on May 21, 2025, online in Neurology®, the […]
Serious Issues With Slow Heartbeat Flagged for Afib Patients on Antiarrhythmics
Old concerns about the safety of rhythm control drugs for atrial fibrillation (Afib or AF) resurfaced in a contemporary large Korean population-based study. Afib patients prescribed antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) had several-fold higher risks of cardiac events believed to be related to a decline in heart rate. Compared with other Afib patients, these AAD users showed […]
‘Study drugs’ set the stage for other drug use and mental health decline
Taking “study drugs” like Adderall without a diagnosis is not only dangerous in itself, but can lead to other drug use and a decline in mental health, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medications are frequently used illicitly by college students as a study […]
Alzheimer’s Supplements Fail Compared With Generic Drugs
Galantamine sold as prescription generic drugs was labeled accurately and free of contamination, but galantamine sold as dietary supplements was not, an analysis showed. Across 10 brands of dietary supplements, the actual quantity of galantamine — a plant alkaloid with anticholinergic effects used to treat Alzheimer’s dementia — was anywhere from 2% to 110% of […]
Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Tied to Less Alzheimer’s Risk
Erectile dysfunction drugs were associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease, electronic health record (EHR) data from 270,000 men in the U.K. suggested. Over a median follow-up of about 5 years, men who started taking phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors were less likely to have an Alzheimer’s diagnosis than nonusers (adjusted HR 0.82, 95% CI […]
FDA Approves Florida’s Proposal to Import Prescription Drugs From Canada
The FDA on Friday approved a plan by the state of Florida to allow direct importation to the state of drugs from Canada, many of which are expected to be at a much lower cost than the same drugs procured in the U.S. “The FDA may authorize … proposals from states or Indian tribes to […]
FDA Warns of Rare Life-Threatening Reaction to Anti-Seizure Drugs
Two anti-seizure drugs — levetiracetam (Keppra and others) and clobazam (Onfi, Sympazan) — can cause a rare but serious hypersensitivity reaction known as drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) that can be life-threatening, the FDA warned Tuesday. DRESS may start as a rash but can quickly lead to internal organ injury or death, […]
Biden Administration Announces Actions to Strengthen the Drug Supply Chain
The U.S. must keep the supply chain for drugs and other commodities “stable and secure in the long term to keep preserving a little bit of breathing room for American families,” President Biden said Monday. Fortunately, the administration is making progress, the president noted in a press conference held in the Indian Treaty Room at […]
FDA Panel: Tolerating Approval Outliers Would Set ‘Dangerous Precedent’
An unprecedented wait for final FDA approval will drag on for two orphan lymphoma drugs, at least a little while longer, as the agency decides how to end the delays and prevent them from happening again. The dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor pralatrexate (Folotyn) received accelerated approval in 2009 and the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor belinostat (Beleodaq) […]
To Get More New Antimicrobial Drugs, Fix the Broken Market, Experts Say
Fixing the broken market for innovative antimicrobial drugs should start with the hospitals, said Christine Ann Miller, MBA, at the Future of Health Summit sponsored by the Milken Institute on Tuesday. Because hospitals under the diagnosis-related group (DRG) system get paid a lump sum for treating a patient with a particular disease or condition, “hospitals […]