Trumm Drug

April 2008 Drug News

Airborne Settles False Advertising Suit
Airborne agreed to pay $23.3 million to settle a class action lawsuit that charged the company with engaging in false advertising by touting its herbal formula was a “miracle cold buster.” Since it was created in 1999, Airborne’s sales have grown to more than $100 million annually. ABC News

Costly placebos may explain expensive drugs’ edge
A U.S. study involving dummy pills found that a higher-priced placebo can induce pain relief better than a more affordable one. Researchers observed that 85% of those who were given what they thought was a more expensive painkiller reported significant pain relief, compared to 61% percent of those who believed they got discounted drugs. This may explain why pricey treatments are more popular than their cheaper counterparts, the study authors said. The New York Times (3/5)

Survey: Drug ads increase prescriptions
One-third of Americans have asked their doctors about a medicine they have seen advertised and 82% of these people received a prescription from their doctors, a new survey found. About 44% of participants said their doctors prescribed the drug they asked about, while more than 50% said the doctor prescribed a different drug. USA TODAY (3/4)

Report: Only 25% of Americans know signs of heart attack
A report from the CDC indicates one in four Americans can recognize the signs of a heart attack and know how to react, a decline from about one in three in 2001. Whites, the highly educated and women, as well as West Virginia residents, seemed to be the most informed groups, the report found. The lead researcher said public awareness is “alarmingly low” and urged states with low awareness to be more aggressive in outreach and education. USA TODAY/Associated Press (2/21), U.S. News & World Report/HealthDay News (2/21)

Study finds post-heart attack prescriptions lower mortality
The one-year mortality rate among heart attack patients was 80% higher in those who did not fill any of their heart-drug prescriptions, and 44% higher among those who filled some but not all of their prescriptions, Canadian researchers found. “We hope that members of the health care team, including physicians, nurses and pharmacists, will use this information to reinforce their educational efforts aimed at ensuring heart attack patients fill their prescriptions after they leave the hospital,” the study’s lead author said. Yahoo!/Reuters (2/25)

Denture Cleaners May Cause Allergic Reaction, States FDA
FDA issued a warning after one person died and at least 72 others were sickened by allergic reactions to the bleaching ingredient persulfate in denture cleaners. The makers of the popular Polident and Fixodent denture cleaners, GlaxoSmithKline and Procter & Gamble, maintain their products are safe when used as directed. FDA Warning

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