Trumm Drug

July 2008 Drug News

….Canadians are getting gouged more than ever on generic prescription drugs, a study by the Fraser Institute reported Monday. The report’s author called for reforms that would see consumers shopping around for the best drug prices. The conservative think-tank found Canadian prices for generic – non-brand name, off-patent – medications are an average of 112% higher than those in the U.S. At the same time, Canadian prices on brand-name drugs are an average of 53 per cent lower than American prices, a result of federal caps on drug costs. Source: Canwest News Service, 6/17

Many Asthma Patients Do Not Have Disease Under Control: Study
Nearly half of adult Americans with asthma and more than a quarter of children with asthma who responded to a nationally representative survey do not have their disease well controlled, according to an Asthma USA survey conducted by GlaxoSmithKline in cooperation with National Family Opinion Survey Group. The survey found that not well controlled asthma had significant medical consequences. Adults with uncontrolled asthma were more likely to require treatment with oral corticosteroids, visit the emergency department, or be admitted to the hospital than those whose asthma was well controlled. Children with uncontrolled asthma were also more likely to require urgent medical care. GlaxoSmithKline Press Release

U.S. considering third category of drugs.
There are prescription and over-the-counter drugs, but now U.S. legislators are considering a third category, behind-the-counter. Medications in this category would be available without a prescription but require a consultation with a pharmacist. WZZM 13 (Grand Rapids, Mich.) (5/19)

Prescription Drug Abuse Surging
Source: United Press International
Publication date: 2008-05-18
Healthcare workers and dishonest patients are filling U.S. streets with potentially addictive prescription medications, officials say.
Also contributing to the problem are pharmacy thefts, robberies and burglaries, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. Additionally, there are prescription forgeries and Internet pharmacies that require little information before shipping drugs, the newspaper said. Unlike illicit drug use, which shows a continuing downward trend, prescription drug abuse … has seen a continual rise through the 1990s and has remained stubbornly steady … during recent years, Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told a congressional hearing in March. Local law enforcement officials say the illegal use of prescription drugs as street narcotics has surged. What we are seeing is that prescription drugs … are quickly becoming the drug of choice and abuse, said police Lt. Dennis Vrooman of Murrieta, Calif.

At-Home Monitoring Urged For All With High Blood Pressure .
Everyone with hypertension should own a blood pressure monitor to regularly check levels at home, the American Heart Association and other groups recommended, in an unprecedented endorsement of medical devices for consumers. “We need new approaches. Our current approach is simply not working,” stated Dr. David Goff, a member of the panel that wrote the advisory. The Associated Press

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