Abilify - an Antidepressant prescription medication.

Abilify is made by Bristol Myers Squibb and the official website is here

From the medication guide by the manufacturer we learn the following:

MEDICATION GUIDE ABILIFY®
Generic name: aripiprazole

Antidepressant Medicines, Depression and
other Serious Mental Illnesses, and
Suicidal Thoughts or Actions

Read the Medication Guide that comes with your or your
family member’s antidepressant medicine. This Medication
Guide is only about the risk of suicidal thoughts and actions
with antidepressant medicines.

Talk to your, or your family
member’s, healthcare provider about:
• all risks and benefits of treatment with antidepressant
medicines
• all treatment choices for depression or other serious
mental illness
What is the most important information I should know
about antidepressant medicines, depression and other
serious mental illnesses, and suicidal thoughts or
actions?

1. Antidepressant medicines may increase suicidal
thoughts or actions in some children, teenagers, and
young adults within the first few months of treatment.

2. Depression and other serious mental illnesses are the
most important causes of suicidal thoughts and actions.
Some people may have a particularly high risk of having
suicidal thoughts or actions. These include people who
have (or have a family history of) bipolar illness (also called
manic-depressive illness) or suicidal thoughts or actions.

3. How can I watch for and try to prevent suicidal
thoughts and actions in myself or a family member?
• Pay close attention to any changes, especially sudden
changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. This
is very important when an antidepressant medicine is
started or when the dose is changed.
• Call the healthcare provider right away to report new or
sudden changes in mood, behavior, thoughts, or
feelings.
• Keep all follow-up visits with the healthcare provider as
scheduled. Call the healthcare provider between visits
as needed, especially if you have concerns about
symptoms.
Call a healthcare provider right away if you or your family
member has any of the following symptoms, especially if
they are new, worse, or worry you:
• thoughts about suicide or dying
• attempts to commit suicide
• new or worse depression
• new or worse anxiety
• feeling very agitated or restless
• panic attacks
• trouble sleeping (insomnia)
• new or worse irritability
• acting aggressive, being angry, or violent
• acting on dangerous impulses
• an extreme increase in activity and talking
(mania)
• other unusual changes in behavior or mood
What else do I need to know about antidepressant
medicines?
• Never stop an antidepressant medicine without first
talking to a healthcare provider. Stopping an antidepressant
medicine suddenly can cause other symptoms.
• Antidepressants are medicines used to treat
depression and other illnesses. It is important to
discuss all the risks of treating depression and also the
risks of not treating it.
Patients and their families or other caregivers should
discuss all treatment choices with the healthcare
provider, not just the use of antidepressants.
• Antidepressant medicines have other side effects.
Talk to the healthcare provider about the side effects of
the medicine prescribed for you or your family member.
• Antidepressant medicines can interact with other
medicines. Know all of the medicines that you or your
family member takes. Keep a list of all medicines to show
the healthcare provider. Do not start new medicines
without first checking with your healthcare provider.
• Not all antidepressant medicines prescribed for
children are FDA approved for use in children. Talk to
your child’s healthcare provider for more information.

This Medication Guide has been approved by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration for all antidepressants.
It should be noted that ABILIFY (aripiprazole) is approved to be
added to an antidepressant when the response from the
antidepressant alone is not adequate. ABILIFY is not approved
for pediatric patients with depression.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may
report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

ABILIFY is a trademark of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company.

Orencia - an alternative to conventional treatments of rheumatoid arthritis

Official Orencia website is here.

The following information is excerpted from the USA FDA's drug fact sheet about Orencia:

Orencia is a medicine that is used to treat adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have not been helped by other medicines for RA. RA is a disease that causes pain and joint inflammation (tenderness and swelling). RA can also cause joint damage.

You should not take this drug if you have ever had an allergic reactions to it.

Some but not all of the risks and side effects of Orencia:

• Serious infections.
  • Patients taking Orencia are at increased risk for developing infections including pneumonia, and other infections caused by viruses, bacteria, or fungi. Call your healthcare professional immediately if you feel sick or get any infection during treatment with Orencia.
• Allergic reactions.
  • These reactions are usually mild or moderate and include hives, swollen face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, or trouble breathing.
• Malignancies.
  • There have been rare cases of certain kinds of cancer in patients receiving Orencia. The role of Orencia in the development of cancer is not known.
• Some common side effects that may occur with Orencia include:
  • headache
  • upper respiratory tract infection
  • sore throat
  • nausea

Tell your doctors if any of these apply to you:

Are you taking a TNF blocker to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis? You may have a higher chance of getting a serious infection if you take Orencia with other biologic medications for RA.

Do you have any kind of infection including an infection that is in only one place in your body (such as an open cut or sore), or an infection that is in your whole body (such as the flu). Having an infection could put you at risk for serious side effects from Orencia.

Do you have an infection that won’t go away or a history of infections that keep coming back?

Also talk to your doctor if you:

• have had tuberculosis (TB), a positive skin test for TB, or if you recently have been in close contact with someone who has had TB. If you develop any of the symptoms of TB (a dry cough that doesn’t go away, weight loss, fever, night sweats) call your healthcare professional right away. Before you start Orencia, your healthcare professional may examine you for TB or perform a skin test.
• are scheduled to have surgery.
• recently received a vaccination or are scheduled for any vaccination.
• are trying to become pregnant or are already pregnant. It is not known if Orencia can harm your unborn baby.
• are breastfeeding. Orencia can pass into breast milk. You will need to decide to either breastfeed or receive treatment with Orencia, but not both.

Orencia and certain other medicines may interact with each other. Tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them with you to show your healthcare professional.

Taking Orencia with TNF blocker medications (Enbrel, Humira, Remicade) is not recommended.

Taking Orencia:

• Orencia will be given to you by a healthcare professional using an IV. This means the medicine will be given to you through a needle placed in a vein in your arm. It will take about 30 minutes to give you the full dose of medicine.
• You will receive your first dose of Orencia followed by additional doses at 2 and 4 weeks after the first dose. You will then receive a dose every 4 weeks.

China shuts down several websites for bogus drug claims.

The Chinese government has closed several allegedly fraudulent websites - mostly targeting Chinese consumers - that make claims for mostly herbal remedies and alternative medicine treatments.

More from Reuters

Lyrica - for treatment of nerve pain or "fibromyalgia"

Lyrica is a drug prescribed to treat various manifestations of "nerve pain" also called fibromyalgia.

Here are detailed treatments of various topics from the official Lyrica website:

Treating Painful DPN

Treating PHN

Managing Fibromyalgia

Add-On Treatment For Seizures in Adults

Glossary

COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary (PULL-mun-ary) disease, is a disease that worsens over time and makes it hard for you to breathe.

In the USA the term "COPD" includes two main conditions—emphysema and chronic obstructive bronchitis,

COPD can cause coughing that produces large amounts of mucus, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and other symptoms.

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Most victims of COPD smoke or used to smoke. Long-term exposure to other lung irritants, such as air pollution, chemical fumes, or dust, also may contribute to the disease.

Overview

To understand COPD, it helps to understand how the lungs work. The air that you breathe goes down your windpipe into tubes in your lungs called bronchial tubes, or airways.

The airways are shaped like an upside-down tree with many branches. At the end of the branches are tiny air sacs called alveoli (al-VEE-uhl-eye).

The airways and air sacs are elastic. When you breathe in, each air sac fills up with air like a small balloon. When you breathe out, the air sac deflates and the air goes out.

In COPD, less air flows in and out of the airways because of one or more of the following:

• The airways and air sacs lose their elastic quality.
• The walls between many of the air sacs are destroyed.
• The walls of the airways become thick and inflamed (swollen).
• The airways make more mucus than usual, which tends to clog the airways.

Healthy Alveoli and Damaged Alveoli

The illustration shows the respiratory system and images of healthy alveoli and alveoli damaged by COPD.

In emphysema, the walls between many of the air sacs are damaged, causing them to lose their shape and become floppy. This damage also can destroy the walls of the air sacs, leading to fewer and larger air sacs instead of many tiny ones.

In chronic obstructive bronchitis, the lining of the airways is constantly irritated and inflamed. This causes the lining to thicken. Lots of thick mucus forms in the airways, making it hard to breathe.

Most people who have COPD have both emphysema and chronic obstructive bronchitis. Thus, the general term "COPD" is more accurate.

Outlook

COPD is a major cause of disability, and it's the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. More than 12 million people are currently diagnosed with COPD. An additional 12 million likely have the disease and don't even know it.

COPD develops slowly. Symptoms often worsen over time and can limit your ability to do routine activities. Severe COPD may prevent you from doing even basic activities like walking, cooking, or taking care of yourself.

Most of the time, COPD is diagnosed in middle-aged or older people. The disease isn't passed from person to person—you can't catch it from someone else.

COPD has no cure yet, and doctors don't know how to reverse the damage to the airways and lungs. However, treatments and lifestyle changes can help you feel better, stay more active, and slow the progress of the disease.

Citation from NIH Website: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Copd/Copd_WhatIs.html

AARP on NY Prescription Drug Reform Bill

This May 15 Statement is old but helps give some insight into how AARP will lobby
for Prescription Drug reform and transparency in the future.   Under an Obama administration
we can expect more Government involvement in the drug industry and probably a stance
on transparency that is likely to be closer to AARP's vision than has been the case
in the Bush Administration.

AARP Statement on New York Bill for Prescription Drug Marketing Reform and Transparency

AARP commends Governor Paterson's leadership in proposing prescription drug
marketing reform and transparency

ALBANY, N.Y., May 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AARP strongly believes New
York has a paramount interest in passing the Governor's prescription marketing
reform proposals which address the undue influence that pharmaceutical
companies have over prescribing decisions that affect not only consumers'
pocket books but the treatment they receive.

The reforms include banning gifts of over $50 (excluding free samples) to
doctors and requiring speakers at continuing medical education programs for
health professionals to disclose any financial relationships they might have
with a drug company.  

AARP strongly supports provisions in the proposed legislation to make the
business transactions of pharmaceutical benefit managers (PBMs) more
transparent in order to drive down the cost of prescription drugs.

We strongly encourage the New York State Legislature to pass this legislation
that would help so many New Yorkers before the end of the legislative session.
The pharmaceutical industry should not dictate prescription drug policy in
our State.  The Legislature must reject the opposition from the drug industry
and do the right thing for their constituents. 

The Governor's bill will increase a New Yorker's ability to access affordable
prescription drugs and improve the quality of their healthcare.  In addition,
this legislation would help all taxpayers who fund public prescription drug
programs, such as Medicaid and EPIC.

According to a January 2006 article in the Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA), titled "Health Industry Practices That Create Conflicts of
Interest," approximately 90% of the $21 billion pharmaceutical industry
marketing budget continues to be directed at physicians.

When a drug company sales representative walks into a doctor's office armed
with gifts and promotes a drug company's newest, most expensive drugs, New
Yorkers - whether as patients or taxpayers - may not always obtain the most
beneficial and cost-effective drug available.

For several years, AARP has been tracking the price of prescription drugs.
AARP's Rx Watchdog reports have revealed startling trends over the past six
years.  Brand name prescription drug costs are steadily rising at close to
double and even triple the rate of inflation.

AARP firmly believes that evidence-based research should be the guide to
prescribing the most effective prescription drugs, not gifts from
manufacturers to physicians.  Drugs should be prescribed based on their
effectiveness in treating a medical condition - not because they are new and
in many cases more expensive.

AARP New York Contact:  Kristin Legere, 518-447-6723