Gilenya Multiple Sclerosis Drug: What Are Its Side Effects?

What are the side effects of the newly approved anti multiple sclerosis drug, Gilenya? Read the write-up below.

*****
An oral pill which treats the underlying causes of multiple sclerosis or MS has gained the approval of the US Food and Drugs Administration.

Gilenya, from Swiss drugmaker Novartis, gained the unanimous endorsement of the FDA which voted 25-0 to approve the drug.

Continue reading “Gilenya Multiple Sclerosis Drug: What Are Its Side Effects?”

Quality Care in U.S. Hospitals: Good, Bad, or Improving?

Quality Care in U.S. Hospitals: Good, Bad, or Improving? Quality of care in hospitals and other health centers across the United States has shown improvements over the past eight years, a national health care accrediting organization revealed.

According to a report from Businessweek, The Joint Commission found that there is a big improvement on US hospitals in caring for patients with heart attack, pneumonia, surgery and children’s asthma.

Their findings in their annual rating activity shows that the care result for children’s asthma increased from 70.7 percent in 2007 to 88.1 percent in 2009; pneumonia care result rose from 72.4 percent in 2002 to 92.9 percent in 2009; surgical care result improved from 77.4 percent in 2004 to 95.8 percent in 2009.

Continue reading “Quality Care in U.S. Hospitals: Good, Bad, or Improving?”

Krystexxa Anti-Gout Drug Approved by FDA

Krystexxa Anti-Gout Drug Approved by FDA. The U.S Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug to cure gout among adults who cannot tolerate or respond to existing treatments.

The US FDA approved Krystexxa to treat the painful condition which is characterized by swelling, redness, heat, pain and stiffness in the joints. Kyystexxa lowers uric acid levels by metabolizing it into a harmless chemical that is excreted in the urine.

“Since one out of every four patients in the clinical trials experienced a severe allergic reaction when receiving an infusion of Krystexxa, health care providers should dispense a corticosteroid and an antihistamine to their patients beforehand to minimize the risk of such a reaction. Other reactions during the clinical trials included gout flare, nausea, injection site bruising, irritation of the nasal passages, constipation, chest pain and vomiting”, the FDA news release says.

Continue reading “Krystexxa Anti-Gout Drug Approved by FDA”

Drooling Treatment for Kids: Cuvposa Gains FDA Approval

Drooling Treatment for Kids: Cuvposa Gains FDA Approval. Are your kids suffering from chronic drooling and you don’t know how to treat their condition?

They might be able to gain relief from the Cuvposa (glycopyrrolate) Oral Solution which was approved today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat “chronic severe drooling caused by neurologic disorders in children ages 3 years to 16 years”.

Concerned about Cuvposa’s side effects? According to the FDA, the common adverse reactions reported with glycopyrrolate are dry mouth, constipation, flushing, and urinary retention.

Continue reading “Drooling Treatment for Kids: Cuvposa Gains FDA Approval”

Alcohol Health Benefits: Does It Prevent Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Alcohol Health Benefits: Does It Prevent Rheumatoid Arthritis? We all know about the evil effects of alcohol — drunk driving, liver cirrhosis, alcohol dependency, etc. etc. However, did you know that a moderate amount of alcohol has been found to be good in preventing rheumatoid arthritis as well as in reducing the severity of the disease.

Studies by Swedish and British researchers suggest that moderate consumption of alcohol may help you combat rheumatoid arthritis. We, however, should not use this information as an excuse to get wasted. After all, the key words to remember are “moderate consumption of alcohol”.

Continue reading “Alcohol Health Benefits: Does It Prevent Rheumatoid Arthritis?”

Best Health Care Insurance Plans in America?

Best Health Insurance Plans in America. Wondering about the best health care insurance plans in the United States? Here’s a ranking from the US News and World Report.

According to the magazine, the ranking is based on “data collected and analyzed by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, managed care’s major accrediting and standards-setting body. Scores of 0 to 100 reflect member satisfaction, success relative to other plans in preventing and treating illness, and NCQA accreditation.”

Best Commercial Plans
1 Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HMO/POS) Mass., Maine 91.1
2 Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of New England (HMO/POS) N.H. 90.2
3 Tufts Associated Health Maintenance Organization (HMO/POS) Mass., N.H., R.I. 89.9
4 Grand Valley Health Plan (HMO) Mich. 89.4
5 Capital Health Plan (HMO) Fla. 89.0
6 Geisinger Health Plan (HMO/POS) Pa. 88.6
7 Fallon Community Health Plan (HMO/POS) Mass. 88.0
8 Health New England (HMO/POS) Conn., Mass. 87.9
9 CIGNA HealthCare of New Hampshire (HMO/POS) N.H. 87.7
10 Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin (HMO) Wis. 87.6

Continue reading “Best Health Care Insurance Plans in America?”