Pfizer to cut 2,000 US sales jobs 
Boston Globe - Nov 29 12:48 AM
Pfizer Inc., the world’s largest drug maker, will slash 2,200 US sales jobs as chief executive Jeffrey Kindler reduces expenses to compensate for revenue lost to cheaper generic competition.Save

Dangerous drugs 
Heartland News - Nov 28 6:32 AM
A few months ago, Consumer Reports magazine listed what it considered to be the most dangerous drugs approved by the Federal Drug Administration. While noting that most of the risks are uncommon or rate, the magazine still insists that consumers should only use these medications as a last resort.Save

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators: Controlling a chaotic heart 
Mayo Clinic - Nov 27 9:50 PM
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) can control abnormal, life-threatening heart rhythms and prevent cardiac arrest. Here’s a description of the ICD, who it helps and how it works.Save

Time to Leave (2006) 
Reel.com - Nov 28 12:18 AM
Formerly branded the “l’enfant terrible” of French cinema for such sexually transgressive, calculated outrages as Sitcom (1997) and Criminal Lovers (1999), Francois Ozon has long since shed that label, thanks to such keenly observed and elegantly shot psychological dramas as Under the Sand (2000) and Swimming Pool (2003). With Time to Leave (2006), Ozon transforms a standard tearjerker scenario, Save

$4 drugs debated as cost antidote 
The Press-Enterprise - Nov 28 11:38 PM
GENERICS: Patients hail the price, but traditional pharmacies tout their variety and convenience.Save

Crash crushes family 
Sentinel & Enterprise - Nov 27 8:08 AM
Bobby Kincaid always had a smile on his face, his father said. The former star pitcher on his Leominster Babe Ruth baseball team threw a fastball in the high 80 mph range.Save

Cord-blood bank expands exposure 
The Arizona Republic - Nov 27 11:35 PM
An Arizona company expects big growth in newborn blood-cord storage as more parents become aware of benefits. A new Arizona law will require doctors to inform mothers of blood-storage options.Save

Quicker better in allergy diagnosis 
The Canton Repository - Nov 28 1:01 AM
Your throat is scratchy, your nose is stuffy, and you’re sure someone’s operating a jackhammer inside your head. Must be getting a cold, right? Maybe. But, it could also be allergies. Of course, there…Save

NH ‘compounding’ pharmacy makes custom medicines 
New Hampshire Union Leader - Nov 26 9:12 PM
When modern medicine can not provide the healing and comfort patients needed, Northern New England Compounding Pharmacy works with their doctors to customize medicine.Save

Statin Drugs May Help the Healthy 
WebMD - Nov 27 1:41 PM
Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may prevent heart attacks and strokes among people who don’t already have cardiovascular disease, a study shows.Save

The Frightening Link Between the 9-11 Toxic Cloud and Cancer 
The Village Voice - Nov 28 2:54 PM
The frightening link between the 9-11 toxic cloud and cancer (By Kristen Lombardi)Save

Various treatments can alleviate tailbone pain 
The Star-Ledger - Nov 27 9:57 PM
I have had pain in my tailbone for more than two months. My doctor called it coccydynia and prescribed an anti-inflammatory medicine. The pain has improved a little. Are there any other treatments?Save

Medical notes 
Akron Beacon Journal - Nov 28 12:55 AM
Organizations and events dealing with health issuesSave

Health Buzz
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS - 1 hour ago… Myofascial massage is an alternative medicine technique that aims to ease pain and increase range of motion by stretching the fascia, or connective tissue …

A cure for everything: your medical handbook
Belfast Telegraph, United Kingdom - 1 hour agoThey are among the commonest afflictions known to medicine. … in children can cause quite a serious illness, with fever, swollen glands and pain on swallowing. …

If only I’d found out more about op
Electric New Paper, Singapore - 14 hours ago… as there was no slippage, nothing was wrong, and my pain could be … Low, head and consultant in Alexandra Hospital’s Department of Geriatric Medicine said about …

Pfizer Tries to Sell Research Spending
Wall Street Journal (subscription), NY - Nov 24, 2006… The epilepsy and pain medicine Lyrica, launched in 2005, had sales of $803 million though the nine months ended in September. Other …

Society of Interventional Radiology selects Elsevier as new …
EurekAlert (press release), DC - 17 hours ago… modern medicine in many fields. Today, interventional radiology treatments are first-line care for a wide variety of conditions and have less risk, less pain …

Former Auburn Coach Feels Shula’s Pain
WSFA, AL - 8 hours ago… He currently serves as executive director of sports development for Encore, Inc., a Decatur-based sports medicine and rehabilitation company. …

Pain medicine scrutinized in fatal wreck
Houston Chronicle, United States - Oct 30, 2006… But he may have been driving under the influence of pain medications prescribed for a work injury, she said. Several bottles were found in his truck, she said. …

It’s all in the Blood
Daily News (subscription), South Africa - 21 hours ago… than 95% of the world’s population today lives with disease, pain and medication … He tried a range of treatment methods from counselling to medicine, all in vain …

Easy to take: Pain relief without pills
Orlando Sentinel, FL - Nov 21, 2006… response to any particular treatment,” says Dr. Russell Portenoy, chairman of pain medicine and palliative care at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. …

Unusual Appearance of a Popliteal Venous Aneurysm in a 16-Year-Old …
Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine (subscription) - Nov 22, 2006… come to the clinician s attention because of a pulmonary embolism and, less commonly, because of a mass in the popliteal fossa, calf swelling, or pain. …

FDA says big chains sold now-recalled pain medicine
WTVY, AL - Nov 9, 2006Nationwide, 7 million bottles of acetaminophen are affected. That’s the generic version of Tylenol, though officials stress the brand-name version is fine. …

Hospital clinic set for flu-wary adults
Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC - 22 hours ago… Orthopaedic Associates and Dr. Timothy Dancy of McLeod Family/Sports Medicine will be … torn, the person feels a pop and experiences immediate pain and swelling …

Teens and RX Abuse
Central Florida News 13|, FL - 8 hours agoThey get them from the family medicine cabinet or buy them on the street, Experts say prescription medications are misused by … Narcotics are pain-killers. …

Guilty plea entered by McFarlin 
Newport Independent - Nov 21 10:33 PM
Bud Cummins, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced Monday that Pinkey McFarlin, age 56, of Newport, entered a plea of guilty to Superseding Information for his role in conspiring to distribute cocaine base, also known as crack cocaine.Save

PEOPLE’S PHARMACY | JOE GRAEDON AND TERESA GRAEDON: Boniva user had heart attack 
The Charlotte Observer - Nov 21 12:11 AM
Q. I am a 54-year-old woman with low cholesterol and no risk factors for heart disease. I had a heart attack resulting from an artery spasm two weeks ago after my second dose of Boniva. Doctors were floored and unable to find any damage or plaque in my arteries in the angiogram. I noticed an article you wrote about a woman who also suffered a heart attack while taking Boniva. Is there any new Save

Crossing guard on the mend after being hit on the job 
The York Dispatch - Nov 21 7:58 AM
Crossing guard Kim Overmiller had prayed to God to keep her safe every day before she went to work. But one Saturday last month, she confided in a friend that she was afraid she would get hit by a car on Dallastown’s busy stretch of Route 74.Save

The diabetic foot: the role of a podiatrist 
Journal of Community Nursing - Nov 23 4:15 AM
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterised by chronic hyperglycemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism (WHO, 1999 ).Save

Father threw pet dog from eighth floor 
The Courier - Nov 22 4:59 PM
The dog, which landed on the grass below with such force that its liver shattered, died in agony despite the best efforts of a vet to save her. Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard Brian Bernard, from Cowdenbeath, threw the collie-Alsatian cross to its death because it was p****** him off.Save

Cephalon’s painkiller promotion questioned 
The Philadelphia Inquirer - Nov 22 8:38 AM
Cephalon Inc. engaged in “problematic” practices to promote and increase sales of its narcotic lollipop painkiller, Actiq, according to an investigation by the Connecticut attorney general.Save

Majority Of Anemic Chronic Kidney Disease Pre-Dialysis Patients Achieved Target Hemoglobin Range With PROCRIT (Epoetin  
Medical News Today - Nov 23 12:19 AM
Today, at the American Society of Nephrology’s 39th Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition, data was presented for the first time on the initiation of PROCRIT (Epoetin alfa) therapy 20,000 Units once every two weeks in patients with anemia related to chronic kidney disease (CKD) who are not on dialysis. [click link for full article]Save

Drug Treats ‘Water Intoxication’ Faster, More Effectively 
Science Daily - Nov 20 9:13 AM
Results of the two largest studies on hyponatremia found that the investigational drug tolvaptan treated hyponatremia — water intoxication — more effectively than available treatments. These studies, presented by a researcher from Northwestern University, proved that hyponatremia can be treated with an oral drug that has no significant side effects. Hyponatremia is a relatively common Save

Tuesday November 21, 2006 By Wynne Gray 
The New Zealand Herald - Nov 20 4:09 PM
Prop Neemia Tialata thought seriously about bypassing the All Black tour to give his damaged calf muscle a gentle recovery before he plunged back into Super 14 competition.Save

The upside of cancer: A new outlook on life 
USA Today - Nov 20 7:13 PM
Though cancer can be a harrowing experience, a growing body of research suggests that the disease also changes many people’s lives for the better.Save

Tri-State Neighbor 
Tri-State Neighbor - Nov 21 6:14 AM
Q: I suffer from gout from time to time. Have you ever heard of curry relieving the symptoms? My wife made a soup containing curry and within one hour after eating it I could feel the pain going away. I ate the soup the next two nights and my gout was 95 percent gone.Save

No pain is gain, moms say 
NorthJersey.com - Nov 19 6:51 AM
When Libbi Zeien talks about childbirth with her friends, they all agree on one thing. “Drugs,” said Zeien, 28, who gave birth to her second child this month. “A lot of people think, ‘Why go through the pain if you don’t have to?’”Save

Cancer hurts caregivers, too 
USA Today - Nov 19 9:36 PM
In a new USA TODAY/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health poll of cancer survivors and their families, one-third of respondents said cancer caused someone in the household to have emotional or psychological problems.Save

Nurse’s assistant accused of sexual assault on patient 
Desert Sun - Nov 20 6:46 AM
A male nursing assistant who has worked for 15 years at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs is accused of sexually assaulting a female patient, according to police.Save

Keeping cats active can help with their arthritis 
Inside Bay Area - Nov 18 7:21 AM
Q:I HAVE AN indoor 17-year-old cat who is generally in good health. However, she has some arthritis and has trouble with balance in her back legs. I’ve taken her to the vet and she gets prednisone shots once a month, which seems to help. I also take her to my chiropractor, who adjusts her pelvis on the right side, which also seems to help. Is there anything else I can do for her?Save

Anesthesia: A more common birth choice 
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune - Nov 15 7:41 PM
When Libbi Zeien talks about childbirth with her friends, they all agree on one thing. “Drugs,” said Zeien, 28, of Hastings, who gave birth to her second child this month. “A lot of people think, ‘Why go through the pain if you don’t have to?’ ” Natural childbirth — no pain medication — was the ideal for many women a generation ago. But for today’s mothers natural childbirth is not a goal, it’s Save

A New Target For Painkillers: Snail Toxins Show The Way 
Medical News Today - Nov 18 12:16 AM
A brand new approach to treating severe nerve pain - by aiming drugs at a previously unrecognized molecular target - has been discovered by University of Utah scientists who study the venoms of deadly, sea-dwelling cone snails.”We found a new way to treat a chronic and debilitating form of pain suffered by hundreds of millions of people on Earth,” says J. [click link for full article]Save

REMINDER: ORLive Presents: What’s a Laminoforaminotomy? A Discussion About Physical Therapy and Pain Management 
[Press Release] Market Wire via Yahoo! Finance - Nov 16 4:15 AM
Experts from the Spine Center at Hahnemann University Hospital will discuss the causes, common symptoms, diagnosis and various treatment options associated with cervical pain syndrome during a Webcast on Thursday November 16th at 6:00 PM EST on www.OR-Live.com.Save

Painkiller abuse cases growing 
Freeport Journal - Nov 18 9:30 PM
FREEPORT - The addiction begins innocently enough. A little brown bottle filled with a prescription medication for some kind of pain is dispensed by the pharmacy and stapled neatly inside a small, white bag.Save

Transcript: Former Chairman & CEO, NEXT 
CNN.com - Nov 20 7:57 AM
British fashion retailer NEXT is a well known High Street name. Former chairman and chief executive David Jones has been widely credited with making it that way.Save

Take joint action to tackle arthritis
Scotsman, United Kingdom - Nov 16, 2006ARTHRITIS is just about the most common of all the illnesses that can afflict us. … Rheumatoid arthritis is a completely different disease. …

Tocilizumab Appears Effective for Treatment of Juvenile Idiopathic …
DG News - Nov 14, 2006WASHINGTON, DC — November 14, 2006 — Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) who have poor response to oral steroids have good response to …

Enbrel First Biologic With Up To 9 Years Rheumatoid Arthritis …
Medical News Today (press release), UK - Nov 18, 2006… is the first biologic with published data to show improvements in multiple measures of efficacy that were sustained in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients …

Arthritis drug approved
Toronto Star,  Canada - Nov 7, 2006OTTAWA Canada has approved use of Novartis’s arthritis drug Prexige, the first such drug allowed after an investigation into potential heart problems linked …

Canada OKs Novartis arthritis drug Prexige-source
Reuters - Nov 6, 2006OTTAWA, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Canada has approved use of Novartis’s (NOVN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) arthritis drug Prexige, the first such drug allowed after …

Jingle Bell arthritis run/walk on Dec. 7
Bradenton Herald,  United States - Nov 18, 2006The Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis Foundation will be begin at 5:30 pm Dec. 7 at the new Arthritis Foundation office on 12th Street West, Bradenton. …

IBEX Technologies Recommends No Action to Miraculins Unsolicited …
TechFinance, Canada - Nov 17, 2006… gives no value to IBEX’s cancer diagnostic technology, or to approximately $2 million in sales from IBEX’s growing specialty enzyme and arthritis kit business. …

Merck wins federal Vioxx case in New Orleans 
Reuters via Yahoo! News - Nov 15 1:27 PM
A New Orleans jury handed Merck & Co. Inc. a victory on Wednesday in a federal lawsuit involving its withdrawn arthritis drug Vioxx, finding that the company adequately warned of the risks associated with the drug.Save

New Merck arthritis drug safe for heart - study 
Reuters via Yahoo! Asia News - Nov 13 6:03 AM
NEW YORK, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Tests of a new arthritis drug awaiting U.S. approval showed patients did not have a higher risk of a heart attack than those taking an older drug, but critics said the study published on Monday did not necessarily demonstrate the drug was safe.Save

FDA Ends Ban on Silicone Implants 
KYW News Radio 1060 - Nov 18 4:39 AM
Plastic surgeons expect breast implants filled with silicone gel to supplant those containing salt water as the most popular choice of the nearly 300,000 US women a year who have their breasts surgically enlarged.Save

Botox effective in easing arthritis knee pain 
CTV.ca - Nov 16 1:55 PM
For Jenny Breen, when she says she’s into Botox, it’s not because she’s worried about wrinkles on her face. It’s how she keeps the pain of the arthritis in her knees under control.Save

Allergan, Mentor Win Approval of Silicone Implants (Update3) 
Bloomberg.com - Nov 17 3:03 PM
Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) — Silicone breast implants made by Allergan Inc. and Mentor Corp. were approved for unrestricted sale in the U.S. as regulators lifted a 14-year ban.Save

FDA ends ban on silicone implants / Women’s groups criticize agency’s action as premature 
San Francisco Chronicle - Nov 17 11:04 PM
The Food and Drug Administration agreed on Friday to make silicone-gel breast implants widely available for the first time in 14 years, despite criticism that the devices need further study. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein and national women’s… Save

Heavy Toll Of Obesity On Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality Of Life
Medical News Today (press release), UK - Nov 16, 2006Reducing obesity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis may improve quality of life according to researchers who found that obesity was independently associated …

Health Canada approves new COX-2 arthritis drug
Canada.com, Canada - Nov 7, 2006Health Canada has approved a new COX-2 inhibitor which has been shown to offer relief from arthritis symptoms without the same heart problems associated with …

Bristol arthritis drug effective in children: study
Reuters - Nov 13, 2006NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.’s new rheumatoid arthritis drug Orencia, which is approved for adult use, appeared to be effective in treating …

Can curry cure arthritis?
Channel 4 News, UK - Nov 2, 2006Turmeric, the spice that gives curry its yellow hue, may hold the key when it comes to successfully fighting rheumatoid arthritis (RA). …

Tumeric helps arthritis
The West Australian, Australia - Nov 5, 2006The humble herb turmeric is being touted as the new arthritis treatment following a study on its effect on arthritic rats. The research …

Physicians Report Remicade Use Among Medicare Beneficiary …
Earthtimes.org - Nov 8, 2006… issues, finds that physicians report use of Centocor/Schering-Plough/Tanabe Seiyaku’s Remicade among Medicare beneficiary rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients …

Curry spice thwarts rheumatoid arthritis in rats
Reuters - Nov 2, 2006NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Turmeric, the spice that gives curry its yellow hue, may hold promise as a therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), animal research …