Interesting news from Pfizer today. It seems that some testing that was done shows that the cholesterol reducing medication Lipitor was very affective at increasing the blood and oxygen to the hearts of people with Chronic Angina.

Pfizer said Tuesday that a new study of its cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor, 80 mg, showed unexpectedly significant reduction in myocardial ischemia in patients with chronic stable angina.

Myocardial ischemia is a condition defined by insufficient blood supply and oxygen to the heart. Angina is chest pain or discomfort that occurs when an area of the heart muscle doesn’t get enough oxygen-rich blood.

The New York-based pharmaceutical giant said Lipitor reduced the average number of ischemic events by nearly 70% and total duration of events by more than 60% from baseline to week 18 of the study, and sustained the effects until the end of the trial at week 26.

In 60% patients treated with Lipitor, all ischemic events were completely eliminated by the end of the study, the company said.

The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology.

This is big news for a great many people in the population that have issues with Angina

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: american college of cardiology, angina, chest pain, cholesterol, chronic stable angina, insufficient blood supply, lipitor, myocardial ischemia, New York, pfizer, pharmaceutical giant, the American College

My wife suffered mild postpartum depression just after our first girl was born and so when we started to try again for our second she was as you could imagine very nervous about it. No matter what Tom Cruise and others say anyone that is close to someone suffering from the baby blues know exactly how bad and how overwhelmingly sad this problem is for the woman that is feeling no love for their new born child and does not know why and is so incredibly frustrated by it.

Two widely used antidepressants, nortriptyline and Zoloft (sertraline), are safe and effective for treating postpartum depression, a new study finds. The University of Pittsburgh study is one of the first to compare the effectiveness of two classes of antidepressants — a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (Zoloft) and a tricyclic (nortriptyline) — in treating the common, debilitating condition.

“We’ve been treating postpartum depression based on the assumption that drugs that work for a woman with depression under usual circumstances, will work for a women who experiences depression after giving birth, but there have not been studies that provide scientific proof that this was an effective and safe course of treatment,” Dr. Katherine L. Wisner, professor of psychiatry and obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.

The study started with 109 participants, randomly selected to take either nortriptyline or Zoloft. Of those 109 women, 95 provided response data at four weeks, 83 provided data at eight weeks, and 29 completed between 20 and 24 weeks of the study.

Both drugs produced similar results.

By week four, 46 of the participants taking Zoloft had responded with a reduction in depressive symptoms and 27 percent had remitted (few depressive symptoms), while 56 percent of those taking nortriptyline responded and 30 percent remitted. Of the 29 women who remained in the study until 20 to 24 weeks, 93 percent taking Zoloft responded and 73 percent remitted, while 100 percent taking nortriptyline responded and 79 percent remitted.

Both drugs produced similar improvements in psychosocial functioning, and neither drug was superior to the other in treating aggressive obsessional thoughts, the study said. The findings were published in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.

The Zoloft used in the study was donated by the drug’s maker, Pfizer, but the drug company did not provide any direct financial support for the study, which was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Wisner is a member of Pfizer’s speaker’s bureau and has a grant from Pfizer to study one of its other products. Wisner is also a member of the speaker’s bureau for GlaxoSmithKline.

Tags: depression, GlaxoSmithKline, Katherine L. Wisner, member, member of the speaker's bureau, pfizer, PostPartum depression, professor of psychiatry, speaker, Tom Cruise, University of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Zoloft

One of the issues that always comes up with prescriptions is the idea of brand name drugs versus the use of generic drugs. Drug companies are very good at researching and creating drugs and for this they get a patent on these drugs so that they can sell them with no competition for a period of a few years and this is a fantastic advantage for them. All you

After a period of 7 to 17 years depending on the drug there is a time when companies can create and market copycat drugs, generic drugs, that can compete with the Major drug companies original drug. There is a very large market on both sides of this issue and as you can imagine the marketing and government lobbying in this field are extremely aggressive.

need to see how powerful a restricted market is is to look at the impact on society and marketing that Pfizer has had with their little blue pill Viagra. When Viagra hit the market and for many years there is not competition and Pfizer has really made the most of the Viagra name to build that market so that any competition by a generic drug when they are allowed will be an uphill battle. The Federal Trade Commission has some into on generic drugs that I thought I would share.

Prescription drugs can be a costly medical expense, especially for older people and those who are chronically ill. However, each state has a law that lets pharmacists substitute less expensive generic drugs for many brand-name products. Depending on your prescription needs, your savings could be significant. Before you talk with your doctor or pharmacist about switching, there are things you need to know about generic drugs and the law.
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Sertraline is used medically mainly to treat the symptoms of depression and anxiety. It has also been prescribed for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, panic disorder, and bipolar disorder. It was first approved by the FDA in 1991. The patent for this brand-name drug expired in December 2005. It is anticipated that the generic drug will be available in the United States in June of 2006, manufactured by Andrx, Aurobindo, Genpharm, Ivax, Mylan, and Roxane. In Scandinavia a generic drug called Sertralin, manufactured by HEXAL is available. The price differences between Zoloft and Sertralin are as high as 1.50 dollars per pill.

Sertraline can have a number of adverse effects, including insomnia, asthenia, gastrointestinal complaints, tremors, confusion, dizziness, anorgasmia, and decreased libido; it can induce mania or hypomania in around 0.5% of patients. It has also been known to cause minor weight loss. It is contraindicated in individuals taking MAOIs or undergoing electroconvulsive therapy.

Until 2003 Zoloft was only approved for use in adults ages 18 and over; that year it was approved by the FDA for use in treating children ages 6 to 17 with extreme obsessive compulsive disorder. In June, 2004, Britain banned the use of Zoloft by minors and in February, 2005, Pfizer was forced to change the labeling of Zoloft to include information regarding increased incidences of suicidal behavior and depression in adolescent users of the drug. According to mentalhealth.com, Zoloft is not currently recommended or advised for use in individuals under the age of 18. After these changes, multiple incidences and at least one medical study showed an increased risk of suicide in seniors who were taking Zoloft. In response to these findings, the FDA released a public health warning. This warning indicates that anyone currently using Zoloft for any reason has a greater chance of exhibiting suicidal thoughts or behaviors regardless of age. This warning is questionable, however, due to the types of illnesses Zoloft is used to treat, it is impossible to determine if these tendencies are a side effect of the drug or the illness the drug is meant to treat.
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Tags: bipolar disorder, Britain, depression, director, dizziness, dysphoric disorder, electroconvulsive therapy, fda, FDA's Office of Generic Drugs, food and drug administration, Gary J. Buehler, generic drug applications, insomnia, Ivax, major depressive disorder, mania, Mylan, name prescription products, obsessive compulsive disorder, Office of Generic Drugs, panic disorder, pfizer, post-traumatic stress disorder, retail sales, Scandinavia, Sertaline Sertraline, Sertraline, sertraline hydrochloride, Sertraline tablets, treatment of major depressive disorder, treatment of MDD and some anxiety related disorders, treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, tremors, United States, USD, Zoloft, Zoloft tablets

I just ran into a couple of great articles on Hoodia and thought it would be great to share them. Why do I care about Hoodia? Well I keep getting spam about the “Greatest weight loss product ever” and man do I hate unfounded hype.

It seems that Hoodia may be a good product but if there is ever a wonder drug that will stop people from eating and help them lose weight than the lack of exercise will surely kill people. I t is very important to remember that even if Hoodia does a great job in helping you lose weight that you still need to exercise regularly to stay or regain health. I have made my own notations here in bold from this great article at about.com written by Cathy Wong

Introduction to Hoodia

Each year, people spend more than $40 billion on products designed to help them slim down. None of them seem to be working very well.

Now along comes hoodia. Never heard of it? Soon it’ll be tripping off your tongue, because hoodia is a natural substance that literally takes your appetite away. It’s very different from diet stimulants like Ephedra and Phenfen that are now banned because of dangerous side effects. Hoodia doesn’t stimulate at all. Scientists say it fools the brain by making you think you’re full, even if you’ve eaten just a morsel.

Hoodia is a cactus that’s causing a stir for its ability to suppress appetite and promote weight loss. 60 Minutes, ABC, and the BBC have all done stories on hoodia. Hoodia is sold in capsule, liquid, or tea form in health food stores and on the Internet. Hoodia is also found in the popular diet pill Trimspa.

Hoodia gordonii can be found in the semi-deserts of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola. Much like a cactus it has recently been turned into a cash crop in Namibia where there are hundreds of acres of it being grown to meet the demand in North America.

It takes about 5 years before hoodia’s pale purple flowers appear and the cactus can be harvested. Although there are 20 types of hoodia, only the hoodia gordonii variety is believed to contain the natural appetite suppressant.

Although hoodia was only marketed recently, the San Bushmen of the Kalahari desert have been eating it for a very long time. The Bushmen, who live off the land, would cut off part of the hoodia stem and eat it to ward off hunger and thirst during nomadic hunting trips. They also used hoodia for severe abdominal cramps, haemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and diabetes.

In 1937, a Dutch anthropologist studying the San Bushmen noted that they used hoodia to suppress appetite. But it wasn’t until 1963 when scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa’s national laboratory, began studying hoodia. Initial results were promising — lab animals lost weight after taking hoodia.
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I have been seeing a lot of ads and products lately containing Hoodia gordonii that acts as an appetite suppressant. Thought I should post what I have found out about Hoodia gordoni so far. Hoodia is a cactus from Africa that is somewhat endangered, mostly because of the excitement over selling a product that helps people lose weight here in the west. The cactus has been used by bushman in Africa for centuries as an appetite suppressant during long walks through the deserts.

A few years back Pfizer, the makers of Viagra were looking at the properties of the hoodia cactus to see if the rumors that it could be used as an appetite suppressant were in fact true, Pfizer decided that there was nothing to it and released the rights to the product, looks like a strike against hoodia. Next Unilver who makes soaps and consumer products picked up the hoodia mantle and have been using it in diet shakes which has in turn spurned a mini hoodia rush in the weight loss industry.

One of the trends that we always see in supplements is that all products try to include the newest popular product. One of the problems these days is that no one really knows what a good dose of hoodia is and in some products that say they have hoodia as one of the ingredients in fact contain no or almost no hoodia.

Does hoodia gordonii work as an appetite suppressant? Leslie Stahl of 60 minutes tried it during an assignment on the product and thought it worked although one person is only anecdotal evidence not real scientific evidence. As far as science is concerned there have been no studies on people and only one study on animals that proved inconclusive.

If you are interested in hoodia after reading this it is probably best to go to a health food store and try to get some almost pure product to try for yourself to see if YOU think that it helps and at least at this point avoid buying products that do two or three things as the confusion will stop you from being able to test the Hoodia gordonii on it’s own merits.

Tags: Africa, consumer products, health-food store, Leslie Stahl, Next Unilver, pfizer, pure product, viagra

At the American Heart Association conference yesterday a new study was released that showed that Pfizer’s cholesterol drug Lipitor, showed no significant reduction in “major coronary events” versus rival treatment Merck’s Zocor.

The five-year study found no statistically significant difference between Lipitor and US drugmaker Merck’s Zocor in reducing heart disease-related death, heart attack and cardiac arrest. Results of the study were presented on Tuesday at an American Heart Association conference.

The study did show a difference in some secondary targets. Lipitor was 13 per cent better than Zocor in reducing major heart events when strokes were included.

The comparison between Lipitor and Zocor is important for Pfizer. The world’s largest drugmaker continuously seeks to develop an extensive body of data that will persuade doctors that Lipitor, the biggest-selling drug in the world with $12 billion, yes that is Billion dollars in sales this year, is better than older, cheaper drugs from the same statin class of cholesterol reducers. Pfizer wants to preserve sales in the face of generic versions of Zocor, whose US patent expires next year.
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Tags: American Heart Association, cardiac arrest, heart attack, heart attacks, heart disease, lipitor, Merck, pfizer, United States, USD, Zocor