That means it might be possible to use medicines like Vioxx selectively in patients who in theory are unlikely to be harmed.
One strategy that could goose sales and save lives is to use medicines not only to rid the body of cancer, but also to prevent it from ever coming back.
Responding to years of criticism that the labels of prescription drugs do not do enough to impact the way doctors and patients use medicines, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is announcing a plan to put much clearer and more concise prescribing information on the package inserts for new drugs.
Better diagnostics would mean better use of medicines, so rich countries should consider ways of making them more available too.
While 80% of people around the world use traditional medicines, people in North America cannot get through life without taking some manner of prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
However, for those experts who are playing a role in the setting of health standards involving guidelines for the use of medicines, more needs to be done.
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These are promotional programs designed to inform physicians about the appropriate use of our medicines.
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We have done a good job of cracking down on off-label use of many medicines, and on limiting the overselling of new drugs.
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Although leatherbacks have not traditionally been prized for their meat, their eggs have been highly sought in various parts of the world as a protein source, an aphrodisiac or for use in traditional medicines.
These efforts should include consideration of how the appropriate use of innovative medicines can impact outcomes and help to moderate overall health care spending by preventing more costly illnesses and invasive treatments down the road.
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" Emphasizing that the policy was made during the Bush administration, Health and Human Services Department spokesman Nicholas Papas said, "The policy implemented by the previous Administration helps ensure Medicare covers the safe, appropriate use of these medicines.
One reason is that many of the patients use five or more medicines per week.
He notices a reporter's iPod and says he can use that to sell medicines.
They also use mobiles to order medicines, send public-health alerts and download medical guidelines.
Update: Here is t he FDA statement recommending that doctors not use any of the medicines made by this compounding pharmacy.
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But these statements are not as supportive as they seem at first glance, because according to the advice of those organizations, doctors may be moving too fast to use Vytorin when older medicines are better proven.
If you only trust the U.S. government, then only take medicines (or use medical devices) endorsed by the agency.
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Professor Venter said it is the only way drug companies are going to use genetic information to make medicines - to invest in the research they need the patent protection to ensure they recoup their money.
The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency today recommended that mipomersen (Kynamro, Isis and Genzyme) not be approved for use in Europe.
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Conversely, several heart-failure medicines are now in use to treat altitude sickness or help with acclimatization, researchers say.
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Two different personalized medicines were approved for use last year, including a new treatment for late-stage breast cancer.
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Also sitting pretty is Nexia, particularly since it began to focus on the use of transgenic animals to make medicines that can protect against nerve agents.
The other distinction is that traditional healers use herbs, plants and some animal skin in the muthi (medicines), whereas witch doctors are said to also use human body parts, meaning they are sometimes implicated in murders.
If ritual affects the way we use recreational drugs, why not real medicines?
But there are real advantages to using medicines that have been in use for several years, because it can take that long for serious safety side effects to show up.
Sudan is "fully prepared to provide information to the Council, or to any other body mandated by it" to show that the factory was producing medicines for human and veterinary use.
Psaty suggests that limits on direct-to-consumer advertising might help, as might the power of formularies, the lists of approved medicines that insurers and hospitals use to help control costs and, sometimes, to ensure safety.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Juvisync (sitagliptin and simvastatin), a fixed-dose combination (FDC) prescription medication that contains two previously approved medicines in one tablet for use in adults who need both sitagliptin and simvastatin.
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The FDA action follows a similar decision by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency, which announced last week that it had recommended that Pradaxa be contraindicated in patients with prosthetic heart valves.
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"Immediately discontinue use and isolate" the products from other medicines, Ilisa Bernstein, FDA's drug compliance director said in a conference call with reporters.
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