Month: November 2010

Two drugs now on the market reduce the risk of prostate cancer, health regulators said November 29. But they questioned the value of taking them for this purpose. Prostate tumors often grow so slowly that they are not life-threatening. The drugs in question are dutasteride (Avodart) and finasteride (Proscar). They are approved now to treat an enlarged prostate. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is weighing whether to approve them for prevention of prostate cancer as well. FDA scientists said the research submitted shows that the drugs can prevent prostate cancer. But they said it falls short in one way. The research included very few African-American men. This group has a high risk of prostate cancer. An outside panel of advisers will vote December 1 on whether the drugs are safe and effective for prostate cancer prevention. The Associated Press wrote about the issue.

Children’s doctors have a major role to play in the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders, a new report says. The report comes from the American Academy of Pediatrics. It notes that the rates of children diagnosed with eating disorders have been rising. There’s been a large increase in children under age 12. Hospital treatment of eating disorders in this group has more than doubled since 1999. About one-half of 1% of U.S. teen girls have anorexia nervosa, the report says. About 1% to 2% have bulimia. About 5% to 10% of those with eating disorders are male. The report urges children’s doctors to watch for the signs of eating disorders. To help prevent obesity, doctors should focus on healthy eating and building self-esteem, the report says. They should avoid statements that might trigger extreme dieting. The journal Pediatrics published the report.

Doing 2 types of exercise lowers blood sugar more than one type alone, new research concludes. The study included 262 people with type 2 diabetes. They were not active before the study began. They were randomly assigned among 4 groups. Three of the groups had more than 70 people each. The fourth had 41 people. The larger groups were assigned to exercise programs. One group did aerobic exercise, walking on a treadmill. One did resistance exercise, using weight machines. The third group did both types of exercise. The 3 routines were designed to add up to the same amount of time per week. The smaller group did not exercise. The study lasted 9 months. By the end, 41% of the group that did 2 types of exercise had either reduced average blood sugar or the amount of diabetes medicines they took.

Darvocet, Darvon and their generic clones will remain legal in the United States — for now. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will not ban the drugs, the Associated Press reported July 8. These drugs also are available as a generic called propoxyphene. In making its decision, the FDA decision turned down a petition from the consumer group Public Citizen. The group asked for a ban because of the dangers of overdosing. Darvon alone was linked to 503 U.S. deaths in 2007. About 1 in 5 was a suicide. Doctors also say these drugs are weak pain relievers. The United Kingdom banned them a few years ago. But for now the FDA will just put a stronger warning on the package about the risk of overdose. The FDA also asked for more research by the drug maker and by U.S. veterans’ hospitals.

Taking standard HIV treatment drugs can also help prevent infection in men who have sex with men, a new study has found. Men who took daily doses of Truvada reduced their risk of infection by 44%. Rates of infection were even lower among men who took the pills regularly, as prescribed. The study included nearly 2,500 men and transgender women who had sex with men. They were more likely than average to have multiple partners, trade sex for money and have sex without condoms. At the start of the study, they were not infected with HIV. They were randomly divided into two groups of similar size. Men in one group took Truvada daily. The others took a placebo (fake) pill. Truvada includes the HIV drugs emtricitabine and tenofovir. All of the men received counseling and condoms. The study lasted up to 2.8 years.