Antidepressant studies that cast doubt on effectiveness went unpublished.
The makers of antidepressants such as Prozac and Paxil never published the results of about a third of the drug trials that they conducted to win government approval, misleading doctors and consumers about the drugs' true effectiveness, "The New York Times" reported. In published trials, about 60%...

Lamotrigine may improve pelvic pain, depression.
BALTIMORE -- The anticonvulsant lamotrigine shows promise for reducing pain and improving mood symptoms associated with chronic pelvic pain, particularly in women with the vulvovaginal subtype. In a study of 43 women with chronic pelvic pain,researchers at the University of North Carolina found that treatment with lamotrigine...

FDA reviewing arthritis drugs for childhood cancer link.
FDA issued an Early Communication about an ongoing safety review to investigate a possible association between the use of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) blockers and the development of lymphoma and other cancers in children and young adults. The agency is investigating approximately 30 reports of cancer in...

Lilly faces initial Zyprexa trial.
Eli Lilly has begun the first trial over its schizophrenia drug Zyprexa, defending a civil suit by the state of Alaska that will be closely watched by state and federal prosecutors investigating the drug company. The trial's outcome--or even evidence introduced along the way--could influence fragile settlement...

Gastrointestinal side effects: associated with novel therapies in patients with multiple myeloma: Consensus statement of the IMF nurse leadership board.
The novel immunomodulatory drugs lenalidomide and thalidomide and the novel proteasome inhibitor bortezomib can cause gastrointestinal side effects, including constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, which can have a deleterious effect on quality of life and interfere with optimal therapy. The International Myeloma Foundation's Nurse Leadership Board developed this consensus...

Child studies make drugs safer, researchers say.
Legislation encouraging testing of medications in children has resulted in better information about proper dosages and effects of drugs on the young, according to a study by current and former U.S. regulators, Bloomberg reported March 3. A review of 108 drugs tested in children found that the...

Law not enough to police device maker-doctor ties.
U.S. law is not sufficient to police medical device companies that pay surgeons consulting fees and give them gifts, travel and other perks that may influence medical decisions, a watchdog for the Health and Human Services Department told Congress Feb. 27. The U.S. Senate Special Committee on...

FDA, facing criticism, bars doctors from drug trials.
FDA has disqualified seven doctors from conducting clinical trials of drugs and medical devices so far this year, as many as in the three previous years combined, after lawmakers complained about delays in discipline, Bloomberg News reported June 6. Among those banned this year, according to the...

Diversity missing from research.
KOLOA, HAWAII -- The reluctance to discuss differences among ethnic and cultural groups is a serious challenge for the practice of psychiatry, according to discussion group members at the annual meeting of the American College of Psychiatrists. "Pharmaceutical companies are doing a lot of research in other...

Flu drug makers change labels over behavior issue.
Roche and GlaxoSmithKline said March 4 they had added new labels to their prescription flu medicines that contain reports of abnormal psychiatric behavior in some patients, according to Reuters. A warning about cases of delirium and unusual behavior had been listed previously on Roche's drug, Tamiflu. That...