The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will require the manufacturers of antiepileptic drugs to add a warning to their labeling indicating that use of the drugs increases risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, according to an FDA Alert issued December 16. A risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, including a medication guide for patients, is also required for each of these drugs.

الأخطاء في الأدوية مع مرضى السرطان تزداد إذا تحول علاج المريض من المستشفى إلى خارجه وهذا وفقا لبحث نشر في مجلة علم الأورام السريري .

ويعتبر استخدام أدوية السرطان (chemotherapy) خارج المستشفى معقد نظرا لأنه يحتاج لمراقبه ، وتغيير مستمر وغير متوقع في الجرعات ، و أخذ الأدوية في أيام محددة من الأسبوع أو الشهر . هذا ما قام بشرحه المحقق الدكتور كاثليين والش في جامعة ماساتشوستس في المركز الطبي في وورسستر

Background: Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone may increase the incidence of fractures. We aimed to determine systematically the risk of fractures associated with thiazolidinedione therapy and to evaluate the effect of the therapy on bone density.

Postmenopausal women who use loop diuretics are at increased risk of fractures, according to a report published in the Jan. 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Background Following the release of the 2002 report of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial of estrogen plus progestin, the use of menopausal hormone therapy in the United States decreased substantially. Subsequently, the incidence of breast cancer also dropped, suggesting a cause-and-effect relation between hormone treatment and breast cancer. However, the cause of this decrease remains controversial.

Overweight? Part of the problem may be low vitamin D levels, a new study hints.

Among a group of 90 young women living in sunny southern California, those with insufficient levels of vitamin D were significantly heavier and had greater body mass than their counterparts with sufficient levels of vitamin D, Dr. Vicente Gilsanz, of Children's Hospital Los Angeles and colleagues found.

These findings suggest "obesity is related to vitamin D insufficiency," Gilsanz told Reuters Health.

Certain adhesive patches that deliver medication through the skin have been found to be a risk to patient safety. The patches, if worn while undergoing magnetic resonance imaging scans or MRIs, can cause skin burns, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration today.

FDA expanded its nationwide alert to consumers about tainted weight loss products containing undeclared, active pharmaceutical ingredients. The FDA has identified additional weight loss products (Herbal Xenicol, Slimbionic, and Xsvelten) and new undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients (fenproporex, fluoxetine, furosemide, and cetilistat). The current list now includes 72 products.

The FDA notified healthcare providers and patients that insulin pens and insulin cartridges are never to be shared among patients. Sharing of insulin pens may result in transmission of hepatitis viruses, HIV, or other blood-borne pathogens. Insulin pens are not designed, and are not safe, for one pen to be used for more than one patient, even if needles are changed between patients because any blood contamination of the pen reservoir could result in transmission of already existing blood-borne pathogens from the previous user.