Adults with diabetes may now have an alternative to some of the insulin injections they must now take. Exubera (Pfizer), a powder form of recombinant human insulin, represents the first new method of delivery since the hormone’s discovery in the 1920s. Pfizer developed the drug and dispenser with Sanofi-Aventis and Nektar Therapeutics. The device, about the size [...]]]...

The FDA has tentatively approved Stavudine for Oral Solution, 1 mg/ml (Aurobindo Pharma Ltd., India). This antiretroviral agent is the first generic version of Generic Zerit Oral Solution (Bristol-Myers Squibb). This child-friendly agent is indicated for pediatric patients with HIV infection, from birth through adolescence. Stavudine medication (d4T) helps to prevent the AIDS virus from reproducing. [...]]]...

The first immune globulin product for subcutaneous injection to prevent serious infections in patients with primary immune deficiency diseases (PIDDs) has been approved. Vivaglobin (ZLB Behring GmbH, Germany) is manufactured from human plasma collected at U.S. licensed plasma centers. It is given under the skin on a weekly basis via an infusion pump. Patients can self-administer [...]]]...

The Heart Rhythm Society is recommending changes in how medical device manufacturers and the government oversee implanted heart devices, such as defibrillators and pacemakers. The group is requesting that (1) companies use outside experts to help them decide when to issue alerts about potential safety problems; (2) doctors test a heart unit at the time [...]]]...

A study from Oulu University Hospital indicates that aspirin use may double the risk of death in patients with intra-cerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Regular aspirin use was a significant independent predictor of death within the first three months after the index stroke; it was also significantly associated with early hematoma growth. The researchers evaluated 208 patients with [...]]]...