Beyaz, an oral contraceptive containing a combination of estrogen and progestin, was approved in September 2010 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This pharmacologic agent contains the same levels of estrogen and progestin as Yaz, another contraceptive pill. However, in addition to the aforementioned active ingredients, Beyaz also contains a folate (specifically, levomefolate calcium at a dose of 0.451 mg). Folate and folic acid are both forms of water-soluble vitamin B. Often, women...

On September 28, 2010, The U.S. Food and Drug administration (FDA) announced that warning letters were sent to three companies that make mouthwash, including: Listerine Total Care Anti-Cavity Mouthwash (Johnson & Johnson) Walgreen Mouth Rinse Full Action (Walgreen Company) CVS Complete Care Anti-cavity Mouthwash (CVS Corporation) These three companies made claims suggesting that the active ingredient (sodium fluoride) either removes plaque above the gum line or promotes healthy gums....

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to broaden their scope in order to bring drugs that are currently being marketed ??? but are unapproved ??? into focus. The goal is to either remove these products from the marketplace or see that they are brought up to current quality standards. Single-ingredient colchicine is the latest drug to attract the attention of the FDA. In 2008, the FDA took action against colchicines injection products that were unapproved. In September of 2010, the...

High-fructose corn syrup has been in the news and its outlook is not so good. Many Americans are as concerned about corn syrup as they are about ???Mad Cow Disease??? and finding mercury in their fish and seafood. This level of concern has prompted several food makers to rework their recipe to eliminate high-fructose corn syrup by replacing it with cane sugar or beet sugar. The Corn Refiners Association made the suggestion to simply change the name used for this product ??? use ???corn sugar??? instead...

Many patients that develop cancerous breast tumors have tumors that are sensitive to the hormone estrogen. In these tumors, estrogen contributes to growth. A class of drugs called aromatase inhibitors are often prescribed, because these drugs can lower the amount of estrogen in the body and, thereby, help block the growth of these tumors. Unfortunately, there are subsets of women that have to discontinue this pharmacological therapy because they develop severe arthritis when taking aromatase inhibitors...

Intermountain Healthcare (IHC) is a non-profit healthcare system with hospitals located in Utah and Idaho. The accolades for IHC have ranged from praise from President Obama to recognition both nationally and internationally as being a leader in improving the quality of healthcare for their patients. In order to accomplish the improvements at IHC, in 2005-2006, the entire system adapted integrated care delivery protocols in a number of areas. Here, the focus will be on the treatment of cases of pneumonia....

Over the last few years, companies that manufacture pharmaceutical drugs have been paying hefty fines. These companies include: Allergan ($600 million) AstraZeneca ($520 million) Bristol-Myers Squibb ($515 million) Eli Lily ($1.4 billion) Forest Laboratories ($313 million) Pfizer ($2.3 billion) Many of the charges against these companies involved fraud, and now, Novartis joins the ???club.??? The New York Times reported on September 30, 2010 that federal prosecutors alleged people working for Novartis...

In 2010, the President of the United States signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, thereby making it law. This Act contains the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (this act is abbreviated as BPCI Act), which is similar to a previous law called the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984. As is policy, a public hearing was held by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 2-3, 2010 in order to elicit information from the public...

When scientists publish their research in prominent scientific journals, their work receives greater visibility and the impact of their work is greater. As expected, publishing in prestigious journals positively correlates with academic ???awards??? and/or increased likelihood for promotion. However, a recent survey of scientists that conduct research in countries described as being less-developed (based on income) voiced a concern: it is difficult to publish data in prestigious journals. Survey...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is charged with protecting the consumers from harmful products. In October 2010, the FDA released a statement advising consumers that have purchased Slimming Beauty Bitter Orange Slimming Capsules that they should not use this product, as the capsule(s) contains an active pharmaceutical ingredient that could post a risk for people. The pharmaceutical ingredient found in the Slimming Beauty capsules is called sibutramine. Sibutramine acts as a stimulant...