Antidepressants are commonly prescribed for the treatment of depression, but many individuals do not experience symptom relief from treatment. The National Institute of Mental Health’s STAR*D study, the largest and longest study ever conducted to evaluate depression treatment, found that only approximately one-third of patients responded within their initial medication trial and approximately one-third of patients did not have an adequate clinical response after being treated with several different medications. Thus, identifying predictors of antidepressant response could help to guide the treatment of this disorder.
A new study published in Biological Psychiatry now shares progress in identifying genomic predictors of antidepressant response.
Many previous studies have searched for genetic markers that may predict antidepressant response, but have done so despite not knowing the contribution of genetic factors. Dr. Katherine Tansey of Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London and colleagues resolved to answer that question.
Full story of genes and antidepressants at Science Daily
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Beedie Savage – President of Quantum Units Education
Underscoring the importance of collaboration in the national fight against prescription drug abuse, the 2013 National Rx Drug Abuse Summit will focus on ways participants can “Make an Impact” not only in their communities, but on the country as a whole.
With accidental prescription overdose deaths occurring at 1 every 15 minutes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), emergency room visits nearly doubling in the past five years, and hospital admissions increasing 400 percent over the past decade, it is imperative we act immediately.
The second National Rx Drug Abuse Summit – to be held April 2-4, 2013, at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate in Florida – will help in this effort.
By bringing together professionals from many disciplines, the Summit provides all stakeholders timely, relevant and evidence-based information. This type of collaboration enables bringing impactful solutions to communities across the United States.
Full story of Rx Summit at DrugFree.org
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Beedie Savage – President of Quantum Units Education
It’s not the color, but what’s inside that counts when it comes to medication. However, doctors suspect that’s not exactly how patients see it.
According to a study published Monday in the medical journal Archives of Internal Medicine, changes in pill color significantly increase the odds that a patient will fail to take their medication as prescribed by their doctor.
First, the basics
Generic drugs are approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s Office of Generic Drugs. These off-brand alternatives must be “bioequivalent” to the brand-name version, meaning they must be identical in terms of dosage form, strength, route of administration, quality, intended use, and clinical efficacy. But the FDA does not require that the two versions look alike.
Generics are big business worldwide. In America, they account for more than 70% of prescriptions dispensed, but only 16% of spending. Generic prescriptions are expected to increase even more, as top-selling brand-name medications reach the end of their market – and profit – exclusivity and go “off patent.” In the United States, drug patents offer 20 years of protection for the pharmaceutical company, but they are applied for before clinical trials begin, so the effective life of a drug patent tends to be somewhere around 7-12 years.
Full story of identifying medications at CNN Health
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Beedie Savage – President of Quantum Units Education
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy recently sent an alert to law enforcement, particularly along the Canadian border, warning them that Canada had approved non-abuse resistant generic versions of oxycodone, the active ingredient in OxyContin, Percocet and about 40 other painkillers.
“ONDCP expects companies will begin offering these generics without the abuse-resistant features in Canadian pharmacies within the next month,” according to the alert.
The letter warned of the potential for these generics to show up here in the United States, where they are no longer available.
Prescription painkillers have killed more Americans than heroin and cocaine combined. That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which says the United States is in the throes of a public health epidemic fueled by highly addictive prescription painkiller overdoses.
Approximately 12 million Americans aged 12 and older reported using prescription painkillers recreationally in 2010, according to the CDC. In fact, enough were prescribed to medicate every American adult around the clock for a month.
Full story of generic painkillers at CNN Health
Photos courtesy of and copyright PhotoPin, http://photopin.com/
Beedie Savage – President of Quantum Units Education
Buyers beware when it comes to buying medicine online, the Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers. On Friday, the agency launched "BeSafeRx: Know Your Online Pharmacy," a national campaign to raise awareness about fake Internet pharmacies and their potential risk to consumer health.
“Buying medicines from rogue online pharmacies can be risky because they may sell fake, expired, contaminated, not approved by FDA, or otherwise unsafe products that are dangerous to patients,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg. “Fraudulent and illegal online pharmacies often offer deeply discounted products. If the low prices seem too good to be true, they probably are. FDA’s BeSafeRx campaign is designed to help patients learn how to avoid these risks.”
The agency did a survey and found that about 1 in 4 consumers bought prescription drugs online. Nearly 30% said they were not confident about buying drugs safely on the Internet.
Full story of fake internet pharmacies at CNN Health
Photos courtesy of and copyright PhotoPin, http://photopin.com/
Antidepressants are commonly prescribed for the treatment of depression, but many individuals do not experience symptom relief from treatment. The National Institute of Mental Health’s STAR*D study, the largest and longest study ever conducted to evaluate depression treatment, found that only approximately one-third of patients responded within their initial medication trial and approximately one-third of patients did not have an adequate clinical response after being treated with several different medications. Thus, identifying predictors of antidepressant response could help to guide the treatment of this disorder.
