The nasal influenza vaccine FluMist (MedImmune) is now approved to include children between two and five years of age. Approval had previously been limited to healthy children five years of age and older and to adults up to age 49. The vaccine contains a weakened form of the live virus and is sprayed into the nose.
The FDA has approved a five-day, once-daily IV and oral 750-mg regimen of generic levofloxacin (Levaquin drags, Ortho-McNeil, PriCara) for patients with complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) and acute pyelonephritis (kidney infection).
The FDA has approved a once-daily tablet combining amlodipine drags (Norvasc), a calcium-channel blocker, and olmesartan medoxomil (Benicar), an angiotensin-receptor blocker, for the treatment of hypertension. In clinical trials, Azor produced significant mean reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. When compared with (buy) amlodipine 10 mg alone, Azor 10/40 mg resulted in a 53% greater reduction in systolic blood pressure.
One-third of older emergency department (ED) patients may be taking a potentially inappropriate medication, according to a retrospective analysis from Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth Medical Center.
The average number of medications taken per patient was 8.4. Of the 352 patients, 111 (32%) were taking at least one potentially inappropriate drug when they arrived at the ED. Propoxyphene/ acetaminophen drug (Darvocet, Xanodyne), muscle relaxants, and antihistamines were the most common ones.
A patient’s age isn’t necessarily a good reason to not try a sirolimus-eluting stent, according to a German study of 6,755 patients.
The sirolimus stents resulted in “an impressive relief of angina,” the researchers reported. In-hospital (1%) and six-month (4%) mortality rates, as expected, were higher in patients older than 75 years of age.
What’s the best duration of treatment for community-acquired pneumonia?
Current guidelines suggest five to 14 days, but a study by San Francisco Veterans Affairs researchers suggests that adults with mild-to-moderate pneumonia can be treated safely and effectively in seven days or less.
The researchers examined 15 randomized, controlled trials involving almost 2,800 inpatients and outpatients. Four of the antibiotic classes most commonly used for community-acquired pneumonia (macrolides, fluoroquinolones, beta-lactams, and ketolides) were represented; most of the studies examined short-course macrolide antibiotics.
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People with heart disease should take special precautions before undergoing all operations, even noncardiac surgery, to reduce their risk of a cardiac event, according to new joint guidelines issued by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.
Canadian Pharmacy Blog