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As of this writing, in mid-May, policymaking at the federal level was at a standstill, with lawmakers waiting on two major events: the Supreme Court's June decision on the Affordable Care Act and the November national elections. So, for this month's column, we'll turn our attention to the state level, where policymakers are having another busy year.
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Look for new labeling on combined oral contraceptives (OCs) containing drospirenone following the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) review of studies regarding the risk of blood clots in women using such formulations.
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Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention has taken a giant step forward with a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) committee's recommendation for approval of a specific drug for such use.
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In 1992, reproductive health advocates estimated that widespread use of emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) could prevent half of all U.S. unintended pregnancies and abortions.
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Aspirin can reduce the risk of nonfatal myocardial infarction, but not mortality, in people without coronary vascular disease, at the expense of increased risk of bleeding. It should not be routinely recommended.
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Zinc deficiency is defined as a serum zinc level < 60 mg/dL. Unfortunately, there is some question about the reliability of zinc levels to accurately reflect zinc status, since some persons with prototypic symptoms of zinc deficiency (loss of appetite, diarrhea, hair loss, delayed wound healing, and smell and taste disturbances) have normal zinc levels.
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The FDA has approved a once-weekly treatment for type 2 diabetes. The new product is a subcutaneously administered extended-release form of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, exenatide. Exenatide extended-release is marketed by Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Alkermes PLC as Bydureon.
