http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (HealthDay)—Initiating statin therapy is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, which is not explained by differential survival, according to a study published in the May issue of Diabetes Care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-statins-linked-t2dm.html Diabetes Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:30:01 EST news290700046 The side effects of Australia's most commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs may outweigh the benefits in older people, a new clinical review has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-anti-cholesterol-drugs-good-older-people.html Cardiology Mon, 03 Jun 2013 09:30:01 EST news289469485 (Medical Xpress)—It's likely if you're sick, your doctor is more inclined to prescribe a brand name drug in place of its generic equivalent. Or maybe you would rather pick up some Advil for that headache, instead of the less expensive pharmacy brand of ibuprofen. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-professor-explores-drug-effectiveness.html Medications Mon, 27 May 2013 08:00:01 EST news288859001 Treatment with high potency statins (especially atorvastatin and simvastatin) may increase the risk of developing diabetes, suggests a paper published today in BMJ. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-statin-linked-diabetes.html Diabetes Thu, 23 May 2013 18:30:01 EST news288550995 (HealthDay)—Different types and doses of statins seem to correlate with distinct risks of developing new-onset diabetes mellitus (DM), according to a meta-analysis published in the April 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-new-onset-diabetes-varies-statins.html Cancer Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:50:03 EST news284918936 Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Once colorectal cancer has spread to other parts of the body, only 11 percent of patients will survive five years from the date of their diagnosis. Most colorectal cancers are adenocarcinomas—cancers that begin in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids. Adenocarcinomas begin as benign tumors called adenomas, which become malignant over time. By treating adenomas before they become cancerous, it could be possible to prevent colorectal cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-drug-combinations-treatment-colorectal-tumors.html Cancer Sun, 07 Apr 2013 13:00:16 EST news284554964 (HealthDay News) —Prescription drug prices at U.S. pharmacies can vary widely, and failing to shop around could result in people overpaying by as much as $100 or more a month on average, depending on the drug, a new study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-steep-prescription-drug.html Medications Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:30:01 EST news283698103 Patients taking high potency statins for high blood pressure are at a 34% higher risk of being hospitalised for acute kidney injury (AKI), compared with those taking low potency statins, a paper published today in BMJ suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-high-potency-statins-pose-significantly.html Cardiology Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:53:25 EST news282937999 High doses of a popular cholesterol-lowering drug significantly reduced the rate of acute kidney injury caused by dye used in imaging in acute coronary syndrome patients who underwent a coronary procedure, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session. This group of patients is at high risk for kidney damage related to contrast agents used in imaging tests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-drug-kidney-injury-imaging-dye.html Cardiology Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:30:01 EST news282215641 Problem-plagued Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc. has halted production of generic cholesterol drug Lipitor while it investigates how tiny glass particles got into the ingredients used for dozens of batches of the drug that were recalled in November. It was Ranbaxy's second recall of the drug, called atorvastatin, since August. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-drugmaker-ranbaxy-halts-lipitor-production.html Medications Fri, 30 Nov 2012 12:51:54 EST news273502260 (HealthDay)—People who exercise along with taking statins to lower their high cholesterol levels can dramatically reduce their risk of dying, a large new study suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-statins-lowering-cholesterol.html Cardiology Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:00:25 EST news273339182 (AP)—Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc. has recalled dozens of lots of its generic version of cholesterol drug Lipitor because some may contain tiny glass particles, the latest in a string of manufacturing deficiencies that once led U.S. regulators to bar imports of the Indian company's medicines. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-ranbaxy-recalls-lipitor-doses.html Medications Fri, 23 Nov 2012 09:30:01 EST news272884377 (HealthDay)—Addition of the fully human serum proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 monoclonal antibody, SAR236553, to atorvastatin is associated with greater reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels compared with atorvastatin alone, according to a study published online Oct. 31 in the New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-greater-ldl-atorvastatin-pcsk9-antibody.html Medical research Fri, 02 Nov 2012 13:10:01 EST news271078015 (HealthDay) -- The widely used class of cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins may help elderly patients with high blood pressure avoid developing atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm abnormality tied to stroke. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-statins-irregular-heartbeat-elderly.html Cardiology Thu, 10 May 2012 05:50:01 EST news255844496 (HealthDay) -- Administration of REGN727, a monoclonal antibody to proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9), significantly reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, according to the results of three phase 1 studies published in the March 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-regn727-monoclonal-antibody-lowers-ldl.html Cardiology Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:49:03 EST news251610535 US officials sought a "groundbreaking" injunction against Indian drug giant Ranbaxy on Wednesday, saying the maker of the first generic version of cholesterol-lowering Lipitor has failed to meet US safety guidelines. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-injunction-indian-drug-firm-ranbaxy.html Medications Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:26:32 EST news246774363 In the United States, the cost paid for statins (drugs to lower cholesterol) in people under the age of 65 who have private insurance is approximately 400 percent higher than comparable costs paid by the government in the United Kingdom (U.K.). These findings, from the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program, are the first results of a comprehensive comparison of prescription drug costs between the U.S. and U.K. The study appears on-line in the journal Pharmacotherapy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-statin-percent-higher-uk.html Medications Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:55:09 EST news244994100 Sales of cholesterol blockbuster Lipitor plunged by half barely a week after the world's top-selling drug got its first U.S. generic competition, new data show. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-rivals-lipitor-sales-halved.html Medications Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:02 EST news243578929 Indian pharmaceutical giant Ranbaxy won US regulatory approval to make the first generic version of cholesterol lowering drug Lipitor, a Pfizer product whose patent expired Wednesday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-india-ranbaxy-lipitor.html Medications Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:11:07 EST news241927215 Pfizer's patent on the best-selling drug of all-time, the cholesterol-lowering medication Lipitor, expired on Wednesday, opening the path to generic competitors for America's most popular medication. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-pfizer-blockbuster-drug-lipitor.html Medications Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:31:46 EST news241882296 Maximum doses of Crestor (rosuvastatin) or Lipitor (atorvastatin) are similarly effective in reversing the buildup of cholesterol plaques in the coronary artery walls (atherosclerosis) after 24 months of treatment, according to Cleveland Clinic researchers. The extent of reversal of atherosclerosis observed in this trial was unprecedented and was achieved with excellent drug safety. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-statin-drugs-similarly-effective-reversing.html Cardiology Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:42:21 EST news240576115 Atorvastatin therapy was found to be ineffective in reducing atherosclerosis progression in children and adolescents with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Results of the Atherosclerosis Prevention in Pediatric Lupus Erythematosus (APPLE) Trial, now available in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), report that the statin therapy did trend toward positive effect of treatment and may benefit patients with more severe SLE who were not included in the trial. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-statin-therapy-atherosclerosis-pediatric-lupus.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 27 Oct 2011 03:46:31 EST news238905970 The death rate among patients prescribed a statin in a major trial that ended in 2003 is still lower than those given a placebo, even though most participants in both groups have been taking statins ever since. ASCOT, the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial, was stopped early because the statin was so effective at preventing heart attacks and strokes, but a new analysis has shown that eight years on, the most significant difference between the groups is a reduction in deaths from infection and respiratory illness. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-statins-deaths-infection-respiratory-illness.html Cardiology Sun, 28 Aug 2011 12:29:31 EST news233753355 Among patients who have had an ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), type 2 diabetes was associated with an increased risk of recurrent stroke or cardiovascular events, but metabolic syndrome was not, according to a report published Online First today by Archives of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-diabetes-linked-higher-cv-problems.html Neuroscience Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:00:01 EST news227199587