One of the latest generation of cholesterol-lowering drugs that raised much controversy when a leading medical journal questioned the drugs effectiveness. Is Vytorin any better than older cholesterol-lowering drugs like Lipitor?
By: Vanessa Uy
Ever since that damning editorial by the New England Journal of Medicine came out questioning the effectiveness of Vytorin in reducing plaque build up which might lead to heart attack later. It not only shocked the medical community, but also to thousands of patients who were prescribed by their doctors to take the drug. Others in the medical community also questioned the wisdom of promoting and prescribing Vytorin even though there are older and therefore much cheaper drugs - like Lipitor for example – are still very effective in their cholesterol-lowering role. But before we condemn Vytorin, let’s examine first what’s going for it.
Vytorin is a cholesterol-lowering drug and is composed by a combination of two drugs, namely simvastatin (Zocor) and ezetimibe (Zetia). When Vytorin is prescribed, it is used along with a special diet and an exercise regimen to lower the amount of fatty material in the blood. Namely triglycerides and low density lipoproteins (LDL) sometimes called “bad cholesterol” because it will build up into fatty plaque deposits that increases the body’s risk of heart attacks. The two components Vytorin works in a different way to lower the levels of fat in the blood. Normally, our liver produces most of the cholesterol that we need to maintain a healthy balance. Cholesterol in the right amount is vital in the proper maintenance of our nervous system. One of Vytorin’s components simvastatin works by interrupting the process of the liver’s cholesterol production, the other one ezetimibe, works by reducing the amount of dietary bad cholesterol that can be absorbed by the intestines.
Vytorin should only be prescribed if diet, exercise, and weight loss fail to bring down the patient’s cholesterol levels under control. The doctor may prescribe Vytorin if the patient’s risk factors for coronary heart disease is high and when the patient’s cholesterol level is above 130 mg / dL. The drug is also prescribed to patients whose cholesterol levels are above 190 mg / dL, even if their risk factors for coronary heart disease are low.
A disadvantage of Vytorin is that quite a number of the population shows allergic reactions to the two main components of the drug, namely simvastatin (Zocor) and ezetimibe (Zetia). The precautions of taking the drug are quite numerous. Pregnant and lactating women are not allowed to take Vytorin because it might affect the child’s nervous system development. Patients with impaired liver function should not be allowed to take Vytorin because the drug will further tax their compromised liver. Though Vytorin should not be taken when the patient had recently or will about to drink alcoholic beverages. Even seemingly innocuous drinks - such as grapefruit juice – can have an adverse interaction with the drug. Vytorin can cause breakdown of the muscle tissue that can lead to serious kidney damage and even death from kidney failure.
Any doctor who is familiar with cholesterol-lowering drugs could conclude that the precautions in taking and prescribing Vytorin is somewhat similar to other common cholesterol-lowering medication like Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium). But should the patient suffer through these unfortunate side effects even if current medical research had shown that Vytorin is no more – even less – effective in lowering cholesterol when compared to older drugs like Lipitor? Maybe we should be campaigning for more awareness of healthier diets and lifestyles at the school level, rather than treating the effects of obesity and high cholesterol via a magic pill. This would drastically reduce the burden of our health care infrastructure.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Caffeine – A health Supplement?
Ever since coffee was touted as a health tonic because it contains beneficial antioxidants, every government approved health supplement manufacturer has been jumping on the bandwagon. But should everyone beware of caffeine’s possible risks?
By: Vanessa Uy
From caffeine containing wake-up pills to cellulite removal cremes, it seems like this primary component of our morning coffee has become the health tonic du jour almost overnight. Apart from the somewhat still disputed claims of the health benefits of anti-oxidants found in our age-old drinks like coffee and tea, caffeine’s effects for boosting our metabolism is well-known – as is its dangers to our cardiovascular system when taken in high doses. Nonetheless, caffeine made possible the efficient running of the North American Space Command’s Cheyenne Mountain complex. And it has performed these and other thankless tasks despite the miserly praise.
The cosmetic arm of the healthcare industry has been exploiting caffeine’s ability to improve our skin’s aesthetics by adding it to various topical creams ranging from spray-on tans to cellulite removal cream. Though its effectiveness ranges from the just noticeable to marketing on a yet-to-be-understood-human-physiological-function. But first, let’s briefly examine the rational behind these caffeine-containing products.
Cellulite elimination creams exploit on our skin’s ability to absorb caffeine through our skin, increasing our metabolic rate. Thus allowing us to burn excess fat with somewhat increased ease. Cellulite elimination creams work but only in conjunction with an exercise regime. Though losing weight by this means can increase the workload of your liver and lymphatic system, not to mention your own heart rate.
Caffeine containing shampoos – though pricey – has steadily gained widespread acceptance due to user’s positive testimonials. Caffeine containing shampoos can make your hair grow back and is the most commonly prescribed cure against hormonally induced baldness. Since too much testosterone – especially in men – is the leading cause of baldness, women with hormonal imbalances – though rarely - are also affected, thus the market for these shampoos are not restricted by gender. But the science backing up this product is somewhat misleading. Caffeine containing shampoos’ positive laboratory results are due to the product being tested on hair culture, not on the actual scalps of human test subjects. Nevertheless, the skin improving benefits of topically applied caffeine is retained despite the product’s being on the knife-edge of being to costly compared to the much-touted yet marginal benefits.
Caffeine containing pills works – no ifs and buts – but consult first with your General Practitioner before using such products if you have a preexisting heart or other cardiovascular condition. Heavily featured in ads since the end of World War II as wake-up pills and weight loss pills, caffeine containing pills should be used with caution since they contain as much caffeine as ten cups of coffee, some even more. Also, if you’re daily diet includes chocolate, tea and coffee. Caffeine containing pills certainly are not a good idea.
Caffeine certainly has benefits for our health and well being. Latest research shows that moderate amounts can stave off heart attacks, strokes, and other coronary afflictions. Also, caffeine improves our skin appearance, improves our alertness, and lets face it without it, our now industrialized labor-intensive civilization will grind to a halt without it. But, in my personal experience, caffeine is better taken via our regular cup of coffee. Not only that it is less expensive compared to other alternatives, but its more effective – albeit slower acting – compared to the competition. And coffee drinking provides the much-needed job security of coffee growers were the majority of which resides in the more economically depressed parts of our planet.
By: Vanessa Uy
From caffeine containing wake-up pills to cellulite removal cremes, it seems like this primary component of our morning coffee has become the health tonic du jour almost overnight. Apart from the somewhat still disputed claims of the health benefits of anti-oxidants found in our age-old drinks like coffee and tea, caffeine’s effects for boosting our metabolism is well-known – as is its dangers to our cardiovascular system when taken in high doses. Nonetheless, caffeine made possible the efficient running of the North American Space Command’s Cheyenne Mountain complex. And it has performed these and other thankless tasks despite the miserly praise.
The cosmetic arm of the healthcare industry has been exploiting caffeine’s ability to improve our skin’s aesthetics by adding it to various topical creams ranging from spray-on tans to cellulite removal cream. Though its effectiveness ranges from the just noticeable to marketing on a yet-to-be-understood-human-physiological-function. But first, let’s briefly examine the rational behind these caffeine-containing products.
Cellulite elimination creams exploit on our skin’s ability to absorb caffeine through our skin, increasing our metabolic rate. Thus allowing us to burn excess fat with somewhat increased ease. Cellulite elimination creams work but only in conjunction with an exercise regime. Though losing weight by this means can increase the workload of your liver and lymphatic system, not to mention your own heart rate.
Caffeine containing shampoos – though pricey – has steadily gained widespread acceptance due to user’s positive testimonials. Caffeine containing shampoos can make your hair grow back and is the most commonly prescribed cure against hormonally induced baldness. Since too much testosterone – especially in men – is the leading cause of baldness, women with hormonal imbalances – though rarely - are also affected, thus the market for these shampoos are not restricted by gender. But the science backing up this product is somewhat misleading. Caffeine containing shampoos’ positive laboratory results are due to the product being tested on hair culture, not on the actual scalps of human test subjects. Nevertheless, the skin improving benefits of topically applied caffeine is retained despite the product’s being on the knife-edge of being to costly compared to the much-touted yet marginal benefits.
Caffeine containing pills works – no ifs and buts – but consult first with your General Practitioner before using such products if you have a preexisting heart or other cardiovascular condition. Heavily featured in ads since the end of World War II as wake-up pills and weight loss pills, caffeine containing pills should be used with caution since they contain as much caffeine as ten cups of coffee, some even more. Also, if you’re daily diet includes chocolate, tea and coffee. Caffeine containing pills certainly are not a good idea.
Caffeine certainly has benefits for our health and well being. Latest research shows that moderate amounts can stave off heart attacks, strokes, and other coronary afflictions. Also, caffeine improves our skin appearance, improves our alertness, and lets face it without it, our now industrialized labor-intensive civilization will grind to a halt without it. But, in my personal experience, caffeine is better taken via our regular cup of coffee. Not only that it is less expensive compared to other alternatives, but its more effective – albeit slower acting – compared to the competition. And coffee drinking provides the much-needed job security of coffee growers were the majority of which resides in the more economically depressed parts of our planet.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Of Thimerosal and Autism
It was known for quite a long time that mercury and its compounds causes neurological damage to the human body when taken internally. Yet we use a compound of mercury to preserve vaccines to be given to kids, is this just an unfortunate oversight?
By: Vanessa Uy
Our present pluralistic society – for all intents and purposes – is knowledge and information based. Unfortunately kids afflicted with autism are unjustly barred from participation. Forever imprisoned in a fantasy world that’s far removed from existing reality, thus denying them from enjoying the fruits of contemporary society. Sadder still, their autism might had been prevented if the clear and present danger posed by thimerosal was recognized and acted upon.
For sometime now, the dangers posed by mercury poisoning was portrayed in children’s literature. Remember the “Mad Hatter” character in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”? The Mad Hatter’s moniker is taken from the Victorian-era England expression “mad as a hatter” describing furriers / hat makers suffering from mercury poisoning due to chemical compounds of mercury being used in the fur industry.
Even Isaac Newton suffered from mercury poisoning induced dementia during his latter years. This was due to his secretive interest of an esoteric mystical Medieval Jewish practice of Cabbalah – together with Medieval Alchemy – allows anyone to turn base metals into gold. The bad news is there are “rituals” which the practitioner exposes himself or herself with toxic levels of mercury vapor. Is this the primary reason why modern practitioners of Cabbalah speak with an annoyingly fake British accent, especially aging celebrities?
Even though the use of thimerosal as a vaccine preservative has been discontinued since 1999, older lots are still being stocked on the clinic shelves. The furor over thimerosal and its link to the increased incidence of autism in kids has been dismissed as groundless by most of the medical community, even though the community-at-large has been aware of the dangers of mercury poisoning for some time now. The medical community say that the amount of thimerosal being used as a preservative in vaccines are way below toxic levels, never mind causing neurological damage. But nevertheless, the medical community and drug companies choose to discontinue the use of thimerosal as a vaccine preservative due to “political pressure” rather than genuine results from scientific research that point to the relationship between autism and the mercury-based vaccine preservative thimerosal.
Even at present, there are quite a number of concerned parents who opt not to inoculate their kids due to the autism-causing vaccine preservative thimerosal. That’s politics overriding reason in action for you. If these people continue to delude themselves with an unfounded paranoia, may I suggest using chelating agents like British Anti-Lewisite or other emergency treatment reserved only to infantrymen exposed to a chemical weapon attack? Let’s hope their kid’s liver and kidneys are strong enough to endure medical regimens like BAL.
By: Vanessa Uy
Our present pluralistic society – for all intents and purposes – is knowledge and information based. Unfortunately kids afflicted with autism are unjustly barred from participation. Forever imprisoned in a fantasy world that’s far removed from existing reality, thus denying them from enjoying the fruits of contemporary society. Sadder still, their autism might had been prevented if the clear and present danger posed by thimerosal was recognized and acted upon.
For sometime now, the dangers posed by mercury poisoning was portrayed in children’s literature. Remember the “Mad Hatter” character in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”? The Mad Hatter’s moniker is taken from the Victorian-era England expression “mad as a hatter” describing furriers / hat makers suffering from mercury poisoning due to chemical compounds of mercury being used in the fur industry.
Even Isaac Newton suffered from mercury poisoning induced dementia during his latter years. This was due to his secretive interest of an esoteric mystical Medieval Jewish practice of Cabbalah – together with Medieval Alchemy – allows anyone to turn base metals into gold. The bad news is there are “rituals” which the practitioner exposes himself or herself with toxic levels of mercury vapor. Is this the primary reason why modern practitioners of Cabbalah speak with an annoyingly fake British accent, especially aging celebrities?
Even though the use of thimerosal as a vaccine preservative has been discontinued since 1999, older lots are still being stocked on the clinic shelves. The furor over thimerosal and its link to the increased incidence of autism in kids has been dismissed as groundless by most of the medical community, even though the community-at-large has been aware of the dangers of mercury poisoning for some time now. The medical community say that the amount of thimerosal being used as a preservative in vaccines are way below toxic levels, never mind causing neurological damage. But nevertheless, the medical community and drug companies choose to discontinue the use of thimerosal as a vaccine preservative due to “political pressure” rather than genuine results from scientific research that point to the relationship between autism and the mercury-based vaccine preservative thimerosal.
Even at present, there are quite a number of concerned parents who opt not to inoculate their kids due to the autism-causing vaccine preservative thimerosal. That’s politics overriding reason in action for you. If these people continue to delude themselves with an unfounded paranoia, may I suggest using chelating agents like British Anti-Lewisite or other emergency treatment reserved only to infantrymen exposed to a chemical weapon attack? Let’s hope their kid’s liver and kidneys are strong enough to endure medical regimens like BAL.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Obesity: A Rapidly Growing Public Health Crisis?
Used to be confined to affluent nations, but now obesity is spreading to developing nations that a generation ago barely has enough to eat. Will proper diet and exercise reverse the trend?
By: Vanessa Uy
Latest trends around the world show that diseases related to overeating like obesity, cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes is on the rise. Physicians and other health consultants had time and again been extolling the virtues of regular exercise and a proper diet, but in this day and age, such regimented routines are easier said than done.
Since the dominance of the fast food industry which started in the last 40 years, the concept and the practice of a proper diet / nutrition had become an increasingly difficult routine as the years go by. Foods saturated with unhealthy levels of saturated fats and sugars while deficient in vitamins and other essential nutrients had become a staple in the fast food industry. So if one is living in a highly urbanized area - chances are - he or she will have an unhealthy diet since a “proper meal” is either too labor intensive to prepare or deemed too expensive for our urban poor brethren.
What about regular exercise? If you are particularly well off that expensive gym membership won’t be an issue for you, then you can sweat it out with your heart’s content – but first consult with your physician on the type of exercise regimen that’s right for you. But in sympathy to our urban poor brethren who can’t even walk home after leaving their workplace because this means passing through a “bad neighborhood” just highlights the issues of the difficulties of maintaining a healthy body while living in an highly urbanized environment. But if you manage to find a dietary and exercise routine that works despite the difficulties of living in an “Urban War Zone”, then good for you.
The greatest affliction affecting those who have difficulty “losing those pounds” is type-2 diabetes. Type-2 diabetes results from overeating in which your pancreas can’t process the excess sugar in your bloodstream resulting from excessive caloric intake (too much food). This is different from type-1 diabetes, which is a result of a hereditary / genetic disorder when one’s own immune system destroys the part of their pancreas that produced insulin, thus requiring regular insulin shots just to stay healthy and or alive. With proper diet and exercise, one can escape the “nightmare” of type-2 diabetes. But every pound or kilo you lose can make a difference.
By: Vanessa Uy
Latest trends around the world show that diseases related to overeating like obesity, cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes is on the rise. Physicians and other health consultants had time and again been extolling the virtues of regular exercise and a proper diet, but in this day and age, such regimented routines are easier said than done.
Since the dominance of the fast food industry which started in the last 40 years, the concept and the practice of a proper diet / nutrition had become an increasingly difficult routine as the years go by. Foods saturated with unhealthy levels of saturated fats and sugars while deficient in vitamins and other essential nutrients had become a staple in the fast food industry. So if one is living in a highly urbanized area - chances are - he or she will have an unhealthy diet since a “proper meal” is either too labor intensive to prepare or deemed too expensive for our urban poor brethren.
What about regular exercise? If you are particularly well off that expensive gym membership won’t be an issue for you, then you can sweat it out with your heart’s content – but first consult with your physician on the type of exercise regimen that’s right for you. But in sympathy to our urban poor brethren who can’t even walk home after leaving their workplace because this means passing through a “bad neighborhood” just highlights the issues of the difficulties of maintaining a healthy body while living in an highly urbanized environment. But if you manage to find a dietary and exercise routine that works despite the difficulties of living in an “Urban War Zone”, then good for you.
The greatest affliction affecting those who have difficulty “losing those pounds” is type-2 diabetes. Type-2 diabetes results from overeating in which your pancreas can’t process the excess sugar in your bloodstream resulting from excessive caloric intake (too much food). This is different from type-1 diabetes, which is a result of a hereditary / genetic disorder when one’s own immune system destroys the part of their pancreas that produced insulin, thus requiring regular insulin shots just to stay healthy and or alive. With proper diet and exercise, one can escape the “nightmare” of type-2 diabetes. But every pound or kilo you lose can make a difference.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Bextra: 21st Century Thalidomide
Despite existing strict safeguards, drugs with unknown side effects still manage to get through current well- established screening programs.
By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy
It’s quite ironic that a drug formulated to relieve pain became known as: “the cure worse than the disease.” The drug Bextra –also known by it’s generic name as valdecoxib- that is marketed by the drug firm G.D. Searle and Company, was a popular pain reliever often used to treat the symptoms (i.e. pain) of rheumatoid arthritis and osteo arthritis in adults. The drug was recalled once it was linked to life threatening side effects including the autoimmune disorder Stevens Johnson syndrome, heart attacks, and strokes. Bextra was recalled from market circulation, however, the action came too late for the thousands of Bextra users who were harmed by the drug.
Drugs that manage to enter the market before their serious side effects are fully known is by no means a recent phenomenon. Back in 1960, thalidomide was this supposedly über-harmless sedative which was later found out to be a serious teratogen i.e. affects fetal development. Physicians in the then West Germany began noticing a spike in the occurrence of birth defects of one particular type. The babies are affected with phocomelia (from the Greek words: phoke, a seal, and melos, a limb). Toward the end of 1961 a persistent German pediatrician, Dr. Widukind Lenz tracked down thalidomide as the agent responsible in the case of the seal babies. Thalidomide usage had then spread from Germany to other European countries as well as to Canada, South America, Japan, and the Near East. In November 1961 the German manufacturer of thalidomide halted production, but the total number of thalidomide affected babies ultimately exceeded 5,000 in Germany and at least 1,000 in other countries.
At the time, American mothers were spared of the “full brunt” of the “thalidomide disaster” through the diligence of Frances Kelsey, a doctor then working for the US Food and Drug Administration. An American drug company had then applied for permission from the FDA to distribute the drug in the US, but Dr. Kelsey repeatedly refused to approve the application until she had conclusive evidence of thalidomide’s safety. When the news of the “thalidomide disaster” in Germany spread, the manufacturers withdrew their application to market thalidomide. Meanwhile, however, the drug companies had already sent out some thousands of free samples to physicians. Fortunately only a few of those got taken by pregnant women: American thalidomide babies numbered less than ten, and most of them were caused by pills brought in from Europe.
Recently, the drug firm involved with the marketing of Bextra is now resolving personal injury tort claims of the thousands of affected users via structured settlement. Is the Bextra incident a sign of increasing complacency of the established consumer product “watchdog” arm of the FDA? If so, then we the taxpayers deserve something better to get our money’s worth. Isn’t it what our taxes are for in the first place?
By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy
It’s quite ironic that a drug formulated to relieve pain became known as: “the cure worse than the disease.” The drug Bextra –also known by it’s generic name as valdecoxib- that is marketed by the drug firm G.D. Searle and Company, was a popular pain reliever often used to treat the symptoms (i.e. pain) of rheumatoid arthritis and osteo arthritis in adults. The drug was recalled once it was linked to life threatening side effects including the autoimmune disorder Stevens Johnson syndrome, heart attacks, and strokes. Bextra was recalled from market circulation, however, the action came too late for the thousands of Bextra users who were harmed by the drug.
Drugs that manage to enter the market before their serious side effects are fully known is by no means a recent phenomenon. Back in 1960, thalidomide was this supposedly über-harmless sedative which was later found out to be a serious teratogen i.e. affects fetal development. Physicians in the then West Germany began noticing a spike in the occurrence of birth defects of one particular type. The babies are affected with phocomelia (from the Greek words: phoke, a seal, and melos, a limb). Toward the end of 1961 a persistent German pediatrician, Dr. Widukind Lenz tracked down thalidomide as the agent responsible in the case of the seal babies. Thalidomide usage had then spread from Germany to other European countries as well as to Canada, South America, Japan, and the Near East. In November 1961 the German manufacturer of thalidomide halted production, but the total number of thalidomide affected babies ultimately exceeded 5,000 in Germany and at least 1,000 in other countries.
At the time, American mothers were spared of the “full brunt” of the “thalidomide disaster” through the diligence of Frances Kelsey, a doctor then working for the US Food and Drug Administration. An American drug company had then applied for permission from the FDA to distribute the drug in the US, but Dr. Kelsey repeatedly refused to approve the application until she had conclusive evidence of thalidomide’s safety. When the news of the “thalidomide disaster” in Germany spread, the manufacturers withdrew their application to market thalidomide. Meanwhile, however, the drug companies had already sent out some thousands of free samples to physicians. Fortunately only a few of those got taken by pregnant women: American thalidomide babies numbered less than ten, and most of them were caused by pills brought in from Europe.
Recently, the drug firm involved with the marketing of Bextra is now resolving personal injury tort claims of the thousands of affected users via structured settlement. Is the Bextra incident a sign of increasing complacency of the established consumer product “watchdog” arm of the FDA? If so, then we the taxpayers deserve something better to get our money’s worth. Isn’t it what our taxes are for in the first place?
Vioxx: Beyond Pain Relief?
Is it due to the current profit driven health care system/industry that drugs with undesirable side effects still manage to enter the market?
By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy
Ever since the discovery of aspirin over a hundred years ago, medical science had been busy searching / designing for a substitute drug that’s just as effective in managing pain without aspirin’s broad-spectrum somewhat undesirable side effects. One of these drugs is Vioxx whose generic name is rofecoxib. Vioxx / rofecoxib is a non steroidal anti-inflamatory drug (NSAID for short) developed by the drug firm Merck and Company to treat osteoarthritis, acute pain conditions, and dismenorrhoea. Rofecoxib was approved as safe and effective by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 20, 1999 and was subsequently marketed under the brand name Vioxx, Ceoxx, and Ceeoxx.
Ever since FDA approval, rofecoxib gained widespread acceptance. Over 80 million people were prescribed rofecoxib at some time. On September 30, 2004, Merck voluntarily withdrew rofecoxib from the market because of concerns about increased risks of heart attack and stroke associated with long term high-dosage use of the drug. Rofecoxib was one of the most widely used drugs ever to be withdrawn from the market. Vioxx was Merck’s “Golden Goose” because it made them US$ 2.5 billion.
Merck’s withdrawal of Vioxx from the market is by no means an open and shut case. There’s the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) “controversy” on the Vioxx trial where certain data submitted to the FDA were not published in the NEJM article about the evaluation of Vioxx. The risks of prescribing rofecoxib to patients with pre existing cardiovascular disorders was found during the 2000 – 2001 Merck studies to find out if rofecoxib slows down the onset of Alzheimer’s disease or if the drug is a potential cure.
It’s quite unfortunate that Vioxx / rofecoxib was riddled with controversy like the other NSAID type drug Bextra / valdecoxib were the extent of the effects on the human cardiovascular system was not immediately known during the drug’s evaluation process. The rationale behind major drug companies producing and developing these kinds of drugs is sound because the medical community had always been searching for a substitute drug for aspirin in applications where it’s broad- spectrum of physiological effects would make it an undesirable choice. Lets not forget that if aspirin were to go through the stringency of current FDA standards of evaluation, it would never be approved for human use due to its broad –spectrum of physiological effects. Aspirin is primarily used as an analgesic and pain reliever but it also works as a mild anti-coagulant which it is used as a heart attack “preventive” for patients who are at risk for this. But aspirin’s use for this purpose requires a doctor’s supervision.
Despite of a number of drugs with attendant controversies, the medical community can’t immediately rule out their possible future potential applications. Studies have shown that Vioxx / rofecoxib is a potential Alzheimer’s disease preventive and / or possible cure. There was an article in Nature about how the teratogenic effects of thalidomide was “overlooked” because the drug doesn’t affect significantly the developing embryos of rabbits – the standard lab animal then in use back in the 1950’s - while the teratogenic nature of thalidomide was clearly evident in higher primates. Despite of thalidomide’s dangerous side effects, it has been recently used once again but this time it’s in the treatment of heart failure patients. Back in 2005, a BBC World documentary titled “Kill or Cure” featured recent trials of thalidomide being used as treatment of heart failure patients. This caused howls of protests from various thalidomide victims’ organizations around Europe criticizing the medical communities’ “failure to learn from history.”
When it comes to developing new and better drugs, the recent realities of the uneasy “marriage” between the drug industry and the medical community will always result in a “convoluted” path in drug evaluation and marketing. This is due to the results of trying to balance the demands of making a profit while staying true to the “Hippocratic Oath.”
By: Ringo Bones and Vanessa Uy
Ever since the discovery of aspirin over a hundred years ago, medical science had been busy searching / designing for a substitute drug that’s just as effective in managing pain without aspirin’s broad-spectrum somewhat undesirable side effects. One of these drugs is Vioxx whose generic name is rofecoxib. Vioxx / rofecoxib is a non steroidal anti-inflamatory drug (NSAID for short) developed by the drug firm Merck and Company to treat osteoarthritis, acute pain conditions, and dismenorrhoea. Rofecoxib was approved as safe and effective by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 20, 1999 and was subsequently marketed under the brand name Vioxx, Ceoxx, and Ceeoxx.
Ever since FDA approval, rofecoxib gained widespread acceptance. Over 80 million people were prescribed rofecoxib at some time. On September 30, 2004, Merck voluntarily withdrew rofecoxib from the market because of concerns about increased risks of heart attack and stroke associated with long term high-dosage use of the drug. Rofecoxib was one of the most widely used drugs ever to be withdrawn from the market. Vioxx was Merck’s “Golden Goose” because it made them US$ 2.5 billion.
Merck’s withdrawal of Vioxx from the market is by no means an open and shut case. There’s the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) “controversy” on the Vioxx trial where certain data submitted to the FDA were not published in the NEJM article about the evaluation of Vioxx. The risks of prescribing rofecoxib to patients with pre existing cardiovascular disorders was found during the 2000 – 2001 Merck studies to find out if rofecoxib slows down the onset of Alzheimer’s disease or if the drug is a potential cure.
It’s quite unfortunate that Vioxx / rofecoxib was riddled with controversy like the other NSAID type drug Bextra / valdecoxib were the extent of the effects on the human cardiovascular system was not immediately known during the drug’s evaluation process. The rationale behind major drug companies producing and developing these kinds of drugs is sound because the medical community had always been searching for a substitute drug for aspirin in applications where it’s broad- spectrum of physiological effects would make it an undesirable choice. Lets not forget that if aspirin were to go through the stringency of current FDA standards of evaluation, it would never be approved for human use due to its broad –spectrum of physiological effects. Aspirin is primarily used as an analgesic and pain reliever but it also works as a mild anti-coagulant which it is used as a heart attack “preventive” for patients who are at risk for this. But aspirin’s use for this purpose requires a doctor’s supervision.
Despite of a number of drugs with attendant controversies, the medical community can’t immediately rule out their possible future potential applications. Studies have shown that Vioxx / rofecoxib is a potential Alzheimer’s disease preventive and / or possible cure. There was an article in Nature about how the teratogenic effects of thalidomide was “overlooked” because the drug doesn’t affect significantly the developing embryos of rabbits – the standard lab animal then in use back in the 1950’s - while the teratogenic nature of thalidomide was clearly evident in higher primates. Despite of thalidomide’s dangerous side effects, it has been recently used once again but this time it’s in the treatment of heart failure patients. Back in 2005, a BBC World documentary titled “Kill or Cure” featured recent trials of thalidomide being used as treatment of heart failure patients. This caused howls of protests from various thalidomide victims’ organizations around Europe criticizing the medical communities’ “failure to learn from history.”
When it comes to developing new and better drugs, the recent realities of the uneasy “marriage” between the drug industry and the medical community will always result in a “convoluted” path in drug evaluation and marketing. This is due to the results of trying to balance the demands of making a profit while staying true to the “Hippocratic Oath.”
Psychotherapy: Humbug?
As depression becomes a public health issue, how can an increasingly skeptical public benefit from the fruits of modern psychotherapy?
By: Vanessa Uy
If one dares to point a finger on who destroyed the credibility of modern / contemporary psychotherapy, then the blame should be directed at the current American pop culture. Ever since the TV series “The Sopranos” gained it’s legions of fans, the folks who mistrust modern psychotherapy finally gained a platform in which their “statement” finally got the “sex appeal” it badly deserves. Or is it the “Soprano” – spoof movie “Analyze This” and the sequel “Analyze That” where the Italian-American community’s mistrust of “shrinks” finally got worldwide mass-media attention. And what about the famous actor Tom Cruise airing his views on the science of psychology as a whole during his appearance on the TV talk show “Oprah”. It seems like America has abandoned her faith on psychotherapy, but it isn’t always been this way.
Back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s - friends of mine who are old enough to have experienced first hand the worldwide cultural phenomena called Guns N’ Roses. They also remembered on how the practice of seeing shrinks / psychotherapists / psychoanalysts became fashionable even though those who visit one are not currently suffering any known mental illness. The band’s mercurial frontman – W. Axl Rose – never forgot to mention during his press interviews about the virtues of “shrinks” i.e. psychotherapists. Back then, it’s even fashionable to visit to shrinks and “chill out” with one even though it was (is) a somewhat expensive proposition at 75 to 100 US dollars- an- hour. At that time, Newsweek and Time even criticized the peoples growing over reliance on shrinks. There’s even a blurb about talking someone out of his or her diabetes (!). But during the same time in the Philippines, the existing sentiments on shrinks are pretty much like the TV series “The Sopranos”. Back in 1989- era Philippines, only “crazy people” i.e. the mentally ill went to shrinks. Even though this is my view, I know of native New Yorkers of Filipino ancestry who says that Filipino’s distrust of shrinks / psychotherapists are born of “repressed Catholic anti-Semitism”. Is this because of what Sigmund Freud said that he is Jewish- by- race- and- not-by-religion as an expression of Jewish pride in defiance of Nazi-era Germany?
Today, the Filipino society – in general – don’t trust modern psychotherapy. The existing idea that only the mentally ill visit shrinks is still the norm. Ironically, the practice of astrology, fortune telling and other Gypsy / Roma style mysticism are used as substitute for legitimate psychoanalysis by the very rich and local celebrities. To me, it’s their loss.
By: Vanessa Uy
If one dares to point a finger on who destroyed the credibility of modern / contemporary psychotherapy, then the blame should be directed at the current American pop culture. Ever since the TV series “The Sopranos” gained it’s legions of fans, the folks who mistrust modern psychotherapy finally gained a platform in which their “statement” finally got the “sex appeal” it badly deserves. Or is it the “Soprano” – spoof movie “Analyze This” and the sequel “Analyze That” where the Italian-American community’s mistrust of “shrinks” finally got worldwide mass-media attention. And what about the famous actor Tom Cruise airing his views on the science of psychology as a whole during his appearance on the TV talk show “Oprah”. It seems like America has abandoned her faith on psychotherapy, but it isn’t always been this way.
Back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s - friends of mine who are old enough to have experienced first hand the worldwide cultural phenomena called Guns N’ Roses. They also remembered on how the practice of seeing shrinks / psychotherapists / psychoanalysts became fashionable even though those who visit one are not currently suffering any known mental illness. The band’s mercurial frontman – W. Axl Rose – never forgot to mention during his press interviews about the virtues of “shrinks” i.e. psychotherapists. Back then, it’s even fashionable to visit to shrinks and “chill out” with one even though it was (is) a somewhat expensive proposition at 75 to 100 US dollars- an- hour. At that time, Newsweek and Time even criticized the peoples growing over reliance on shrinks. There’s even a blurb about talking someone out of his or her diabetes (!). But during the same time in the Philippines, the existing sentiments on shrinks are pretty much like the TV series “The Sopranos”. Back in 1989- era Philippines, only “crazy people” i.e. the mentally ill went to shrinks. Even though this is my view, I know of native New Yorkers of Filipino ancestry who says that Filipino’s distrust of shrinks / psychotherapists are born of “repressed Catholic anti-Semitism”. Is this because of what Sigmund Freud said that he is Jewish- by- race- and- not-by-religion as an expression of Jewish pride in defiance of Nazi-era Germany?
Today, the Filipino society – in general – don’t trust modern psychotherapy. The existing idea that only the mentally ill visit shrinks is still the norm. Ironically, the practice of astrology, fortune telling and other Gypsy / Roma style mysticism are used as substitute for legitimate psychoanalysis by the very rich and local celebrities. To me, it’s their loss.
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