My Clinical Trials Diary

Shri Arun Madhavan's talk at Purna Pragnya. He speaks of what the children of Purna Pragnya must feel when they leave after finishing their studies. He gives a glimpse of the fundamentally simple meaning of our life.

FDA Decides Not to Ban Avandia, but Puts Restrictions on How It’s Used. By Daniel J. DeNoon WebMD Health News Sept. 23, 2010 -- The FDA will not ban Avandia -- but stringent restrictions will make it far harder for doctors to prescribe the safety-troubled diabetes drug. The European Medicines Agency took harsher action. European sales of Avandia-containing drugs will be suspended over the next few months, although the agency did not formally withdraw approval. The 600,000 U.S. patients currently taking Avandia can continue to take the drug only if their doctors officially attest that their patients understand the risks, that the drug is helping them, and that no other diabetes drug can keep their blood sugar under control. New Avandia prescriptions can only be written for patients who, for medical reasons, cannot take Actos . Actos, a diabetes medication in the same class as Avandia, does not cause the heart problems linked to Avandia. "Avandia will be ava...

Once-Daily Capsules Cut MS Relapses, Delay Progression   By Daniel J. DeNoon WebMD Health News   Sept. 22, 2010 -- The FDA today approved Novartis' Gilenya, the first oral drug for multiple sclerosis (MS). Gilenya (formerly spelled Gilenia, generic name fingolimod) last June received the overwhelming approval of an FDA expert advisory panel. Gilenya treats the relapsing form of MS. The drug significantly reduces MS attacks. However, it has serious side effects, with possible heart, lung, and eye toxicity and increased risk of infection. Patients must be closely monitored, and regular eye exams are advised. In MS, white blood cells attack the myelin sheaths that protect nerve cells. Gilenya, the first drug in its class, keeps white blood cells penned up in lymph nodes by taking away the chemical key they need to unlock the lymph node door. Fewer white blood cells mean fewer MS attacks. But it also means less protection against infections. Novartis will set ...

“Anxious mothers are feeding children excessive dosages” “Overdose can happen more easily in children” ‘Drops' version mistaken for syrup Even love is valuable only if it is given in the right dosage. Overdoses of drugs, specially the common paracetamol, need not be dangerous in adults, but can lead to serious complications, including liver failure, in children. Over the past few weeks, with viral and flu infections rampant, a number of children have been admitted to the intensive care units, not for treatment of the primary illness, but for paracetamol poisoning. Janani Sankar, senior consultant, Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital, says kids come in with multi-organ failure, and while most of them could be saved, some have been beyond help as they have come too late. “Two types of overdosing can occur: one is accidental, when the children drink up syrup because it is tasty; or two doses are taken by mistake. The other is what we are commonly seeing now: mothers with...

As Member Secretary of CLINICOM, I am so thrilled to post this information here: ''Dynamic Indian of the millenium" award conferred   Coimbatore, Jul 4 (PTI) City-based K G Foundation today conferred the 'Dynamic Indian of the Millennium' award on Arun Madhavan , a former member of Prime Minister's special committee for model village development programme under the 20-point programme. The award, carrying a citation, was given for his 'distinguished achievements and contribution to society over the years', the foundation chairman G Bhakthavatsalam, said at a function got up as part of the celebrations of World Doctors' Day, here. Besides being conferred a global recognition for his 'project gateway' for promoting India as an investment destination, Arun had delivered a speech at the United Nationas, Geneva, on 'A New dimension to healthcare,' in 1996, he said. The first recipient of this award was the former president, A P ...

A new website will help people decide which therapies are safe and effective. By Sandy Kleffman, Contra Costa Times Leading scientists are warning people to beware of costly, unproven stem cell therapies that have little or no benefit and may be dangerous. Many with devastating illnesses are mortgaging their homes and borrowing huge sums of money for treatments, which are often performed outside the United States to avoid its safety regulations. Scientists worry that such therapies could harm people by leading to cancers and other complications. "It's really the 21st century version of snake oil," said Dr. Arnold Kriegstein, director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UC San Francisco. "As soon as you scratch the surface, you realize that what they're claiming in their literature or what they tell you about, doesn't make sense," he said. "There's this notion that stem cells are in so...

Prescription Drugs Special Report Ever wonder how the medications you take act in your body? This brief guide explains how several classes of popular drugs work. Thousands of medications are in use today. Here are some of the most common mechanisms by which these drugs achieve their effects: Antibiotic Drugs -- The development of safe and effective drugs to cure infections was arguably the most significant advance in drug development of the 20th century. Perhaps the most famous example is penicillin, which is derived from a toxin produced by the fungus Penicillium notatum that contaminated a laboratory experiment. The Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming noticed that the Penicillium fungus had done something to kill the bacterium Staphylococcus, which is responsible for many human infections. Antibiotics have several modes of action. Penicillin disrupts the cell walls of bacteria, causing them to die. Some other antibiotics interfere with the ability of microorganisms to ...

Here's wishing everyone a healthy and happy New Year! CLINICOM