Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Drug Offers Alzheimer's Researchers A Glimmer Of Hope After Years Of Brutal Failures
Stat: In Small Alzheimer's Study, Hints Of Modest Benefit From Unusual Drug
A little-known drug company announced modestly encouraging results for its experimental Alzheimer’s drug on Monday, a rare but still preliminary glimmer of hope in a field that has been battered by failure after failure. A mid-stage study by a tiny company wouldn’t usually attract much attention, but the results unveiled by Neurotrope BioScience have been eagerly anticipated because its drug — derived from a bushy, hermaphroditic sea creature — takes a novel approach. (Begley, 5/1)
In other pharmaceutical news —
The Baltimore Sun: National Group Wants Cancer Warning Labels On Acid Reflux Drugs
Like many people, [Charles] Rutherford, had no idea his acid reflux put him at risk for cancer. The Esophageal Cancer Action Network, a national organization based in Baltimore, wants that to change. In its latest effort, the nonprofit group known as ECAN filed a citizen's petition Monday with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asking the agency to require warnings about the cancer risk of acid reflux on the labels of such over-the-counter medications as Prilosec and Nexium. (McDaniels, 5/1)
Stat: Seeking An Alternative To Medication, Parents Tinker With Diet To Treat ADHD
Medication and therapy remain the most effective treatments for ADHD. But driven by concerns about the short- and long-term side effects of psychiatric medications on children, some parents are looking for ways to keep their kids on lower doses of the drugs, or to quit the drugs entirely. But addressing ADHD symptoms by changing diet can be a minefield. For one thing, while some diet interventions have scientific evidence to back them up, others don’t — and even the ones that do only seem effective for a subset of kids. Diet tweaks are oftentimes pretty harmless to try, but not universally so. And most pediatricians aren’t nearly as familiar with these approaches as they are with conventional medication. (Kimmett, 5/2)
