In 1943, Jonas Salk first injected a chicken egg with flu virus and purified the killed virus to make a vaccine. You may be surprised to learn that very little has changed. Scientists examine virus strains and decide which three new viruses are likely to be the most infectious. Once that determination is made, they […]
The rising number of juvenile narcolepsy cases in Finland and Sweden has researchers taking a closer look at the Pandemrix vaccine, but so far, no definitive conclusions have been drawn.
The U.S. Pharmacopeia, or USP, has invited pharmacists and other medical professionals to help draft new labeling standards for prescription medicines. USP hopes to make dramatic changes to Rx labels that will include more readable font size, user-friendly language, more specific instructions and the most pertinent information at the top.
There was a ton of hype with the launch of Alli a couple of years ago, and like almost all diet products, it comes with its share of controversy. It takes some reading between the lines to see what the product is really about. According to the manufacturer, Alli is an OTC version of Xenical, […]
A few years ago, Google noticed a pattern in its search patterns. Areas with high incidence of influenza had a high incidence of search for flu topics. Always on the ball for helpful and interesting tools, they aggregated this information to create animated maps and charts that showed areas where there were flu outbreaks. Since […]
The latest technological breakthrough on the pharmaceutical market comes not in the form of a new drug or therapy, but in a revolutionary medicine bottle cap. Vitality GlowCaps have harnessed smart technology to remind patients to take their meds, and to inform on them if they don’t.
The new Walgreens commercials address a growing concern in patient care. The point made was simple. If you bring all your medications to a Walgreens pharmacy, they will keep track of everything you’re taking, including supplements, vitamins, and herbal remedies, in order to warn you of possible drug interactions. This is a powerful selling point. […]
Physicians have notoriously bad handwriting. It can be so bad that it detrimental to patients at times, thus the advent of electronic prescriptions seems at first glance to be a boon in the health field. Electronic prescriptions allow doctors to use their handheld computers, or any computer in the office, to use a drop down […]
