Asthma treatment

Contamination spurs recall of inhalation drug A Massachusetts generic drug company said Wednesday that it is recalling millions of vials of an inhalation solution widely used by asthma patients and others with breathing problems. Copley Pharmaceutical Inc. said some of its 20-milliliter Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution was contaminated by microbial organisms. It poses special risks of serious infection to people with compromised immune systems, including those with AIDS, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive lung disease and …..

DRUG-MAKER SETTLEMENT COULD SPELL RELIEF IN STATE A Birmingham lawyer said at least 40 Alabama residents are eligible for payments as part of a proposed $150 million settlement in a class action lawsuit that charged that a drug company sold contaminated medicine. The accord with Copley Pharmaceuticals Inc. over its asthma drug albuterol must still win the final approval of a federal judge in Cheyenne, Wyo. A hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 31 on the matter. Birmingham attorney David Guin thinks the pact, affecting as many as …. Repository, The

Asthma sufferers fret about ban on ‘rescue’ inhalers Asthma sufferers will soon be paying more for increasingly scarce emergency inhalers as part of the price of protecting the environment. By the end of 2008, the government says, the makers of albuterol “rescue” inhalers — used by millions of people to reopen airways during asthma attacks — will have to stop using the ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbon propellants that power the devices. Three decades ago, scientists found that the

CUTTING MEDICINE COSTS For many Americans, the rising cost of prescription drugs can be a bitter pill to swallow. Government figures show that prices for all prescription drugs jumped 5. 8 percent last year — well above the overall inflation rate of 2. 7 percent. But there are some options available to bring down out-of-pocket drug costs. In recent years, hundreds of companies and organizations have started offering discount prescription drug cards. For a fee, enrollees are promised access to …..

Deaths Spur Asthma-Drug Warning Washington – Twenty users of a new drug for chronic asthma have died since it hit the market in April, possibly because they mistakenly tried to use it, rather than a fast-acting inhaler, to relieve an asthma attack. The drug, Serevent, is effective at preventing asthma attacks over a 12-hour period, and it has been proven safe if used properly, experts said. But it doesn’t treat actual asthma attacks, because it takes at least 30 minutes to begin working ….. . Disease Proof – July 4, 2008 Kids: Nebulization Ups Cardiac Injury Risk Jul. 3, 2008 ( Disease Proof delivered by Newstex) Albuterol nebulization often used to treat acute asthma attacks has been shown to increase cardiac risks in children.

AstraZeneca gets OK to sell asthma pills Accolate, to kids Drug approval first since merger By CHERYL MEYER Staff reporter AstraZeneca Plc received federal approval to sell a new formula of its asthma-fighting pills to children as young as 7 years old, company executives said Monday. Previously, adults and children ages 12 and older could take Accolate, AstraZeneca’s oral drug for the respiratory disease. Accolate was officially launched for sale in November 1996. For years, many children under age 12 have relied on inhalers ….. Financial Times (London, England) – September 21, 1999 COMPANIES & FINANCE: UK: AstraZeneca may advertise drug NEWS DIGEST Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceuticals AstraZeneca may advertise drug AstraZeneca is considering launching a new US advertising campaign to kickstart sales of Accolate, its asthma tablet, after winning approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of children as young as seven. Sales of Accolate, until now used only for mild to moderate asthma in adults and children above 12, have been flat this year. This has largely been because of competition in the US from ….. (New Jersey) – November 5, 1996 NEW DRUG FOR ASTHMA HELPFUL IN MANY CASES An entirely new class of drugs that could help as much as one-third of asthma sufferers and open up a new avenue for better medications is on the market. Doctors say Accolate, taken in pill form, can improve breathing for those with mild to moderate asthma, especially those who find carrying inhalers cumbersome and inconvenient. Known generically as zafirlukast, it is the first new class of asthma agents approved by the FDA in 20 years. Doctors began writing prescriptions for the ….. Guardian, The (London, England) – July 21, 1998 THE GUARDIAN: ASTHMA PILL ‘COULD REPLACE INHALERS’ FOR SOME SUFFERERS A NEW tablet that could replace inhalers for some of Britain’s 3 million asthma sufferers was launched yesterday. The drugs company Zeneca Pharmaceuticals says its anti-asthma pill Accolate is the first new treatment of its kind in Britain and the first alternative to inhaled steroids for 20 years. The tablet, taken twice a day to prevent an asthma attack, has been welcomed by the National Asthma Campaign, but the charity said it was too early to say which patients would ….. Scotsman, The (Edinburgh, Scotland) – July 21, 1998 The Scotsman: New drug hope for asthma sufferers A TABLET which could mean the end of inhalers for some asthma sufferers was made available in Britain yesterday. Doctors hope the pill, marketed by the drug company Zeneca as Accolate, will revolutionise asthma treatment. Zeneca claims it is the first alternative to inhaled steroids to be launched in Britain for 20 years. Although not all patients will be able to do without inhalers, the manufacturer believes it will provide a popular alternative for people on low-dose steroid ….. Chemical Business NewsBase: Press Release (United Kingdom) – June 15, 2009 Chemical Business NewsBase – Press Release: Four asthma drugs get new precaution. The FDA has asked makers of Singulair, Accolate, Zyflo, and Zyflo CR to include a precaution on those drugs’ labels about reports of behaviour and mood changes. Singulair is used to treat asthma and symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Accolate, Zyflo, and Zyflo CR are used to treat asthma. All four drugs are leukotriene inhibitors, which affect the leukotriene pathway, which is involved in the body’s response to inflammatory stimuli (such as breathing in an allergen). The FDA ….. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL – May 9, 2000 CHRONICALLY ILL SHOULD BE WARY OF CHITLINS In many parts of the southern United States, chitterlings – cleaned and boiled pig intestines, also known as chitlins – are a tradition. But a report suggests that this treat has the potential to be hazardous for people with diabetes and for others who are chronically ill. The report, in last week’s New England Journal of Medicine, said that the pig bowels can contain a bacterium called Clostridium perfringens type C, which produces a toxin that can cause a severe infection ….. Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia) – January 25, 1999 New help for asthma sufferers TWO pills to help prevent asthma attacks were among 36 new drug treatments approved in Australia last year. Singulair and Accolate, made by different drug companies, have undergone trials worldwide. The companies, Merck, Sharp and Dohme, and Zeneca, said yesterday the pills were selling for $90 to $110 for a month’s supply of Singulair or $90 to $130 for Accolate. A Zeneca spokeswoman said they would apply for Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme listing in the hope Accolate …..

New pill helps asthmatics breathe easy The first new class of asthma drugs in Canada in 20 years has been introduced in time for the cold weather that’s especially hard on people with the chronic lung disease. Accolate is the only pill-form anti-inflammatory available here that helps mild to moderate asthmatics breathe easier. It was recently approved by Health Canada after clinical trials involving 4, 000 patients worldwide, researchers said Thursday. “This medical advance places us on a threshold of ….. Newstex Blogs (USA) – June 15, 2009 New Precautions on Asthma Meds The FDA has requested that a new precaution be added to the drug prescribing information for some popular asthma medications. The medicines are known as leukotriene modifiers and include • Singulair (montelukast) • Accolate (zafirlukast) • Zyflo and Zyflo CR (zileuton) According to the FDA, neuropsychiatric events have been reported in some …..

Perseverance Is Key to a Good Life With Asthma Until about three years ago, Dawn Bosquez, a 30-year-old resident of Denver, was getting most of her medical care for asthma in emergency rooms. About once a month, she would wake up unable to breathe and would frantically call an ambulance or friend to rush her to the hospital, where she would be given oxygen and inhaled medications to bring the attack under control. Then, a doctor would prescribe a short course or “burst” of prednisone tablets

, Dr Reddy’s Labs (DRL) has been sued by US major, AstraZeneca, following DRL’s paragraph IV abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) submission for marketing Accolate, the US firms’ leading drug used to treat asthma. In a suit filed on June 27 in the district court ….

Maker says asthma drug Accolate may damage liver The maker of the asthma drug Accolate is advising patients using it and their doctors to be on the lookout for signs of liver problems, following some reports of adverse reactions. AstraZeneca Canada said in a release yesterday that analysis of safety databases has shown that some patients taking Accolate have experienced serious liver problems. There have been reports of seven patients, none of them in Canada, who died of liver-related reactions after taking the drug, said Health …..

DRUG FOR ASTHMATICS IS TIED TO SYNDROME Doctors should closely watch asthma patients who take the drug Accolate for signs of a rare but sometimes fatal condition called Churg-Strauss syndrome, the government and manufacturer said Wednesday. Churg-Strauss syndrome is a tissue disorder that sometimes strikes adult asthma patients and, if untreated, can destroy organs. Early symptoms are flulike, including fever, muscle aches and weight loss, and some asthmatics experience worsening lung symptoms as pulmonary blood vessels become ….. –

PATIENT’S MEDICATIONS WOULD FILL A PHARMACY DEAR DR. GOTT: Because of a variety of health problems, my doctor has prescribed the following medications: Cozaar, Maxzide, K-Dur, folate, vitamin E, Lodine, Premarin, Propulsid, Prilosec, Accolate, Aerobid, Proventil inhaler, and Pamelor. I feel awful. I’m not surprised. You are taking 13 medicines, all of which have potential side effects. Heaven knows how these powerful drugs are interacting in your body. I believe that your situation represents precisely the problem ….. – May 28, 1997 Asthma drug treats causes, symptoms After a research effort that goes back nearly 40 years, scientists at Harvard University have seen their work developed into a new drug that could help millions of people who suffer from asthma.

K. Frank Austen, a Harvard professor of medicine who has been involved since the research began in 1959, said the new drug, called Accolate, is the first ever developed that treats the causes of asthma and not just the symptoms. “Older drugs relax smooth muscles and open up ….. – February 4, 2000 When ADS RULE the doctor’s office, Patients are self-diagnosing based on Madison Avenue’s pitches Allegra, Claritin, Zyrtec, Zyban, Accolate, Zomig. These once strange-sounding names are now common, thanks to with the stream of advertisements promoting prescription drugs and the Internet offering easy access to information. This can have its good points and bad, physicians say. From patients coming into doctors’ offices and asking for a particular drug by name to being frightened of a drug because of possible — and sometimes scary — side effects, doctors see it

The drug, known as Accolate, helps stop the shortness of breath, itching and runny nose that so torment people allergic to cats
ASTHMA DRUG CAN ALSO HELP PEOPLE WITH CAT ALLERGY A drug developed to help asthma can help people allergic to cats, researchers said. The drug, known as Accolate, helps stop the shortness of breath, itching and runny nose that so torment people allergic to cats. “This drug has the added advantage of providing some relief for the nose as well as the chest, ” said Dr. Robert Wood, an associate professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “It’s especially appealing ….. (GA)

THE NAME GAME Allegra, Claritin, Zyrtec, Zyban, Accolate, Zomig. These once strange-sounding names are now common, with the stream of advertisements promoting prescription drugs by name and the Internet offering easy access to information. This can have its good points and bad, physicians say. From patients coming in to doctors’ offices and asking for a particular drug by name to being frightened of a drug because of possible — and sometimes scary — side effects, doctors see it …
Zeneca seeks US asthma approval Zeneca has filed its first asthma drug,

Accolate, for approval from the US Food and Drug Administration. If successful, the application would open up an area for Zeneca in the world’s biggest medicines market, worth Pounds 3bn annually. Lehman Brothers, the stockbroker, said Accolate was a potential ‘blockbuster’ drug and forecast annual sales of more than Dollars 500m (Pounds 313m) within seven years. Asthma affects 5 per cent of adults and 10 per ….. (WV) – January 18, 2000 So much drug info can lead to confusion Allegra, Claritin, Zyrtec, Zyban, Accolate, Zomig.

These once strange-sounding names are now common, with the stream of advertisements promoting prescription drugs by name and the Internet offering easy access to information. This can have its good points and bad, physicians say. From patients coming in to doctors’ offices and asking for a particular drug by name to being frightened of a drug because of possible – and sometimes scary – side effects, doctors see it all …..

ADVERTISING SURGE HAS PATIENTS REQUESTING MEDICINE BY NAME, SOME DOCTORS WORRY SUPERFICIAL INFORMATION PROMPTS SELF-DIAGNOSING, BUT OTHERS FEEL IT HELPS PEOPLE RECOGNIZE SYMPTOMS Allegra, Claritin, Zyrtec, Zyban, Accolate, Zomig. These once strange-sounding names are now common, with the stream of advertisements promoting prescription drugs by name and the Internet offering easy access to information. This can have its good points and bad, physicians say. From patients coming into doctors’ offices and asking for a particular drug by name to being frightened of a drug because of possible and sometimes scary side effects, doctors see it all ….. . Record,