Significant worldwide disparities in availability and timeliness of new cancer drugs

Gap between rich and poor nations has widened over three decades Such inequities may help explain poor cancer outcomes in many lower income countries Despite considerable progress in the discovery and development of new cancer drugs, there are significant disparities in both the availability and timeliness of these medicines worldwide, ...

2024-10-09T09:04:22+00:009 October 2024|BMJ Global Health, Press release|

Questions over safety and effectiveness of new Alzheimer’s drug

Investigation raises concerns about excess deaths, missing safety data, questionable effectiveness, and financial ties among expert advisors  7 of the 8 doctors on review panel received direct payments from drug companies The safety and effectiveness of donanemab - an Alzheimer’s drug recently approved by the US Food & Drug Administration ...

2024-09-26T08:50:50+00:0026 September 2024|Press release, The BMJ|

Triptans more effective than newer, more expensive migraine drugs

The most effective triptans should be promoted globally and guidelines updated accordingly, say researchers Some triptans are a more effective treatment for acute migraines than newer, more expensive drugs, finds an analysis of the latest evidence published by The BMJ today. Triptans work by narrowing blood vessels in the brain and preventing ...

2024-09-19T09:16:05+00:0019 September 2024|Press release, The BMJ|

No major concerns about risks to offspring for would-be dads taking epilepsy meds

Evidence on antiseizure drugs is inconsistent; but most studies show no heightened risk Findings cast doubt cast on stance taken by UK drugs regulator, say authors Would-be dads taking drugs to stop their epilepsy seizures—and valproate in particular—should be largely reassured that the available evidence on the developmental risks to ...

Obesity treatments being restricted by cash poor local services

Obesity services not deemed a priority, and patients are often victims of prejudice, say experts Obesity treatments are being restricted by cash poor local services across England with many patients being denied specialist drugs, surgery and support, an investigation by The BMJ has found. Patients in nearly half the country can’t get ...

2024-09-12T15:21:45+00:0012 September 2024|Press release, The BMJ|

One dose of smallpox vaccine moderately effective in preventing mpox infection

Vaccine should be made available to communities at risk, say researchers One dose of modified vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) smallpox vaccine is moderately effective in preventing mpox infection and should be made available to communities at risk, finds a study published by The BMJ today. With mpox infections rising again across the ...

2024-09-12T15:15:58+00:0012 September 2024|Press release, The BMJ|

Laughter may be as effective as drops for dry eyes

Researchers suggest this could be a first treatment for relieving symptoms of dry eye disease Laughter may be as effective as eye drops in improving symptoms of dry eye disease, finds a clinical trial from China published by The BMJ today. The researchers suggest that laughter exercise could be an initial treatment ...

2024-09-12T15:14:27+00:0012 September 2024|Press release, The BMJ|

Statins cost effective and linked to better health outcomes in older people

Findings back consideration of these drugs for most over-70s, say researchers Statin treatment is cost effective and linked to better health outcomes in older people with or without previous cardiovascular disease, although the risk reductions were substantially smaller in the latter, reports a modelling on the lifetime benefits of these ...

2024-09-11T09:59:44+00:0011 September 2024|Heart, Press release|

Women, Black people, and disadvantaged less likely to get heart surgery in England

And when they are offered these procedures, they are more likely to die within a year Women, people of Black ethnicity, and those from low income households in England are less likely to be offered heart surgery than men, White people, and those who are affluent, finds research published online ...

2024-09-05T10:50:11+00:004 September 2024|Heart, Press release|

New evidence casts doubt on a much-hyped blood test for early cancer detection

Deal commits NHS to buying millions of tests in exchange for state-of-the-art facility But experts say test is “a clear-cut case of public risk and private profit”  New evidence published by The BMJ today casts doubt on a much-hyped blood test for the NHS that promises to detect more than 50 types ...

2024-08-08T12:42:57+00:008 August 2024|Press release, The BMJ|
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