Latest Senior Health News

6Jan
2023

FDA Approves 2nd Alzheimer’s Drug, Despite Safety Concerns

FDA Approves 2nd Alzheimer’s Drug, Despite Safety ConcernsFRIDAY, Jan. 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a second Alzheimer's drug, lecanemab, despite reports of rare brain bleeds linked to use of the drug in some patients.However, the FDA pointed to the drug's benefits, as well. “Alzheimer’s disease immeasurably incapacitates the lives of those who suffer from it and has devastating effects on their loved ones,” Dr. Billy Dunn, director of the Office of Neuroscience in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in an agency news release. “This treatment option is the latest therapy to target and affect the underlying disease process of Alzheimer’s, instead of only treating the symptoms of the disease.”Lecanemab, made by Eisai and marketed by Biogen as Leqembi, will...

Patients, Doctors Await FDA Decision on Experimental...

5 January 2023
Patients, Doctors Await FDA Decision on Experimental Alzheimer’s DrugTHURSDAY, Jan. 5, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Lecanemab: It's an experimental medication that's been shown in trials to slow cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer’s disease. It's also up for accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with a decision expected by Jan. 6.However, the drug has also been linked to two deaths from brain bleeds among people who’ve used it in trials, so safety concerns could threaten any approval. If approved, the drug — made by Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai — would follow the controversial drug Aduhelm to become only the second medication ever approved to slow Alzheimer’s disease. Not every patient would stand to benefit from lecanemab, stressed the Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. Babak Tousi. He led the portion of the...

Doctors' Group Updates Guidelines on Treating Osteoporosis

3 January 2023
Doctors` Group Updates Guidelines on Treating OsteoporosisTUESDAY, Jan. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- As millions of Americans born in the baby boomer generation are already finding out, bone loss is a common sign of aging.And now experts at the American College of Physicians (ACP) — one of the leading groups representing primary care doctors — is issuing updated guidelines on how best to prevent and treat weakening bones."Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by decreasing bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue that leads to an increased risk for bone fragility and fracture, especially in the hip, spine, and wrist," the ACP explained in a news release. The ACP estimates that over 10 million Americans older than 49 currently have osteoporosis, while another 43.3 million have low bone mass that could progress to...

Congressional Report Slams FDA, Drugmaker Over Approval...

29 December 2022
Congressional Report Slams FDA, Drugmaker Over Approval of Alzheimer`s Drug AduhelmTHURSDAY, Dec. 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval process for the controversial Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm was "rife with irregularities," despite lingering doubts about the power of the pricey medication to slow the disease down, a Congressional report released Thursday claims.Actions the agency took with Biogen, maker of Aduhelm, "raise serious concerns about FDA’s lapses in protocol," the report concluded. But the 18-month investigation launched by two congressional committees also took Biogen to task for setting too high a price on the medication.Company documents showed Biogen officials settled on an annual cost of $56,000 for Aduhelm because it wanted to “establish Aduhelm as one of the top pharmaceutical launches of all time,” even...

Time Spent in Nature Appears to Slow Parkinson's, Alzheimer's

27 December 2022
Time Spent in Nature Appears to Slow Parkinson`s, Alzheimer`sTUESDAY, Dec. 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Living in an area with easy access to parks and rivers appears to slow the progression of devastating neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.That's the conclusion of a new study based on more than a decade and a half tracking disease risk among nearly 62 million Americans 65 years old and up."Prior research showed that natural environments -- such as forests, parks and rivers -- can help to reduce stress and restore attention," noted lead author Jochem Klompmaker, a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. "In addition, natural environments provide settings for physical activity and social interactions, and may reduce exposure to air pollution, extreme heat and traffic noise."To...
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