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Studies of new drugs traditionally involve at least two groups of people. The people in one of those groups are given only what they think is the drug. Really they get a placebo — an inactive substance. The drug is proven effective if it performs better than the placebo.

Some researchers do not think drug studies should use placebos. They say it makes more sense to compare new medicines to drugs already on the market. Then people would know if a new drug is any better.

“Placebo” is Latin for “I shall please.” It may contain nothing more than sugar.… Read the rest

In contrast, positive expectations of treatment doubled the natural physiological or biochemical effect of the opioid drug among the healthy volunteers in the study.

The study of the placebo effect — and its opposite the nocebo effect — is published in Science Translational Medicine. The findings suggest that doctors may need to consider dealing with patients’ beliefs about the effectiveness of any treatment, as well as determining which drug might be the best for that patient.

‘Doctors shouldn’t underestimate the significant influence that patients’ negative expectations can have on outcome,’ says Professor Irene Tracey of the Centre for Functional Magnetic… Read the rest

Citing liver damage, Pfizer withdraws Thelin

　　NEW YORK (AP) – Pfizer Inc. said Friday it is pulling its blood pressure drug Thelin off the market and stopping all clinical trials because the drug can cause fatal liver damage.

　　Thelin is sold in the European Union, Canada, and Australia as an oral treatment for severe pulmonary arterial hypertension, or high blood pressure in the pulmonary artery. Pfizer said two patients who were taking Thelin died during a clinical trial, and a review of data from clinical studies and post-marketing reports showed a new link to liver injury.

　　Liver damage was… Read the rest

Generic-Drug Makers Get Hearing at U.S. High Court The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether generic-drug makers can be sued for not warning patients about the risk of dangerous side effects, agreeing to hear arguments from units of Mylan Inc. and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. The justices today said they will review lawsuits by two women who say they contracted a severe neurological disorder as a result of long-term use of metoclopramide, a drug used to treat stomach conditions. The women say the drug carried inadequate safety warnings. One patient, Gladys Mensing, is suing units of Mylan and Teva and… Read the rest