Naltrexone/Bupropion Approved as Mysimba for Obesity in EU Naltrexone/Bupropion Approved as Mysimba for Obesity in EU
Naltrexone HCl/bupropion HCl prolonged release joins liraglutide as the second drug to be approved for obesity this week in the European Union. International Approvals (Source: Medscape FamilyMedicine Headlines)
Source: Medscape FamilyMedicine Headlines - March 27, 2015 Category: Primary Care Tags: Diabetes & Endocrinology News Alert Source Type: news
Non-controlled and over-the-counter drugs of abuse
2.5 out of 5 stars
Abuse of Medications That Theoretically Are Without Abuse Potential. Reeves RR et al. South Med J 2015 Mar;108:151-157.
Abstract
This review of noncontrolled prescription and over-the-counter drugs that can be and have been abused for non-medical or recreational purposes is rather sketchy and anecdotal (as the authors admit,) but nevertheless contains some useful information.
Classes of drugs discussed include:
Cold & Cough products: pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, oxymetazoline, dextromethorphan
Anticholinergics: diphenhydramine, benztropine, trihexyphenidyl (Artane)
Antipsychotics: quetiapine,...
Source: The Poison Review - March 24, 2015 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical cough/cold preparations dextromethorphan medication abuse otc over-the-counter Source Type: news
CardioBuzz: Weight Loss Drug Trial Troubles
(MedPage Today) -- FDA angry over interim data release suggesting CV benefit of naltrexone/bupropion (Contrave). (Source: MedPage Today Cardiovascular)
Source: MedPage Today Cardiovascular - March 5, 2015 Category: Cardiology Source Type: news
Excellent review of lipid rescue therapy
3.5 out of 5 stars
Intravenous Lipid Emulsion in the Emergency Department: A Systematic Review of Recent Literature. Cao D et al. J Emerg Med 2014 Dec 19 [Epub ahead of print]
Abstract
This excellent comprehensive review of lipid rescue therapy (LRT) is vitiated only by the unavoidable fact that available clinical evidence is so inconclusive. As the authors point out, published literature consists mostly of case reports and small case series. The vast majority of these reported cases have good outcomes and reflect positive effects from ILE, but the evidence is marred by multiple confounding variables (such as concurren...
Source: The Poison Review - February 25, 2015 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical intralipid lipid emulsion lipid rescue therapy lipid sink Review Source Type: news
News flash: dead overdose victims can have drugs in the GI tract
1.5 out of 5 stars
Retained drugs in the gastrointestinal tracts of deceased victims of oral drug overdose. Livshits Z et al. Clin Toxicol 2014 Dec 30:1-6 [Epub ahead of print]
Abstract
This is certainly one of the more bizarre medical papers I’ve seen for quite some time.
The main objective of the study was to determine the presence of “undigested or partially digested” tablets found at autopsy in the GI tracts of oral drug overdose fatalities.
Why would they be interested in this question? Apparently to argue that aggressive gastrointestinal decontamination may have benefit even late after oral ingesti...
Source: The Poison Review - February 6, 2015 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical activated charcoal cadaver study gastric emptying gastric lavage gastrointestinal decontamination ingestion intoxication overdose whole bowel irrigation Source Type: news
E-cigarettes may make lungs vulnerable to infection
Conclusion
This animal study has shown that the vapour from e-cigarettes contains free radicals, which are toxic to cells and are linked to cancer. Exposure to e-cigarettes caused inflammation in the lungs of mice, with increased numbers of macrophages, which mop up damaged and dead cells. Mice exposed to e-cigarette smoke also had a reduced ability to fight both bacterial and viral infections.
Taken together, this is convincing evidence suggesting that e-cigarettes are not harmless. However, the effect of e-cigarettes was not compared to normal cigarettes in this study, so it is not clear how much safer they might be. The...
Source: NHS News Feed - February 5, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Lifestyle/exercise Cancer Source Type: news
Blood test may tell you the 'best' way to quit smoking
Conclusion
This is a well-conducted randomised controlled trial, which found that use of the nicotine-metabolite ratio (NMR) may be helpful in indicating which stop smoking treatment may be best for different people. For those with a normal NMR, varenicline was more effective than a nicotine patch. For slower metabolisers, there was no significant difference in the effectiveness of the two treatments, but they tended to get more side effects with varenicline.
The study benefits from its large size, double-blind design and high follow-up rates.
However, there are still questions to be answered. For example, the difference ...
Source: NHS News Feed - January 12, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medication Medical practice Cancer Source Type: news
EU Finally Gives Green Light to New Obesity DrugEU Finally Gives Green Light to New Obesity Drug
After many years with no new obesity drugs in their armamentarium, European physicians may soon have access to bupropion/naltrexone as an option to help aid weight loss. International Approvals (Source: Medscape Diabetes Headlines)
Source: Medscape Diabetes Headlines - December 19, 2014 Category: Endocrinology Tags: Diabetes & Endocrinology News Alert Source Type: news
E-cigarettes could help some smokers quit
Conclusion
This comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis has found some evidence that e-cigarettes with nicotine may help people to stop smoking, or at least reduce the amount they are smoking by over half.
That said, no matter how rigorously they are carried out, systematic reviews and meta-analyses can only be as good as the size and quality of evidence that go into them. In this case, the evidence was slim.
The improvements were only apparent when the results of both RCTs were pooled together. There was no statistically significant result in either study on their own, despite having 657 and 300 participant...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 17, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medical practice Cancer Source Type: news
Snorting bupropion
2.5 out of 5 stars
An 11-year review of bupropion insufflation exposures in adults reported to the California Poison Control System. Lewis JC et al. Clin Toxicol 2014 Nov;52:969-972.
Abstract
The abuse of bupropion by pulverizing and snorting the medication has been described at least as far back as 2002. Bupropion inhibits re-uptake of dopamine and norepinephrine, but apparently has little or no effect on serotonin. It is abused for its psychotropic effects that resemble those of amphetamine and cocaine..
A hallmark of overdose with sustained-release or extended-release bupropion formulations is delayed onset of seizures...
Source: The Poison Review - November 13, 2014 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical burpropion delayed seizures overdose toxicity Wellbutrin Zyban Source Type: news
Pharmaceutical Aids Not Found to Be Helpful for Smoking Cessation
No evidence that varenicline, bupropion, or nicotine replacement increase probability of abstinence (Source: The Doctors Lounge - Oncology)
Source: The Doctors Lounge - Oncology - November 11, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Cardiology, Family Medicine, Geriatrics, Gynecology, Internal Medicine, Nursing, Oncology, Pharmacy, Pulmonology, Journal, Source Type: news
Contrave: Where Does New Obesity Drug Fit in Armamentarium?Contrave: Where Does New Obesity Drug Fit in Armamentarium?
The antiobesity drug bupropion/naltrexone (Contrave) is now available by prescription in US pharmacies, but how will it fit into the physician's armamentarium for this condition? Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Diabetes Headlines)
Source: Medscape Diabetes Headlines - October 27, 2014 Category: Endocrinology Tags: Diabetes & Endocrinology News Source Type: news
Contrave for the Treatment of Obesity
Contrave (Bupropion / naltrexone) is a drug indicated for treating obesity. The drug was developed by Orexigen Therapeutics. (Source: Drug Development Technology)
Source: Drug Development Technology - October 16, 2014 Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news
Contrave (Naltrexone HCl and Bupropion HCl Extended-Release Tablets) - updated on RxList
(Source: RxList - New and Updated Drug Monographs)
Source: RxList - New and Updated Drug Monographs - September 22, 2014 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news
Takeda and Orexigen receive FDA approval for new weight-loss pill
Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA and Orexigen Therapeutics have received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new weight-loss pill called Contrave (naltrexone HCI and bupropion HCI). (Source: Pharmaceutical Technology)
Source: Pharmaceutical Technology - September 11, 2014 Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news
