Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
New Breast Cancer Drug Approved by FDA
A new drug for late-stage breast cancer has been approved by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Genentech's Kadcyla (ado-trastuzumab emtansine) is for use in
patients with HER2-positive, late-stage breast cancer who were
previously treated with another anti-HER2 drug called Herceptin
(trastuzmab) and a class of chemotherapy drugs called taxanes,
which are commonly used to treat breast cancer.
"Kadcyla is trastuzumab connected to a drug called DM1 that interferes with cancer cell growth," Dr. Richard Pazdur, director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in an FDA news relase.
"Kadcyla delivers the drug to the cancer site to shrink the tumor, slow disease progression and prolong survival. It is the fourth approved drug that targets the HER2 protein," he explained.
The FDA's approval of the drug was based on a study of 991
patients. Kadcyla carries a boxed warning that it can cause liver
and heart problems and even death. It can also cause
life-threatening birth defects, the agency said.
-----
4 Indicted in Peanut Butter Salmonella Outbreak
Four former employees of a Virginia-based peanut company linked
to a 2009 salmonella outbreak in the United States have been
indicted by a federal grand jury.
The outbreak -- traced to a peanut processing plant in Georgia
-- killed nine people and sickened hundreds and led to one of the
largest recalls in the nation's history.
The 76-count indictment charges the former employees of Peanut
Corp. of America with conspiracy, wire fraud, obstruction of
justice and other offenses related to contaminated or misbranded
food, the
Associated Pressreported.
Those facing the charges are company owner Stewart Parnell, his
brother and company vice president Michael Parnell, Georgia plant
manager Samuel Lightsey and Georgia plant quality assurance manager
Mary Wilkerson.
FDA inspectors found numerous problems at the plant in Blakely,
Ga., including mold and roaches. The company went bankrupt after
the recall, the
APreported.
-----
Medical Groups Warn About Unnecessary Tests and Treatments
Dozens of types of tests and treatments are too often
recommended by doctors when patients don't need them, according to
a warning issued Thursday by a coalition of leading medical groups
in the United States.
This unnecessary care wastes time and money and sometimes causes
harm to patients, according to the organizations that represent
more than 350,000 doctors, the
Associated Pressreported.
The Choosing Wisely Coalition said patients need to ask their
doctors, "Do I really need that?" The coalition was formed by the
American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation.
Too many people "think that more is better, that more treatment,
more testing somehow results in better health care," Dr. Glen
Stream, former president of the American Academy of Family
Physicians, told the
AP. "That really is not true."
The academy contributed to this year's list of 90 examples of
potentially needless care, which adds to 45 examples included on
last year's list. Among the newly-added warnings:
- Don't screen for a clogged neck artery in healthy people with
no stroke signs. It could lead to risky surgery for a blockage that
would cause no harm.
- Don't try feeding tubes in people with advanced dementia.
Helping them eat is a better approach.
- Don't routinely give heartburn medicine to infants with reflux.
This treatment hasn't been proven effective in babies and could
cause side effects.
- Don't prescribe opioid painkillers for migraines except as a
last resort. Opioids can carry the risk of addiction and can
actually worsen migraines. Instead, use more migraine-specific
drugs.
- Don't induce labor if a pregnant woman misses her due date and
both mother and baby are doing fine.
-----
New Silicone-Gel Breast Implant Approved by FDA
A new silicone-gel breast implant for women 22 years and older
has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The agency said that Allergan's Natrelle 410 implant contains
silicone gel that is firmer than the company's older Natrelle
models, the
Associated Pressreported.
The approval was based on data from 941 women collected over
seven years. Allergan's studies did not compare the safety of the
new implant with that of the older models.
"The data we reviewed showed a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness," said Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, the FDA's medical device director, the APreported. "We will be looking at the results from post-approval studies that will focus on their long-term safety and effectiveness."
Silicone-gel implants were banned by the FDA in 1992 due to
fears they could cause illnesses such as cancer and lupus. But the
ban was lifted in 2006 after research ruled out most of the health
concerns.