Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by the editors of
HealthDay:
Michael Douglas Says He'll Beat Throat Cancer
Actor Michael Douglas says he's treating his recently-diagnosed
throat tumor as "a curable disease."
A walnut-sized tumor was found at the base of the 65-year-old
actor's tongue in early August and he's now undergoing an
eight-week course of radiation and chemotherapy. Doctors say there
is no evidence the cancer has spread, the
Associated Press reported.
Douglas told
People magazine he expects to make a full recovery from the
late, stage-four cancer.
"I'm treating this as a curable disease," Douglas told the magazine, the AP reported. "It's a fight. I'll beat this."
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Oregon Children Least Likely To Be Hospitalized For Asthma
Oregon had the nation's lowest rate of avoidable
hospitalizations for asthma in children ages 2 to 17 in 2006, with
a rate of 44 per 100,000, says a new federal government report.
Vermont had the next lowest rate at 46 per 100,000, according to
the latest
News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality.
The authors noted that asthma is controllable with appropriate
outpatient treatment, including control of risk factors that can
cause asthma attacks, use of controller medicines, patient and
parent education, and proper assessment and monitoring.
Other states with low rates of potentially avoidable
asthma-related hospitalization among children in this age group
were: New Hampshire (62 per 100,000); Iowa (66); Utah (74);
Nebraska (75); and Maine (78).
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Botox Maker Pays $600 Million To Settle Marketing
Investigation
The maker of Botox said Wednesday that it will plead guilty and
pay $600 million to settle a U.S. government investigation into the
marketing of the popular wrinkle-smoothing drug.
Allergan Inc. will plead guilty to one misdemeanor charge of
"misbranding" and pay $375 million in connection with the plea. The
company will pay another $225 million in civil fines related to the
federal investigation even though Allergan denies liability for the
civil claims, the
Associated Press reported.
The Justice Department investigation focused on Allergan's
marketing of Botox from 2000 to 2005. The government said the
marketing led doctors to use Botox for unapproved uses, such as
treatment of headache, pain, spasticity, and cerebral palsy in
children.
As part of the settlement, Allergan also agreed to halt a
lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration. The legal action
was an attempt to force the FDA to give Allergan greater freedom to
discuss off-label uses of Botox with doctors, the
AP reported.
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Obama Administration Appeals Judge's Order Banning Stem Cell
Research
The Obama Administration on Tuesday filed an appeal against a
federal judge's order supporting a ban on federally funded
embryonic stem cell research.
The appeal, filed by the Justice Department with the U.S.
District Court in the District of Columbia, asks Judge Royce
Lamberth to revisit the restraining order he put in place last
week, the
Associated Press reported.
In his ruling, Lamberth responded to a lawsuit claiming that the
government is contravening a law prohibiting the use of tax dollars
for work involving the destruction of a viable embryo.
Scientists nationwide have expressed alarm that the halt on
federal funding will interrupt valuable stem cell research aimed at
fighting neurological diseases and other disorders.
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Cough Medicine Ingredient May Get New Restrictions: FDA
Restrictions on a cough medicine ingredient are being considered
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in order to combat growing
abuse.
On Tuesday, the agency posted its review of dextromethorphan, an
ingredient in more than 100 over-the-counter medications. The FDA
said that inappropriate use of the drug for its euphoric effects
was associated with nearly 8,000 emergency room visits in 2008, an
increase of more than 70 percent from 2004, the
Associated Press reported.
High doses of dextromethorphan can cause fever and boost blood
pressure and heart rate.
"Because of the drug's perceived safety, ease of availability, and desired psychoactive effects, it is sought after by those seeking to alter their mental state," according to the FDA review, the AP reported.
On Sept. 14, an FDA panel of outside experts will meet to
discuss whether dextromethorphan should be available only by
prescription. The FDA typically follows the advice of these
advisory panels.
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