http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/ The latest news stories from Practical Neurology. en-us Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:36:48 GMT Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:36:48 GMT BMCToday http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/10/article.asp?f=PN1009_News01.php An effort by Hawaii lawmakers to score lower drug prices for seniors by shipping cheap prescriptions from Canada received a deathblow from a combination of politics and unprofitability, according to the AP. Citing fears of legality and federal action, Republican governor Linda Lingle refused to implement a law passed last year by the state's ... Fri, 2 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/10/article.asp?f=PN1009_News01.php http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/10/article.asp?f=PN1009_News02.php The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with the AAN are asking neurologists to watch for a rare swine flu vaccine side effect, Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). During a 1976 outbreak, swine flu vaccine was linked to GBS, from which about half of its victims fully recover. Other influenza vaccines have not been clearly linked to GB... Fri, 2 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/10/article.asp?f=PN1009_News02.php http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/10/article.asp?f=PN1009_News03.php When the issue of freedom of speech enters the debate in the US, usually publishers or protestors come to mind, not Big Pharma. But a new lawsuit announced October 1 and brought by Allergan is claiming that the government has violated its constitutional right to free speech by prohibiting promotion of its drugs, especially Botox, for uses tha... Fri, 2 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/10/article.asp?f=PN1009_News03.php http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/10/article.asp?f=PN1009_News04.php The importance of early treatment initiation in MS seems to be reinforced by the Phase III PreCISe trial. According to a publication this month in The Lancet, glatiramer acetate (Copaxone, Teva) reduced the risk of developing clinically definite multiple sclerosis by 45 percent compared with placebo (hazard ratio 0·55, 95% CI 0·40-0·77; p=0... Fri, 2 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/10/article.asp?f=PN1009_News04.php http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/10/article.asp?f=PN1009_News05.php “Hey, buddy, I paid $10 to see this movie and I don't need your pill bottle's ringtone ruining it for me.” Such a scenario could be a possibility with the invention of Vitality GlowCaps, a pill bottle top that reminds forgetful patients to take their medication. At a price of $99, the caps secures on top of a standard prescription bot... Fri, 2 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/10/article.asp?f=PN1009_News05.php http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/10/article.asp?f=PN1009_News06.php There will be a significant jump in e-prescribing this year, with as many as twice the number of doctors e-prescribing compared to last year. This January, Medicare began paying physicians a bonus if they switched their patients over to e-prescribing. The bonus amounts to twopercent of charges billed to Medicare for 2009 and 2010, one percent... Fri, 2 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/10/article.asp?f=PN1009_News06.php http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/09/article.asp?f=PN0909_news05.php Data from a new 12-year retrospective follow-up study of headache clinic populations suggest migraine has a favorable prognosis in most patients (Headache online August 26). Dahlöf et al. sought to establish the long-term results of patients with frequent episodic migraine and to identify factors predictive of a favorable vs. less favorable ... Wed, 2 Sep 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/09/article.asp?f=PN0909_news05.php http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/09/article.asp?f=PN0909_news04.php The DePuy Family of Companies has opened the DePuy Institute, LLC at DePuy's worldwide headquarters in Raynham, MA. The new facility will provide education, training and research on nonsurgical early interventions up to complex surgery in the areas of orthopaedics, spinal care, sports medicine, soft tissue repair, trauma and neurosciences. I... Wed, 2 Sep 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/09/article.asp?f=PN0909_news04.php http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/09/article.asp?f=PN0909_news03.php A novel transdermal patch in clinical development for the treatment of acute migraine has reported positive phase III results. The Zelrix patch (sumatriptan, NuPathe) was pitted against placebo in a total of 530 adults in a multi-center, randomized, parallel group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess efficacy and tolerability. Re... Wed, 2 Sep 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/09/article.asp?f=PN0909_news03.php http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/09/article.asp?f=PN0909_news02.php The investigational drug dimebon (latrepirdine is the proposed generic name) will enter a Phase III trial in patients with mild-to-moderate Huntington disease. Known as HORIZON, the international safety and efficacy trial sets out to evaluate the potential benefit of dimebon on cognition and overall functioning, according to Pfizer and Mediva... Wed, 2 Sep 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/09/article.asp?f=PN0909_news02.php http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/09/article.asp?f=PN0909_news01.php Two separate research endeavors reported this month at Nature Genetics online have together identified three new genes associated with Alzheimer's disease. Although each group notes the need for further research, these findings could have potentially important implications for the future diagnosis and management of AD. In the first report, H... Wed, 2 Sep 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/09/article.asp?f=PN0909_news01.php http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/09/article.asp?f=PN0909_news06.php Based on the bids submitted by Part D plans, CMS estimates that the average monthly premium beneficiaries will pay for standard coverage in 2010 will increase $2 over 2009 rates to $30. Open enrollment periods open in a few weeks, allowing patients to switch to a less expensive plan if available and appropriate.... Wed, 2 Sep 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://bmctoday.net/practicalneurology/2009/09/article.asp?f=PN0909_news06.php