A U.S. Department of Food and Drug Administration advisory panel of outside experts voted 20-17 on Tuesday to urge the agency to eliminate products that combine acetaminophen with powerful opioids. Amongst the drugs recommended to be eliminated are the popular prescription painkillers Percocet and Vicodin. This is just one recommendation from the panel, which is currently weighing steps that the FDA can take to prevent the liver damage and even death that is seen in patients who take too much acetaminophen.

Panelists have also recommended reducing the strength of over-the-counter pain medications and other drugs that contain acetaminophen, and switching the higher doses over a prescription product.

They stopped just short of recommending a ban on OTC cough, cold and other medications that combine acetaminophen with other ingredients, voting 24-13 to keep them on store shelves.

Overdoses of acetaminophen, which is commonly known by its brand name Tylenol, has been linked to liver failure and even death. The FDA, however, is concerned that consumers are not heeding warnings and are trying to come up with ways to reduce the overall number of overdoses.

Before the FDA makes any final decisions, they will seriously weigh the recommendations of this outside panel.

The Cleveland Clinic has announced they will be hosting 7th Annual Medical Innovation Summit, Oct. 5-7. Prominent medical leaders will will highlight new technologies in the oncology field, giving attendees access to the latest innovations in cancer therapy, diagnostics and management

"This Medical Innovation Summit will bring together some of the most important thought leaders in the world of healthcare, cancer technology and venture investment. In light of the current economy, it is more important than ever to discuss the future of innovation and our increased need to support new technology," said Christopher Coburn, Executive Director of Cleveland Clinic Innovations. "Everyone has been touched in some way by cancer, and we are excited to highlight the many clinical innovations taking place in this field."

According to the Swiss pharmaceuticals company Novartis AG, it has successfully produced the first batch of swine flu vaccine weeks ahead of expectations. The vaccine is normally grown in eggs, but this time was made in cells.

According to the World Health Organization, which delcared the H1N1 virus a pandemic last week, drugmakers will most likely have vaccines approved and ready for sale after September.

The first batch of Novartis' vaccine will be used for pre-clinical evaluation and testing, and is being considered for clinical trials.

The vaccine was made at a Novartis plant in Marburg, Germany, where the company says it could potentially produce millions of doses of vaccine a week. A second plant is being built in Holly Springs, NC.

Novartis said that more than 30 governments have so far requested vaccine supplies. The US alone placed a $289 million order in May.

Often criticized for the high cost of their prescription drugs, the world's largest drugmaker - Pfizer - said it would give away up to a year's supply of medicine to Americans already taking the drugs that have been laid off. 70 popular drugs are covered by the program, including Viagra, Lipitor, and Celebrex, amongst others.

Anyone laid off since January 1 that has been on the drugs for at least three months is eligible.

The program will help keep those patients who've lost their jobs and healthcare coverage loyal to Pfizer brands.

David Heupel, a health care industry analyst, says:

"Pfizer is trying to maintain their (market) share, if not grow their share" by keeping struggling customers from switching to generic drugs."

Good news for pot smokers - marijuana's potency has hit an all-time high. According to scientists, the levels of THC found in weed these days has a higher concentration of the psychoactive ingredient THC.

The University of Mississippi's Potency Monitoring Project tests thousands of samples of seized marijuana each year, and found that the levels of THC have now eclipsed 30 percent. During 2008, the average THC concentration was 10.1%. That's compared to 7.3% in 2007 and under 4% in 1983.

THC concentrations have been on the rise for three decades. Mahmoud ElSohly, director of the school's project, predicts that the concentrations will continue to rise before leveling off at an average of 15 to 16% in five to ten years.

Some now fear that inexperienced marijuana smokers make not moderate their intake, and worry that they may suffer from paranoia, irritability and other negative effects.

What You Need to Know

An influenza (flu) pandemic is a worldwide outbreak of flu disease that occurs when a
new type of influenza virus appears that people have not been exposed to before (or
have not been exposed to in a long time). The pandemic virus can cause serious illness because people do not have immunity to the new virus. Pandemics are different from seasonal outbreaks of influenza that we see every year. Seasonal influenza is caused by influenza virus types to which people have already been exposed. Its impact on society is less severe than a pandemic, and influenza vaccines (flu shots and nasal-spray vaccine) are available to help prevent widespread illness from seasonal flu.

Influenza pandemics are different from many of the other major public health and
health care threats facing our country and the world. A pandemic will last much longer
than most flu outbreaks and may include “waves” of influenza activity that last 6-8
weeks separated by months. The number of health care workers and first responders
able to work may be reduced. Public health officials will not know how severe a
pandemic will be until it begins.

A Historical Perspective

Andrew Wakefield, the doctor who initially sparked concerns over the safety of the MMR vaccine for children is said to have changed and misreported results in his research, which created the appearance of a possible link with autism. Interviews with witnesses as well as confidential medical documents reveal that Wakefield manipulated patients' data. The MMR vaccine to protected against measles, mumps and rubella was thus then feared to be linked to autism.

Wakefield's research was published in February 1998 in an article in The Lancent medical journal, which claimed that families of eight out of twelve children that attended a routine clinic at the hospital had blamed MMR for their autism. It also claimed that problems arose within days of receiving the vaccine, and researchers claimed to have discovered a new inflammatory bowel disease underlying the children's conditions.

Prescription drug manufacturer Merck has now asked the Food & Drug Administration to approve the Gardasil vaccine for use in boys ages 9 to 26. Currently, Gardasil is administered to females to protect against HPV and cervical cancer.

Gardasil first hit the market in 2006, and was recommended for girls age 12 to 26, and due to some aggressive marketing the drug quickly became one of the companies top-selling vaccines. In 2007 sales topped $1.5 billion. Sales slowed in 2008, however, after a Harvard study showed that it wasn't cost effective to administer it to women in their 20s.

Merck has long had plans to release a vaccine for males. Men are simply not just carriers of HPV, and those men infected with HPV run the risk of developing cancer of the genitals or mouth, and genital warts. In initial testing, Merck found that Gardasil prevented 90% of cases of penile cancer and genital warts in the 4,000 males (16-26) that received the vaccine.

Before Gardasil can be made available to the general male public, the FDA has to approve Merck's request. Such a process can take up to a year to complete.

This past Sunday, November 9, CVS/pharmacy launched its new Health Savings Pass, which will help reduce the cost of health care, particularly for the uninsured. It costs just $10 annually to enroll in the program, which will then allow consumers to fill a 90-day prescription for more than 400 common generic medications for just $9.99 at their local CVS.

In addition to the prescription savings, consumers will also receive a 10% discount on health services at all 8 MinuteClinic locations in Cleveland. In the Cleveland area alone there are an estimated 10.9% of people uninsured, and another 7.2% statewide that are unemployed.

Consumers may obtain a Health Savings Pass at any of of the more than 6,300 CVS locations nationwide. Alternatively, you may also enroll online at www.cvs.com or by calling 1-888-616-CARE (2273). A complete list of medications covered can also be found at the CVS website. MinuteClinic locations and services may be found at minuteclinic.com.

According to scientists, a chemical released in the brain during sex and other social interactions could be turned into a cure for shyness, autism, depression and anxiety. The feel-good chemical, called oxytocin, has long been used by doctors for other uses including inducing labor and stimulating milk production in new mothers.

Oxytocin promotes romantic feels, makes people more socialable, and helps mothers bond with their babies. Researchers however, wonder if it might also be able to treat a wide range of personality disorders.

There are currently several researchers studying the affects of oxytocin on different disorders.

Dr. Eric Hollander, a leading autism expert from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, has found that giving oxytocin to autistic adults improves their ability to recognize emotions in a person's tone of voice. This is something they usually find very difficult to do.

An intravenous infusion of oxytocin, he has found, triggers improvements that last for up to two weeks. Previous autism research revealed that autistic children have lower than normal levels of oxytocin in their bloodstreams.