MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'celexa'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:09:59 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813213&cid=t_115336_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Flogical-fallacies-to-defend-ceos-from.html There is now quite a kerfuffle over the US Department of Health and Human Service's threat to to stop doing business with the CEO of Forest Laboratories.  As we noted here, his company pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and misbranding, and agreed to pay a $313 million fine.  The major allegations by the government were that the company marketed antidepressants to children when they had only previously been approved for adults. Their marketing tactics allegedly included suppressing negative studies, and paying physicians to prescribe the drugs. The kerfuffle involves a number of ostensible authorities and pundits defending the CEO, and challenging the government's attempts to hold him responsible for his company's actions.  The kerfuffle also provid... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813213 Tue, 10 May 2011 22:22:00 +0100 4813213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4389181&cid=t_115336_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Flexapro-for-treatment-of-hot-flashes%2F2011.01.23 In a well done placebo-controlled study published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), use of escitalopram (Lexapro) reduced hot flashes in menopausal women. Investigators enrolled 205 women, randomizing them to either Lexapro 10 mg or placebo, with instructions to increase to two pills a day if needed after four weeks. Lexapro users experienced about a 60 percent reduction in hot flash frequency over the eight-week study. About half ended up on the larger 20 mg daily dose by study’s end. The drug’s effect was apparent at about one week of use, and it was well tolerated. As in almost studies of menopausal treatments, the placebo group also experienced a significant reduction in symptoms — about 40 percent — but the difference between place... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4389181 Sun, 23 Jan 2011 23:00:21 +0100 4389181 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3980796&cid=t_115336_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fforest-pharmaceuticals-pleads-guilty-to.html The parade of legal settlements marches on.  The latest story is about Forest Laboratories and its marketing of Celexa (citalopram ) and Levothyroid (l-thyroxin).  Here is the most complete version, courtesy of Natasha Singer reporting for the New York Times. First, the lead sentence:A unit of Forest Laboratories, the maker of the antidepressant Celexa, agreed on Wednesday to pay more than $313 million to settle criminal and civil complaints, including a claim that it had illegally promoted the drug for use in children. Here are the charges:Among the criminal charges was one that the subsidiary, Forest Pharmaceuticals, marketed Celexa, which was approved only for adult depression, to treat children and adolescents. The government also claimed that, in conjunction with the company... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3980796 Fri, 17 Sep 2010 19:27:00 +0100 3980796 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3973109&cid=t_115336_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fcg69u3pOB2o%2F Another week, another guilty plea by a drugmaker charged with illegal promotion. This time around, Forest Labs has pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, distributing an unapproved drug and illegally promoting two other meds (see the plea agreement). The drugs in quetion were Levothroid, an oral med for thyroid conditions, and two antidepressants - Celexa and Lexapro. The $313 million payment includes $164 million in criminal penalties. Forest was charged with distributing Levothroid in the early 1990s without obtaining FDA approval. This particular tale is complicated - this type of drug was around for decades, but in 1997, the FDA declared these were now considered new meds (look here). This meant approval was required, but since these are medically necessary, an extension was granted... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3973109 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:14:54 +0100 3973109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3618087&cid=t_115336_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FeIKSx7mehTc%2F This isn’t surprising. A new survey finds that 78 of those seeking treatment for depression or anxiety were prescribed antidepressants, but roughly half of those taking such a pill report being helped ‘a lot.’ Meanwhile, 91 percent of respondents who stuck with ‘talk therapy, reported this approach made things “a lot” or “somewhat” better, according to Consumer Reports, which conducted the survey. The survey also found that older, often less expensive SSRI antidepressants - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Lexapro, Celexa, Prozac and Zoloft - work just as well, and with fewer side effects, than newer, more costly SNRIs, including Cymbalta and Effexor (see Consumer Reports cost data here). Last year, doctors prescribed $9.9 billion worth of ant... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3618087 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:31:11 +0100 3618087 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3463859&cid=t_115336_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FAXedCrREqsI%2F There appears to be no difference among antidepressants in raising a youngster’s risk of suicidal thoughts, according to a new long-term study in Pediatrics. The research supports the FDA decision in 2004 to mandate a “black box” on all antidepressants for increased suicidality risk in children and adolescents who take the meds and answers the question about which med carries the most risk, HealthDay writes. “Across the most frequently prescribed antidepressant agents, there was no difference in risk of suicide attempts and completed suicides,” lead researcher Sebastian Schneeweiss, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, tells HealthDay. The FDA showed a doubling in the risk of suicidal ideation among kids taking antidep... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3463859 Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:15:22 +0100 3463859 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3433164&cid=t_115336_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fc_0pliKPa0w%2F The Federal Aviation Administration has dropped a decades-old ban on four antidepressants and so, as of April 5, as many as 10,000 pilots - some of whom were grounded - will be allowed to take to the air while on Prozac, Pfizer’s Zoloft or Forest Lab’s Celexa and Lexapro, Bloomberg News reports. In reaching its decision, the FAA says that drowsiness, which is associated the pills, doesn’t pose a safety threat. “We have a better understanding of the drugs,” FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt tells the news service. “We know more about the illness, we know more about how to treat it. We really need to remove the stigma, if you will, of being treated for an illness.” FAA policy bans pilots from flying if depressed because the condition can be distracting in the... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3433164 Fri, 02 Apr 2010 12:20:39 +0100 3433164 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3092931&cid=t_115336_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FKHZc5QqcnFc%2F Postmenopausal women who took antidepressants had a small increased risk of dying from all causes, compared to women who did not take antidepressants, according to a new finding from the Women’s Health Initiative study. Those who took selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, also had a greater risk for strokes, especially strokes caused by bleeding, but their overall risk was still quite small. The WHI, which began in 1991, followed more than 160,000 postmenopausal women US for up to 15 years. The new analysis included more than 136,000 WHI participants who weren’t taking antidepressants at enrollment, but at their first follow-up visit, either one or three years after enrolling, 5,500 women reported taking either tricyclic or SSRIs, WebMD writes. Women who took antid... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3092931 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:20:48 +0100 3092931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2996010&cid=t_115336_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Funcnews.unc.edu%2Fimages%2Fstories%2Fnews%2Fhealth%2F2008%2Fdrugslist.pdf Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries for adults sixty-five and older, and research suggests that those taking four or more medications are at an even greater risk than those who don’t—perhaps two to three times greater. -- Susan Blalock, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.....Bob DeMarco Alzheimer's Reading Room Editor I am always worried that my mother might fall and injure herself -- or worse. Research studies indicate that falling is a leading cause of injury deaths for people 65 and older -- see Falls Among Older Adults: An Overview. More than one third of adults 65 and older fall each year in the United States Twenty percent to 30% of people who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries such as bruises, hip fractures, or head traumas. Men are more likel... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2996010 Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:37:51 +0100 2996010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2977572&cid=t_115336_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FwkVkB9o9ZEw%2F The drugmaker reached a tentative settlement with the US Attorney in Boston and the US Department of Justice’s, which charged that its antidepressants and a thyroid drug were marketed improperly. However, a criminal probe continues, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (see page 15). As it turns, an agreement in principle was reached in May concerning the civil investigation being conducted by federal and state authorities. The penalties are covered by a $170 million reserve Forest created in April. But the arrangement “does not resolve the government’s ongoing investigation into potential criminal law violations” related to the Celexa and Lexapro antidepressants, as well as the Levothroid thyroid drug. In February, the U.S. Justice Dep... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2977572 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:00:10 +0100 2977572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2757824&cid=t_115336_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2F02%2Fa-how-to-guide-to-getting-doctors-to-prescribe-your-drug%2F Lexapro is an antidepressant medication that is pretty much the equivalent to the now-generic version, Celexa. It is primarily prescribed to treat depression by primary care physicians and psychiatrists. It is a popular antidepressant. And it’s also a big money maker for its manufacturer, Forest Laboratories. So you have to wonder, how do drug companies “educate” docs about the greatness of their products? How does one get an antidepressant to become “popular.” Embarrassing documents released through an investigation by the Senate’s Special Committee on Aging into the drug manufacturer’s marketing practices describes the process in grueling detail: Under “Lunch and Learns,” the company intended to spend $36 million providing lunch to doctors ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2757824 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:20:51 +0100 2757824 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2290611&cid=t_115336_117_f&fid=36026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fzimney-health-and-medical-news-you-can-use%2Flexapro-celexa-and-depression%2F Last week’s FDA approval of Lexapro to treat depression in adolescents 12-17 years old got me to thinking both about bureaucratic nonsense and corporate shenanigans. That’s because, in a classic case of bureaucratitis, the FDA approval came just weeks after Justice Department prosecutors, following a 5-year investigation, accused Forest Laboratories of illegally marketing Lexapro for use in these very same children. Of course, such actions are not mutually exclusive because, in fact, it would have been illegal for Forest to promote the use of Lexapro in kids prior to such an FDA approval, but, really, when one arm of the government says it’s now fully convinced of Lexapro’s efficacy in children doesn’t it seem a bit odd that another arm would be spending so mu... Dr. Z's Medical Report blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2290611 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:42:16 +0100 2290611 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2287236&cid=t_115336_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F03%2F22%2Fdespite-controversy-lexapro-approved-for-kids-depression%2F Lexapro, an antidepressant already approved to treat major depression in adults, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat depression in children ages 12 to 17. This happened just weeks after the drug’s marker, Forest Laboratories, was charged by prosecutors of illegally marketing this and another drug (Celexa) to children and paying kickbacks to doctors for prescribing them. Digging into the studies that resulted in the FDA’s approval demonstrates a clearly mixed picture of Lexapro’s effectiveness in children: The FDA on Friday approved Lexapro’s use for adolescents based on favorable results in two clinical trials, one involving adolescents taking Lexapro and another involving children and adolescents taking chemically similar Cele... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2287236 Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:28:25 +0100 2287236 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2260922&cid=t_115336_150_f&fid=34768&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpharmagossip.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fmartha-rosenberg-nails-it.html Truth is stranger than fiction (Source: PharmaGossip) PharmaGossip blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2260922 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:12:00 +0100 2260922 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2222495&cid=t_115336_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F02%2F26%2Flexapro-maker-accused-of-fraud%2F Yet another story about a drug maker getting into trouble for its off-label marketing practices for a psychiatric medication, this time to children and teens. The drugs? Lexapro and its older sibling, Celexa. The manufacturer of them? Forest Laboratories. The New York Times has the story: In a civil complaint filed by the United States attorney’s office in Boston, federal prosecutors alleged that former top executives at Forest concealed for several years a clinical study that showed that the drugs were not effective in children and might even pose risks to them, including causing some to become suicidal. From 2001 to 2004, Forest heavily promoted results from another clinical trial it had financed that showed that the drugs were effective, without disclosing the negative study to those... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2222495 Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:00:36 +0100 2222495 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1208095&cid=t_115336_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F229782529%2F The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency upgraded the warnings on all antidepressants - not just SSRIs - after reviewing an FDA analysis of the drugs. As a result, the labeling on these meds should be updated to reflect an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior among young adults and the need to monitor patients closely. The list of drugs that will feature the upgraded warning includes Wellbutrin; Celexa; Paxil; Cymbalta; Lexapro; Prozac; Luvox; Remeron; Serzone, Zoloft and Effexor. “The Pharmacovigilance Working Party considered the review performed by the FDA was of high quality and although it did not provide evidence to suggest that the use of SSRIs and related depressants leads to an increased risk of suicidality in the general adult population, it found a clear ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1208095 Tue, 05 Feb 2008 19:38:46 +0100 1208095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1179239&cid=t_115336_97_f&fid=35050&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmaGazette%2F%7E3%2F223180790%2Feffectiveness_of_antidepressants_may_depend_on_genetics.html German researchers have identified genetic variations that predict patient's response to two common antidepressants. Scientist at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich found 11 variants in the gene for a protective transporter protein called P-gp.P-gb which removes drugs and other substances from the brain appears to negatively impact the effectiveness of certain antidepressants. Specifically the study found that citalopram (Celexa) and venlafaxine (Effexor).In the initial part of the study the scientists rendered the genes ineffective for p-gb in mice and gave them the antidepressant. It was found that the concentrations if citalopram and venlafaxine in the brain were controlled by p-gb and that indicated that the antidepressants were substrates of the transporter prot... PharmaGazette blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1179239 Fri, 25 Jan 2008 20:00:54 +0100 1179239 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=912189&cid=t_115336_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F162669139%2F How so? Variations in a pair of genes my increase the chance of reporting suicidal thoughts after taking Celexa, according to a study in the latest issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry. (Here’s the abstract). Although preliminary, the results may help researchers develop tests to predict who will react badly to the med, and who will do well. The study focused on reactions only to Forest Labs’ Celexa, and didn’t find any link between the genetic variations and suicide attempts, The New York Times reports. This distinction is critical, because docs don’t know whether people who report suicidal thoughts are at increased risk to act on them. The one patient in the study who attempted suicide denied suicidal thoughts, the paper writes. The findings are likely to e... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=912189 Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:30:12 +0100 912189