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Popular ‘Benzo’ Drugs Linked to Suicide, Brain Damage — Even if You Stop Taking Them: Study
Over 30 million Americans a year use benzodiazepines, or “benzos,” including Xanax, Valium, Ativan and Klonopin. Benzodiazepines are prescribed to treat anxiety disorders, insomnia, muscle spasms, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, seizures and epilepsy.
But this widely used class of drugs is linked to severe side effects and life impacts that can last for years — even after people have stopped taking the drugs — a new study finds. “Patients have been reporting long-term effects from benzodiazepines for over 60 years. I am one of those patients,” Dr. Christy Huff, a cardiologist and co-author of the study, said in a news release.
The new research, published in PLOS One, includes a lengthy list of side effects that a majority of Benzo users experienced more than a year after they stopped taking the drugs. Those long-lasting symptoms include low energy, difficulty focusing, memory loss, anxiety, insomnia, sensitivity to light and sounds, digestive problems, symptoms triggered by food and drink, muscle weakness and body pain.
Alarmingly, users also struggled with severe life impacts: 54.7% reported suicide attempts or suicidal thoughts, for example.
Moderna Files for European Authorization of Updated COVID Vaccine
U.S. biotech firm Moderna (MRNA.O) said on Monday it had submitted a regulatory application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) seeking authorization for its updated COVID-19 vaccine to target the XBB.1.5 sub-variant.
Biden Administration Moves Ahead With Medicare Drug Price Negotiations Amid Industry Lawsuits
Undeterred by a growing number of lawsuits, the Biden administration on Friday released revised guidance for Medicare’s new drug price negotiation program.
The latest guidance outlines how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will negotiate with drugmakers to reach an agreement on a maximum fair price for a selected medicine, the agency said. It was informed by public input on the initial guidance the agency released in March, which explained how it will select the drugs and how the negotiations will be conducted.
The program, which was authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act that congressional Democrats passed last year, has prompted a fierce backlash from the pharmaceutical industry. Two drug manufacturers and two industry groups have filed lawsuits, arguing the measure is unconstitutional.
But the administration is not backing down from implementing its historic new power. It intends to keep its timeline of announcing the first 10 drugs that will be selected for negotiation by September 1. CMS and the drugmakers will negotiate during 2023 and 2024. The prices will be effective starting in 2026.
Irish Unicorn Faces U.S. Legal Action Over Lyme Disease Home-Testing Kit
Independent.ie via MSN reported:
LetsGetChecked, the Irish tech unicorn, is facing a class-action lawsuit that questions the efficacy of its home-testing kit for Lyme disease.
The company, founded in Ireland but with a heavy focus on the U.S. market, develops testing kits for people to test themselves at home for various diseases. It released a Lyme disease test that allows a person to take a finger-prick test and send a blood sample to a laboratory for testing. Results are then sent to the person through the company’s app.
TruthCure, a Kansas-based non-profit group that advocates for Lyme disease patients, alleges that LetsGetChecked’s tests are ineffective. The organization claims that the testing kit only tests for one bacterial strain of Lyme disease, but says there are “dozens” of strains that cause the disease.
The case has been filed in a court in Massachusetts and proposes a class action of thousands of people who bought the tests. It is seeking compensation and an order for LetsGetChecked to cease selling the tests.
AstraZeneca Shares Drop as Lung Cancer Trial Update Lags Expectations
AstraZeneca (AZN.L) said on Monday an experimental precision drug slowed the progression of lung cancer in a late-stage trial, but the company’s shares fell as much as 6% as analysts said the benefits may not be as pronounced as hoped.
The drug, datopotamab deruxtecan, which is being jointly developed with Japan’s Daiichi Sankyo (4568.T), was shown to prolong progression-free survival compared with standard chemotherapy in patients whose non-small cell lung cancer had returned after one or two prior treatment attempts, AstraZeneca said.
The British drugmaker also said some trial participants had died of interstitial lung disease, or scarring of lung tissue, but added that the drug’s safety profile was in line with observations during previous clinical trials.
Sandoz Launches Rival Version of AbbVie’s Arthritis Drug Humira
Swiss drugmaker Sandoz said on Saturday it had launched a biosimilar version of AbbVie Inc’s (ABBV.N) big-selling arthritis treatment Humira, adding to U.S. competition for the drug that started in January.
The Novartis (NOVN.S)-owned company said its drug, Hyrimoz, will be priced at a 5% discount off Humira’s current list price of $6,922 per month, but that it was also offering an unbranded version of Humira at an 81% discount.
At least nine copies of Humira, which also treats conditions like ulcerative colitis and psoriasis, from companies including Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and South Korea’s Celltrion (068270.KS) are expected to be available in the United States by the end of the year.
