With record numbers of Americans suffering from arthritis, three drug manufacturers have been trying to get certain arthritis drugs approved by the FDA for years. According to Matthew Perrone of the Associated Press in the article “Arthritis drugs linked to bone decay,” FDA approval won’t be coming any time soon. It has been almost two years since testing was allowed for this experimental drug because of concerns for peoples’ safety. The FDA has found a strong correlation between these nerve-blocking arthritis medications and bone decay. They did find that the side effects were much less common when smaller doses were used.
Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals meet next week in a public forum to discuss the safety of their arthritis drugs. These particular drugs are nerve growth factor inhibitors. When injected, they block the proteins carrying sensation through the body. In the past, arthritis has been treated with painkillers such as Advil and aspirin. While effective, Advil and other anti-inflammatories can cause bleeding in the stomach and opiates like aspirin are quite addictive. People looking to compare health insurance will likely take into account what drugs will be covered under their plans. Health insurance companies closely follow disputes between the FDA and drug manufacturers to see what drugs they will pay for in their insurance plans.
The FDA is again allowing trials of these drugs to treat cancer pain, but is still banning trials for osteoarthritis. The three drugmakers plan to argue that the side effects almost always occurred in cases where the patient was taking both the nerve growth factor inhibitor and other painkillers. The FDA admits that they found the symptoms to be worse when two drugs were combined, but they found bone problems when Pfizer’s drug wasn’t taken with anything else. Pfizer will likely argue for more testing to be allowed, with the stipulation that patients cannot combine painkillers. They will also stop testing if no improvement is seen after a few doses of the pain medicine.
Did you know that it’s possible to have surgery and make yourself grow? A man from New York has undergone two surgeries now to make himself taller, and so far, they have been successful. ABC News’ Denise Martinez-Ramundo and Bill Ritter talk about this cutting edge surgery in the story “New York Man ‘Grows’ Six Inches Through Surgery.” He is 37 years old and wishes to stay anonymous until everything is complete and he knows that it was a success.
After the raging battle between Susan G. Komen For the Cure and Planned Parenthood last month, a top official from Komen has resigned. The breast cancer charity organization revoked funding to Planned Parenthood because they are under investigation for using federal funding to pay for abortions. It is against the law to do that, but Planned Parenthood has always asserted that they do not nor have they ever used federal funding in such a way. Sadly, this political debate really affected women who use Planned Parenthood for an array of health care services.
The Los Angeles Times published an article by Marni Jameson of The Orlando Sentinel about coffee preventing Type 2 Diabetes. In “Coffee helps prevent diabetes, now scientists learn why,” the author says that scientists believe they have figured out why coffee helps prevent diabetes. It is not new information that those who drink four cups of coffee a day lower their diabetes risk, but this is the first time that scientists think they have figured out why.
It’s hard for parents to determine when they should take their sick kids into the doctor and when it is okay to ride it out at home. With the rising 
