New Drug May Help Immune System Fight Cancer

THURSDAY May 16, 2013 -- An experimental drug that taps the power of the body's immune system to fight cancer is shrinking tumors in patients for whom other treatments have failed, an early study shows.

What do you know about:Emphysema

What Is It?

Emphysema is a respiratory disease. In this condition, millions of the lungs' tiny air sacs (alveoli) stretch out of shape or rupture. As these thin, fragile air sacs become damaged or destroyed, the lungs lose their natural elasticity. They become unable to empty easily.

what do you know about:Crohn's Disease

What Is It?

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease in which inflammation injures the intestines. It is a long-term (chronic) condition. Crohn's disease typically begins between ages 15 and 40.

Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada Examination Dates 2013

Schedule of Examinations for Pharmacists
Examination Name	Examination Date	Application Deadline Date*

Spring Pharmacist Qualifying Examination	MCQ:  May 21 & 22, 2013	Fri. March 1, 2013
	OSCE: Sun. May 26, 2013
Summer Pharmacist Evaluating Examination	July 3 & 4, 2013	Fri. April 5, 2013

Fall Pharmacist Qualifying Examination	MCQ:  Nov. 6 & 7, 2013	Wed. August 7, 2013
	OSCE:  Sat. Nov. 9, 2013

Winter Pharmacist Evaluating Examination

January 8 & 9, 2014

Fri. October 4, 2013

* Applications must be RECEIVED by the PEBC office no later than the application deadline date.

Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada Questions & Answers

Overview

Q1 What is the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada?

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The Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) is the national certification body for the pharmacy profession in Canada. PEBC is a non-profit organization with more than 40 years of experience in assessing the qualifications and competence of candidates for licensing by pharmacy provincial regulatory authorities. Established by Special Act of Parliament on December 21,1963, PEBC functions as an arms-length national examining board for pharmacists seeking entry-to-practice licensure in Canada.

Q2 What is the purpose of the PEBC?

High-Dose Statins Linked to Acute Kidney Damage

TUESDAY March 19, 2013 -- 

People who take high doses of popular cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins may be more likely to develop kidney problems, a new study suggests.

Specifically, those participants who took higher doses of statins were 34 percent more likely to be hospitalized for acute kidney injury during the first 120 days of treatment, compared to their counterparts who were taking lower doses. This risk remained elevated two years after starting treatment. The findings appeared online March 19 in the journal BMJ.

FDA Drug Safety Communication: Azithromycin (Zithromax or Zmax) and the risk of potentially fatal heart rhythms

[3-12-2013]   The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning the public that azithromycin (Zithromax or Zmax) can cause abnormal changes in the electrical activity of the heart that may lead to a potentially fatal irregular heart rhythm.

Drug-Induced Lupus Erythematosus

DILE may be induced by medications or caused by other compounds in the environment. 

The most common drugs that cause drug-induced SLE are 

•        hydralazine (rate roughly 20%), 
•        procainamide (rate roughly 20%, 5-8% if taken for 1 y), 
•        quinidine,
•        isoniazid, 
•        minocycline.

Principal causes and the underlying mechanisms of drug-induced hypernatraemia

A. Water loss

1. Renal losses

(i) Acquired nephrogenic diabetes insipidus

Drug-induced hypokalaemia: diuretics, cisplatin, aminoglycosides,

amphotericin B, penicillin derivatives

Drug-induced hypercalcaemia: lithium, vitamin A or D excess

Other drugs: lithium, demeclocycline, amphotericin B, foscarnet,

colchicine, vinblastine, vasopressin V2-receptor antagonists

Drugs Induced Thrombocytopenia

By Kottapurath Kunjumoideen MD

     Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a commonest blood disorder that causes thrombocytopenia or low platelet count. Apart from ITP, many drugs can cause thrombocytopenia. Some drugs like anticancer drugs and valproic acid causes dose depended decrease in the number of platelets by myelosuppression. Drugs may also cause thrombocytopenia by immunological mechanisms. Immunological drug induced thrombocytopenia can be caused by the following two mechanisms.

Drug-Induced Hyperkalemia

Certain medications can also make it harder for your kidneys to remove potassium. This is

particularly true if you have kidney disease or problems with the way your body handles

potassium. Some medications may increase the amount of potassium in the body.

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE)

CRE, which stands for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, are a family of germs that are difficult to treat because they have high levels of resistance to antibiotics. 

FDA Approves Zetonna

FRIDAY, January 20, 2012 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Zetonna (ciclesonide) nasal aerosol to treat the symptoms associated with seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis in adults and adolescents 12 years of age and older.

FDA Approves Subsys

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Subsys (fentanyl) sublingual spray. Subsys is a sublingually-administered formulation of fentanyl which provides relief to patients who experience episodes of breakthrough cancer pain. Breakthrough cancer pain is characterized by sudden, often unpredictable, episodes of intense pain which can peak in severity at three to five minutes despite background pain medication. Subsys is approved in cancer patients 18 years of age and older who are already receiving and who are tolerant to opioid therapy for their underlying persistent cancer pain.

FDA Approves Anturol

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Anturol (oxybutynin) topical gel 3% for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) with symptoms of urge urinary incontinence, urgency, and frequency.