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Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
Top 10 Stories of 2006 by Harvard Health Letter
Picks Key Ones for Senior Citizens
Lucentis for macular
degeneration, Zostavax for shingles make list
December 4, 2006 - The editors of the Harvard
Health Letter, and doctors on its editorial board, have chosen the top
10 health stories of 2006. Their number one choice – the HPV vaccine to
guard against cervical cancer – is a great development but not
necessarily a senior citizen issue. The first clearly important issue
for older Americans on their list is number four - the FDA approval of
Lucentis as a drug to prevent wet macular degeneration, the leading
cause of blindness in seniors. Another key senior issue is number six -
the approval of Zostavax, the first vaccine against shingles.
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FDA Approves Lucentis for Treatment of Wet
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Monthly dose can maintain the vision of more than
90% of patients
July 2, 2006 - The Food and Drug Administration has
approved Lucentis (ranibizumab injection) for the treatment of patients
with neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the
leading cause of blindness in senior citizens. Lucentis is the first
treatment which, when dosed monthly by injection, can maintain the vision of more
than 90 percent of patients with this type of AMD.
Read more...
Lucentis Therapy for Wet Age-Related Macular
Degeneration Shows Significant Vision Gain
'Lucentis is most
significant advance in treating AMD in history'
October 10, 2006 -More than one-third of patients
treated with Lucentis for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
showed "unprecedented improvements" in vision, according to findings
published in the New England Journal of Medicine. AMD is a major cause
of central visual loss and is the leading cause of blindness in senior
citizens. Read more...
Shingles Vaccinations Recommended for All 60 and
Over
CDC committee says action needed to
prevent painful disease
October 26, 2006 – An advisory committee on
immunization of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has
recommended everyone age 60 and older be vaccinated for shingles with
the recently FDA approved Zostavax vaccine. This extremely painful viral
disease inflicts many senior citizens with blisters and nerve pain caused by the
re-activated chicken pox virus.
Read more...
LAST YEAR
Top Advances in Cancer Treatment for 2005 Chosen by
Oncologists
Eleven study areas identified as major advances in
care
Dec. 2, 2005 – A report released today by the
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) highlights the most
significant clinical cancer research of the past year and names the 11
study areas of "major advances" in patient care, and highlights 45 other
notable advances across 10 cancer types and in three cross-cutting
areas: prevention, access to high-quality cancer care, and cancer
survivorship.
Read
more...
Read the latest news on Senior
Health & Medicine |
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Here is the Health Letter's top ten.
1. A new shot in the arm against cancer.
The newly approved HPV vaccine represents a
different approach to fighting cancer. Instead of just screening
patients to spot cancer early, doctors can use this vaccine to actively
prevent it. The vaccine is designed to immunize women against infection
by two strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), which are believed to
cause some 70% of cervical cancers. Because the vaccine cannot prevent
the remaining 30%, screening with Pap smears will remain important, but
that may change as the vaccine is improved and cervical cancer becomes
increasingly rare.
2.Trans is fat non grata.
This year it became easier to avoid trans fats
after the FDA required food manufacturers to list trans fat content in
the Nutrition Facts portion of food labels, the first major change to
the label in over a decade. Meanwhile, New York City and Chicago have
proposed measures to limit trans fats in restaurant foods. If those laws
go into effect, they may set a nationwide trend.
3. Has Massachusetts figured it out?
Massachusetts adopted the most promising plan yet
for universal health insurance coverage. The law combines subsidies to
those who can’t afford health insurance with a mandate that everyone
have it. Devils are lurking in details of the implementation, such as
the amounts of the subsidies, but other states may follow suit.
4. New treatment for macular degeneration.
A promising new approach focuses on angiogenesis,
or the formation of blood vessels. The FDA approved Lucentis, an anti-angiogenic
drug aimed at the blood vessels that cause wet macular degeneration, a
leading cause of blindness. Studies have found that the drug improves
vision, a remarkable result. Up to now, the best treatments could only
halt further deterioration.
5. Germ warfare—and the germs are winning some
battles.
Antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” are causing more
trouble than ever. Virulent strains of bacteria such as methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile, once seen only
in hospital settings, are now circulating in communities. Extremely
drug-resistant TB, a problem in poor countries, emerges when people
don’t take the full course of their TB medicines.
6. Vaccines, kid stuff no more.
“Getting your shots” is becoming a bigger part of
adult preventive medicine. In 2006, the FDA approved Zostavax, the first
vaccine against shingles, a condition that typically affects people over
age 60. And a vaccine against pertussis is now part of the increasingly
busy adult vaccine schedule.
7. Drug approvals—with strings attached.
The FDA allowed the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri
back on the market, with careful restrictions to ensure patients are
closely monitored. The drug had been withdrawn in 2004 because of rare
cases of brain infection. Several years ago the agency let Lotronex,
the controversial irritable bowel syndrome drug, back on the market, but
with restrictions. These actions show a shift to modified approvals by
the FDA rather than only the traditional yes-or-no rulings.
8. Bird flu preparations: Don’t chicken out
now.
The disease continues to smolder, vaccine
development inches forward, and the public and the press are showing
signs of bird flu fatigue. Still, preparation is time and money well
spent, because a pandemic could be horrific.
9. Calls for FDA reform getting louder and
clearer.
The Institute of Medicine released a report calling
for two dozen reforms. One major theme: The approval process will never
ferret out all the problems with a drug, so the agency needs tough, new
powers to better monitor drugs after they are on the market. The report
says that more funding for the FDA should come from government funds
rather than user fees. The committee also proposes using a special
symbol on new drugs to let consumers know that those drugs lack a track
record.
10. D: Finally, a vitamin makes the grade.
Several new studies suggest that the so-called
sunshine vitamin (because it’s produced in skin exposed to sunlight) may
protect against cancer. One study showed that as blood levels of vitamin
D go up, women’s breast cancer risk goes down. Another found that fairly
large amounts of vitamin D lowered the risk for pancreatic cancer by
about 40%.
Editor's Notes:
The Harvard Health Letter is available from Harvard
Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School,
for $28 per year. Subscribe at
www.health.harvard.edu/health or by calling 1-877-649-9457 (toll
free).
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