Amneal Pharmaceutical LLC, is recalling three lots of Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim Tablets, USP, 400 mg/80 mg only, to the consumer level as the tablets may exhibit black spots on the tablet surface due to microbial contamination. The observance of black spots was reported in a product quality complaint.Oral products contaminated with Aspergillus may result in serious and life-threatening infections. The use of the defective product in patients with underlying immunosuppressive conditions…

Mass General Brigham-led randomized trial suggests vitamin D can protect against telomere shortening, which is linked to risk of age-related disease Results from the VITAL randomized controlled trial reveal that vitamin D supplementation helps maintain telomeres, protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that shorten during aging and are linked to the development of certain diseases. The new report, which is published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is based on data from a…

Nearly 40 different kinds of common generic medications are being recalled, according to a report posted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).The medications, all produced by Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Inc., were initially recalled on March 13. The FDA gave the recall a Class II risk level on April 8.Which Drugs Were Recalled? There were 39 different generic medications included in this recall, used to treat dozens of different conditions.For example, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals recalled…

This is the first diagnostic test for chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis that can be purchased without a prescription and performed entirely at home. The test is intended for females with or without symptoms and delivers results in approximately 30 minutes.

Key TakeawaysHigh-dose vitamin D reduced disease activity in early MS and CIS compared with placebo.Patients taking vitamin D had a longer time to disease activity: 432 days versus 224 days.No severe adverse events were related to high-dose vitamin D.High-dose vitamin D reduced disease activity in clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and in early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), the D-Lay MS clinical trial showed.Over 24 months of follow-up, disease activity occurred in 60.3% of the…

Cologuard is getting an upgrade soon. An updated at-home screening test, called Cologuard Plus, is expected to be available in spring 2025.Cologuard Plus is a more sensitive version of the original Cologuard that was first approved in 2014. The test is for people 45 and older who are at average risk of colorectal cancer, meaning those without a personal or family history of the cancer.Both the original and new Cologuard tests use a stool sample that patients collect at home with a treated paper…

UCSF-led study calls for new recommendations and supplements for older adults that may offer better brain protection.Meeting the minimum requirement for vitamin B12, needed to make DNA, red blood cells and nerve tissue, may not actually be enough – particularly if you are older. It may even put you at risk for cognitive impairment.A new study, led by UC San Francisco researchers, found that older, healthy volunteers, with lower concentrations of B12, but still in the normal range, showed signs…

Research suggests that hormone replacement therapy, especially with testosterone, may help alleviate mood symptoms in menopausal women and reduce the need for antidepressants.Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may be an effective treatment option for negative mood symptoms associated with menopause, according to a recent study presented at the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health 2025 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia from February 27 to March 2, 2025.Mood symptoms in…

Consuming omega-3 fatty acids—an essential fat the body does not produce—has long been recommended for boosting the health of the brain, eyes, and heart, as well as for its possible mental health benefits. Now scientists have added another perk to the list: slowing down the aging process.The findings come as part of a large, three-year randomized clinical trial: DO-HEALTH, which looked at the effects of omega-3s, vitamin D, and exercise on healthy aging among 2,157 Europeans who were 70…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new type of prescription pain medication for adults to treat moderate to severe acute pain.The drug, called Journavx (suzetrigine) and manufactured by biotech company Vertex Pharmaceuticals, is a non-opioid painkiller, which doesn’t have addictive properties, unlike opioids often used for this type of pain.This is the first class of non-opioid pain medication approved to treat moderate to severe acute pain approved by the FDA in more than…

The Food and Drug Administration approved Johnson & Johnson’s nasal spray to be used alone in adults with a major depressive disorder that is difficult to treat, as sales of the drug grow. The spray, called Spravato, is now the first-ever stand-alone therapy for treatment-resistant depression, which is when trying at least two standard treatments does little to nothing to improve depression symptoms in a patient. Spravato is on its way to becoming a blockbuster product, with the…

Every two minutes in the U.S., someone is diagnosed with lung cancer, according to the American Lung Association. As you’d probably guess, the predominant cause of lung cancer is (and has been for many decades) smoking cigarettes, driving nearly 90% of cases annually.However, in recent years, medical oncologists, surgeons, and researchers are beginning to notice that people who’ve never before touched a tobacco product now comprise an increasing segment of total lung cancer cases.“Lung cancer…

The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it’s banning the use of Red No. 3, a synthetic dye that gives food and drinks their bright red cherry color but has been linked to cancer in animals.The dye is still used in thousands of foods, including candy, cereals, cherries in fruit cocktails and strawberry-flavored milkshakes, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food safety advocacy group that petitioned the agency in 2022 to end its use.The FDA’s decision marks a…

United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new Surgeon General’s Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk, outlining the direct link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk. Alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity, increasing risk for at least seven types of cancer. While scientific evidence for this connection has been growing over the past four decades, less than half of Americans recognize it…

The Mediterranean diet holds an eight-year streak of being the healthiest diet per doctors and dietitians.Along with similar diets like DASH, it's rich in whole, plant-based foods like legumes and veggies.Weight loss drugs have shaken up the diet industry, but healthy eating is still key for longevity.The Mediterranean diet has been named the healthiest way to eat for the eighth year in a row.Based on traditions in countries like Italy, Greece, and Turkey, the eating style swept the top spot in…

The contraceptive injection Depo-Provera and two drugs used for menopause relief could be linked to a heightened risk for brain tumors in some women, a new study warns.Depo-Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate) increased the risk of intracranial meningioma 5.6-fold if used for longer than a year, researchers report in the BMJ.“In countries for which the use of medroxyprogesterone acetate for birth control is frequent [74 million users worldwide], the number of attributable meningiomas may be…

Levothyroxine, the second most commonly prescribed medication among older adults in the U.S., may be associated with bone loss, according to a study being presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).Levothyroxine, marketed under multiple brand names including Synthroid, is a synthetic version of a hormone called thyroxine and is commonly prescribed to treat the condition hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid. In people with hypothyroidism, the…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed to remove oral phenylephrine, widely used in cold and cough syrups, as an active ingredient in over-the-counter drugs for nasal congestion, stating it is not effective. Currently, oral phenylephrine is widely used as a nasal decongestant active ingredient in many OTC monograph drug products. It is important to note that some products only contain oral phenylephrine as a single, active ingredient. Others contain oral phenylephrine and…

A panel of experts discusses lotilaner ophthalmic solution 0.25%, the first FDA-approved treatment for Demodex blepharitis, a highly prevalent eyelid disease that impacts approximately 25 million eye care patients in the U.S.XDEMVY™ (lotilaner ophthalmic solution) is the first and only FDA approved treatment to directly target Demodex mites, the root cause of Demodex blepharitis. Demodex blepharitis impacts 1 out of every 12 adults and is a common yet often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed…

Age at menopause (AOM) has a substantial impact on fertility and disease risk. While many loci with variants that associate with AOM have been identified through genome-wide association studies (GWAS) under an additive model, other genetic models are rarely considered. Here through GWAS meta-analysis under the recessive model of 174,329 postmenopausal women from Iceland, Denmark, the United Kingdom (UK; UK Biobank) and Norway, we study low-frequency variants with a large effect on AOM. We…