Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden, struggling to convince Americans that he's improved their lives as he runs for reelection, hailed his administration's Tuesday announcement that several drugs would be targeted for Medicare's first-ever price negotiations. The drugs include the blood thinner Eliquis, diabetes treatment Jardiance and eight other medications. The negotiation process was authorized under the Inflation Reduction Act, which Biden signed last year, capping decades of debate over whether the federal government should be allowed to haggle with pharmaceutical companies. Any lower prices won't take effect for three years, and the path forward could be further complicated by...

Warfarin, a widely used blood thinner, appears to have potent anti-cancer properties, according to a study. "Our findings suggest that warfarin, which is already approved by the FDA, could be repurposed to treat a variety of cancers, including pancreatic cancer," says Wei Gu, Ph.D. Cancer researchers are excited by the idea of harnessing ferroptosis—so-named because it requires iron to work—to kill cancer cells. Drugs that induce ferroptosis may be particularly useful for cancers that elude current treatments. Gu, Stockwell, and their colleagues performed genetic screens on human melanoma cells to identify genes that contribute to ferroptosis. As expected, the screens...

The study was funded by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. These results highlight how crucial it is to only take aspirin on your doctor’s orders and to hold off starting any over-the-counter medications like aspirin until you have discussed whether the expected benefit outweighs the risk. According to recent research, stopping the use of aspirin while taking a blood thinner reduces the risk of bleeding. Recent research indicates that you might not need to take a second blood thinner if you already take one. In fact, a Michigan Medicine study reveals that patients’ risk of bleeding complications significantly...

Patients who have surgery to repair bone fractures typically receive a type of injectable blood thinner, low-molecular-weight heparin, to prevent life-threatening blood clots, but a new clinical trial found that over-the-counter aspirin is just as effective. The multi-center randomized clinical trial of more than 12,000 patients at 21 trauma centers is the largest-ever trial in orthopedic trauma patients. Said Robert V. O'Toole, MD: "Orthopedic trauma patients are commonly prescribed the blood thinner low-molecular-weight heparin to prevent blood clots for weeks following surgery. Not only does the medication need to be injected, it can also be quite expensive compared to aspirin."...

the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate) oral pellets to treat children 3 months to less than 12 years old with venous thromboembolism (a condition where blood clots form in the veins) directly after they have been treated with a blood thinner given by injection for at least five days. The FDA also approved Pradaxa oral pellets to prevent recurrent clots among patients 3 months to less than 12 years old who completed treatment for their first venous thromboembolism. “The FDA is committed to helping our youngest patients with serious medical conditions have treatments that are relatively...

Researchers may have found an explanation for the rare but serious blood clots reported among some people who received AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine. They believe the phenomenon is similar to one that rarely occurs with a blood thinning drug called heparin, called heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). In HIT, the drug triggers the immune system to produce antibodies that activate platelets, which cause blood to clot. Drugs other than heparin can cause clotting disorders that strongly resemble HIT, and researchers suspect that in rare cases, the AstraZeneca vaccine may be another such trigger. Four previously healthy individuals who got the AstraZeneca shot and...

LONDON - The blood thinner may be to blame for the severity of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke, but his doctors should not be criticized for prescribing it, independent experts said Thursday. Sharon was fighting for his life in an Israeli hospital after seven hours of surgery to remove blood from the right side of his brain following a burst blood vessel, or hemorrhagic stroke. His doctors said they planned to keep him sedated for another 72 hours. Experts say his chances of recovery are slim. Experts agree that while the blood thinner, an anticoagulant called enoxaparin, did not...