Data from the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) trial—a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 3,069 community-dwelling participants 72 to 96 years of age—show no effect of Ginkgo biloba supplements on either (1) the rate of cognitive decline in older adults with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment or (2) the incidence of cardiovascular events.
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that included 89 women, neither black cohosh nor red clover proved to be any more effective than placebo in relieving menopausal vasomotor symptoms.
Women were eligible for the 12-month trial if they experienced at least 35 vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats) per week. Participants were assigned to one of four treatment arms:
• An ethanolic extract of below-ground parts of black cohosh (128 mg/day standardized to 7.27 mg triterpene glycosides).
The Procter & Gamble Company is voluntarily recalling its Vicks® DayQuil® Cold & Flu 24-Count LiquiCaps Bonus Pack in the United States. Consumers should stop using the recalled product.
P&G is taking this action because this product does not contain a child-resistant backing for the blister packs in the box, despite label statements that the product is in child-resistant packaging.
• Bayer Consumer Care has recalled a single product lot (#296939L, expiration May 2011) of the combination package of Alka-Seltzer Plus Day & Night Cold Formula Liquid Gels. The labeling on the foil blister card of certain packages within the lot was printed with the label reversed: the label for the green Night product appears under some of the blue Day product and vice versa. Consumers using the affected product lot may not be aware of the warnings of an antihistamine in the product that could cause drowsiness.
Zegerid OTC
The FDA has approved an Rx-to-OTC switch of Zegerid, an immediate-release formulation of the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole. Zegerid combines omeprazole 20 mg with sodium bicarbonate 1,100 mg; the sodium bicarbonate raises the gastric pH, thereby protecting omeprazole from acid degradation. The product will be marketed as Zegerid OTC by Schering-Plough HealthCare Products Inc.
Nutrisystem D Available Through Walgreens
In separate articles, researchers describe a new patient self-assessment diabetes screening score and two new algorithms for predicting a person’s 10-year risk for osteoporotic or hip fracture.
The first randomized, controlled clinical study to investigate the feasibility and safety of the dietary supplement milk thistle (Silybum marianum) for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced hepatotoxicity in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) reported a trend toward significant reductions in liver toxicity. The study results were published online December 14, 2009, in Cancer.
A community-based intervention involving physician and pharmacist collaboration produced significant improvement in blood pressure control compared with usual care, according to the results of a prospective, cluster randomized, controlled clinical trial reported in the November 23, 2009, issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
PICKKA—a division of the Silicon Valley company Evincii, which developed the in-store PHARMAssist guided search kiosk—has launched PICKKA Med, a free iPhone application that helps consumers select nonprescription medications based on the patient’s symptoms, age, and known allergies or contraindications. The application, which PICKKA describes as “an expert pharmacist in your product,” also is accessible from mobile browsers and online at www.pickka.com.
In a recent media release, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) reminded pharmacists and consumers that the new year is a good time to conduct an annual cleaning and purging of home medicine cabinets and other medication storage areas. APhA offered consumers the following tips for conducting this task:
• Check the date on everything in your medicine cabinet and dispose of anything that has passed the expiration date.
• Properly dispose of anything you have not used in the past 12 months.