Venlafaxine Nearly Equal To Estrogen in Reducing Menopausal Symptoms

Some women are unable or unwilling to use estrogen therapy, even if they are bothered by menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. Now, pharmacists can advise them about nonhormonal therapies that are as effective in reducing the unpleasant symptoms. Here is what a new study found when comparing oral estrogen to low-dose venlafaxine hydrochloride therapy.

Qualified Infectious Disease Product Approved Under Fast-Track Program

In 2012, the FDA Safety and Innovation Act established the Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) designation to encourage increased development and approval of new antibacterial drugs. Now, for the first time, a drug, Dalvance, has been approved as a Qualified Infectious Disease Product. Find out what that means and when the new therapy for acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections will be available.

Uninsured in U.S. Show Little Benefit From Gains in Hypertension Control

At a time when hypertension control increased dramatically among insured Americans, those without health insurance showed little or no improvement, according to a new study suggesting how the Affordable Care Act might make a difference. Find out how much closer the U.S. could get to meeting Healthy People 2020 goals just by making sure everyone was insured.

Drugs Screened for Effectiveness Against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome

With the first two cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) announced in the United States in May and the numbers growing worldwide, public health officials are increasingly anxious to find effective agents to combat the sometimes deadly disease. Researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health now have screened hundreds of compounds to find 27 that show promise against MERS and related syndromes. Here are the details.