Drugs & Medications Articles

Interferons are immune system modifying drugs that may be used in the treatment of leukemia. They are not the first choice of treatment but they are useful when other modes of treatment do not work. However, like other drugs, these have some side effects.

Malignant melanoma is a serious type of skin cancer that may be cured by surgery in the early stage of the disease. However, patients may need additional (adjuvant) therapy such as interferon treatment for the late stages to improve survival.

Hepatitis C is the leading cause of chronic liver disease and the most common reason for liver transplantation. The standard treatment for hepatitis C infection associated with liver disease is interferon therapy combined with other antiviral medications.

You've definitely heard about parents who choose to forego vaccines for their children — and you've probably heard about it a lot. Should this concern us? Are vaccination rates dropping?

Drug interactions and adverse side effects are a leading cause of deaths in the US. These drug interactions often involve drugs prescribed for chronic diseases as well as over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements.

Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem for healthcare system. Some bacterial infections persist even when the bacterial species are sensitive to antibiotics. Understanding how this happens will help to develop new effective drugs.

Do you really need that stomach-acid lowering drug or is it wiser to eat better? Do you really need that pain reliever for a mild headache or might you be better off taking some time to relax? Do you really need that diet pill, or could you exercise more?

It may come as a surprise to many of you that our health care system is appalling. We spend more money per capita on health care than any other country in the world. We produce over half the world's drugs and consume just as much.

America has the distinction of consuming more than half the drugs in the world.  We also produce more than half the world’s drugs. We supposedly have the best health care system in the world, or do we?

Anticoagulants are useful substances and medications, defined as "all possible compounds that do not allow blood to clot".