Healthspan Blog

Comprehensive health care reform disappeared from the national agenda after the Clinton administration failed to enact universal coverage in 1993 and 1994. Instead, Congress adopted incremental measures that enjoyed bipartisan ...

To appreciate the power of the U.S. presidency -- even when its current occupant's approval rating is only 31% -- one need look no further than the political brawl over ...

Torcetrapib, a cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitor, markedly raises levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Unexpectedly, in the ILLUMINATE trial, torcetrapib therapy in combination with atorvastatin, as compared with atorvastatin alone, increased the risk of death from both cardiovascular and noncardiovascular causes. The drug also raised blood pressure.

Thalidomide has activity in multiple myeloma, but its use is limited by a constellation of adverse effects, most notably peripheral neuropathy. Lenalidomide, an analogue of thalidomide, does not have the toxicity profile of thalidomide. This study compared lenalidomide plus dexamethasone with placebo plus dexamethasone in the treatment of relapsed multiple myeloma. Lenalidomide plus dexamethasone was superior in all end points, including overall survival.

This randomized trial compared lenalidomide plus dexamethasone with a placebo plus dexamethasone in patients in the United States and Canada who had multiple myeloma that was resistant to one or more other treatments. The addition of lenalidomide improved the time to progression and overall survival in these patients. Important adverse events were severe neutropenia and venous thromboembolism.