Haiti Relief

By Pharmacynextdoor.com

A massive 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010. Three million people have been affected by the quake and its aftermath. Reports estimate that over fifty thousand Haitians may be dead. Nearly all of Port-au-Prince is either damaged or destroyed, including much needed hospitals and facilities to house the injured. Emergency supplies such as food, water, medical supplies and clothing are desperately needed. The organizations below need your help now to be able to provide assistance in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

SOURCE: Pharmacynextdoor.com

Special Christmas Discount!

By Pharmacynextdoor.com

Dear Customers!

Our online pharmacy offers a special discount during this holiday season, enter christmas2009 coupon code at billing page, when you purchase your products, and get a 4% discount!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

SOURCE: Pharmacynextdoor.com

We start selling Combivir, Vepesid, Feldene

By Pharmacynextdoor.com

Dear Customers!

Please be advised that as of today we start selling the following products:

• Combivir (Lamivudine; Zidovudine)
• Vepesid (Etoposide)
• Feldene (Piroxicam)

More products may be found in these categories: Cancer, Anti Viral, Pain Medicine.

SOURCE: Pharmacynextdoor.com

We stop selling Tramadol, Ultram, Soma, Phenergan, Sarafem, Prozac, Zoloft, Rapiflux, Toradol, Vanadom

By Pharmacynextdoor.com

Dear Customers!

Please be advised that as of today we stop selling the following products: Tramadol, Ultram, Soma, Phenergan, Sarafem, Prozac, Zoloft, Rapiflux, Toradol, Vanadom.

SOURCE: Pharmacynextdoor.com

Generics: real medicine or a fake sugar pills?

By www.pharmacynextdoor.com

If a doctor or pharmacist asks you to buy "the same drug, but cheaper" instead of an expensive drug, then he is most likely talking about generics, in other words, the cheaper analog of the original (branded) drug. Pharmacist Annete Rennhack agreed to answer "www.pharmacynextdoor.com" on five popular readers' questions about the generics.

Are there generics are exactly the same as the original drug?

Generally, yes. Generics have the same medicinal properties, because they contain the same active ingredients as the original. Side effects of the generic and brand match too. In general, the necessity of generics existence is proved by time. Generics are buying more than the original in countries like the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany, Australia.

Is it true that generic drugs are manufactured on older equipment than the original drugs?

This is possible only in China or Mexico, where generics are not subject to the control of the international standard GMP (Good Manufacturing Products), or where generics are produced illegally. In India, for example, most of the manufacturers have perfectly new equipment. Usually, generics, like the original pills, FDA-approved drug which is produced by all the technological and hygienic standards. The manufacturing of generic drugs is actively engaged in all countries of the world. It’s just a separate branch of the pharmaceutical industry.

How can we explain the low price of generics?

The development of a new original drug takes about 15 years; the research goes in many directions at once. Unfortunately, up to 90% of the projects – potential new products – are ineffective and do not go to the market. Consequently, basically millions of dollars spend for nothing. These costs must be recovered by increasing the selling price of one or two drugs that have been successful. Companies that produce generics, do not carry such incidental costs, theit task is to repeat what has already been developed up to them. Therefore, the drugs price of generics is more attractive to consumers. Generics usually are allowed to produce only when the original product sold in the market for several years.

Generic – this is an exact copy of the original?

If we consider the chemical composition of both, it turns out that in fact it is not a duplicate. Common is so-called "therapeutic core", and the accompanying impurities can vary, either by quantitative composition or by qualitative. But they have no effect on the drug. Upon expiration of a patent protection, an original company sells to other manufacturers only semi-finished of their brand – the formula. But the production does not reveal the secret.

What about the prevalence? Do most of the brand drugs have their generic version?

Almost yes. The exceptions are the recently established drugs that are still under patent protection, unique treatments for cancer and AIDS, which has the value of any optional ingredient.

SOURCE: www.pharmacynextdoor.com

Hair Loss Test

By Kristi Runyon

By 50, nearly 85 percent of men will have visibly thinner hair. HairDX™ is a test that screens for the gene variation associated with male pattern baldness. Men who test positive have a 70 percent chance of developing male pattern baldness.

The average adult has about 100,000 to 150,000 hairs on his/her head. Hair growth takes place in the root (follicles). The growth cycle falls into three categories. The anagen phase, or active growth phase, lasts about four to five years. Scalp hair grows at an average rate of about one-half inch per month, though hair growth slows with age. At any given time, 85 to 90 percent of the scalp hairs are in the anagen phase.

The next phase is the catagen phase, or transitional phase. The hair stops growing and the follicle shrinks and attaches to the root, forming a rounded club at the root end. This part of the hair cycle is very short, lasting only from two to three weeks. About one to three percent of all scalp hairs are in the catagen phase at any given time.

The final phase of the hair growth cycle is the telogen phase, or resting phase. There is no activity and the affected hairs easily fall out. Most people normally lose about 50 to 100 hairs daily. At any time, about ten percent of scalp hairs are in the resting phase, which lasts about two to four months. Once a hair falls out, a new hair starts to grow from the same follicle, starting the cycle again.

According to the American Hair Loss Association, two-thirds of men experience some degree of hair loss by 35. By 50, nearly 85 percent of men will have visibly thinner hair. In about 95 percent of cases, male hair loss is caused by a condition, called androgenetic alopecia, or male pattern baldness. Men with male pattern baldness have a susceptibility to dihydrotestosterone (DHT, formed when testosterone combines with an enzyme in the oil glands of the hair follicles). Hair follicles that are sensitive to DHT miniaturize, shortening the lifespan of the affected follicles. The affected hairs are shorter and finer. Eventually, no hair grows inside the follicle. In most men with male pattern baldness, the hair follicles above the temples and over the crown of the head are most sensitive to the effects of DHT. This causes hair loss to initially be most pronounced in these areas. Eventually, the hair thinning and loss spreads across the top of the scalp, leaving a band of hair across the back of the head. Some men with pattern baldness lose even this section of hair.

Male pattern baldness is a genetic condition carried on the X chromosome (from the female side of the family). Men who wonder if they will lose their hair need to look at their mother’s side of the family rather than their father’s side. If any of the men on that side of the family lost their hair, there is a greater likelihood of having inherited the gene for male pattern baldness. Not everyone who has a family history of hair loss will become bald. By the time hair loss becomes evident, a man may have lost 50 percent of his scalp hair. Now there’s a way for men to find out if they are at risk for hereditary hair loss. It’s a screening test, called HairDX™. A cheek swab is used to obtain a few cells from inside a client’s mouth and the sample is sent to a lab. The cells are examined for the presence of a variation in the androgen receptor gene on the X chromosome, which appears to be associated with an increased sensitivity to DHT. Shelly Friedman, D.O., Dermatologist at Scottsdale Institute for Cosmetic Dermatology in Scottsdale, Arizona, says if the test comes back positive, the client has a 70 percent chance of developing male pattern baldness. If the test is negative, there is a 70 percent chance the client will NOT develop male pattern baldness. Friedman says the HairDX test enables a man to determine his future risk for baldness and take steps to reduce hair loss and maintain as much hair as possible. Two treatments for male pattern baldness are Propecia® (finasteride) and ROGAINE® (minoxidil).

Hair loss is not just an issue for men. About 40 percent of people with hair loss are females. Women produce a much smaller amount of testosterone than men, but enough to be a risk for inheriting follicular sensitivity to DHT. The female version of the condition is called female pattern baldness. The HairDX test can also be used to predict the risk for this type of baldness in women. The only approved treatment for pattern baldness in women is ROGAINE. In fact, the American Hair Loss Association reports ROGAINE works better for women with hair loss than for men. However, only the lower concentration formula (2%) is approved for use in women.

SOURCE: www.wtvq.com

Spider Venom for Erectile Dysfunction?

By Miranda Hitti

The venom of a Brazilian spider may inspire new drugs to treat erectile dysfunction.

Researchers reported that news in Chicago at the American Heart Association's 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference.

The spider is the Brazilian wandering spider (Phoneutria nigriventer). Bites from that spider are intensely painful and "can cause priapism, a potentially harmful and painful erection that can last for many hours and lead to impotence," states an American Heart Association news release.

Researchers from Brazil and the Medical College of Georgia purified a toxin from that spider's venom and tested it in rats and mice.

The researchers found that the toxin causes a chemical chain reaction that sets the stage for better blood flow in penile tissue -- and that could help treat ED.

"This toxin could be important for development of new agents for treatment of ED," write the researchers, who included Kenia Nunes, PhD, of the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta

SOURCE: www.webmd.com