The drugs don’t work a whole of the time
Dr Allen Roses, worldwide vice-president of genetics
at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), has told a conference that
over 90 per cent of all drugs work for only between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of
patients.
Chemotherapy for cancer works on only 25 per cent of patients. Alzheimer's drugs
work on 30 per cent of people. Drugs for rheumatoid arthritis, migraine, incontinence,
hepatitis C and diabetes work on only half the patients, at best. The most effective drugs
are painkillers, which work for to 80 per cent of those who take them.
This sorry state of affairs has never been acknowledged before by the pharmaceutical
industry, and the reason we know it now is that the next big break will be a genetic test
that should predict whether a medicine will work for the individual concerned.
Dr Roses predicts that this will
happen in a few years’ time. He also says that
generic testing will lead to a whole range of new drugs aimed at the 50 per cent who
don’t respond to the current ones.
Whatever happened to ‘type
A’ personalities?
There was much concern some 30 years ago about
personality and risk of heart disease. Those old
enough to remember, will recall a major study that exposed
'type A' people - anxious, aggressive high-achievers -
as twice as likely to develop a heart condition as 'type
B', who are easy-going and passive.
Now the Journal
of the American Medical Association reports that researchers
from Northwestern
University
in Chicago
decided to test the theory with a group of 3,308 young
adults, aged from 18 to 30. They tested to see how impatience, competitiveness, hostility,
depression and anxiety in the group affected their chances of developing high blood
pressure.
The answer: yes for hostility – it was the only behavioural trait that could dramatically
influence blood pressure, the researchers found. Depression had a slight influence, while
impatience had none.
A subsequent survey suggested that another type was
prone to heart disease, this time the under managers who had to deal with the stress of
working with hyper bosses and also, for some reason, bored bus drivers. A revisit on these findings would be equally interesting.
More evidence in favour of soya beans
There is increasing interest in finding treatments as an
alternative to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) or to compliment HRT in the management of
menopausal symptoms and menopause ageing related disease. Soya beans are a natural dietary
source of isoflavones which have oestrogen like properties. The number of over-the-counter
isoflavone supplements aimed specifically at menopausal women has grown in recent years.
Latest evidence from the North American Menopause
Society confirms that isoflavones can improve some menopausal symptoms such as hot
flushes, and that they can have a positive effect on plasma lipid profiles and even on
bone mineral density.
Eleven studies
conclude that women taking 30-100mg of isoflavones per day see an improvement in
menopausal symptoms. In Eastern populations where soya consumption is much greater than in
the West, hot flushes are reported in only 10-18 per cent of menopausal women while in the
West this is as high as 80 per cent. This has been
attributed to the greater soya intake in the East.
There is another benefit from isoflavones. Oestrogen is protective of cholesterol levels, but during
the menopause oestrogen levels drop and therefore a reduction in this hormone results in
raised cholesterol. A daily intake of 25g of soya
protein is widely recognised for its cholesterol-lowering properties. |
 |
Ring in the new
Not quite yet,
actually. But there is about to be a cultural
revolution in the National Health Service. The
Government’s white paper on the future of the NHS, published last month, promises a
host of improvements:
We’ll be
able to choose a GP near our workplace and another out-of-hours near home
Repeat
prescriptions won’t need a doctor’s signature, so we can go direct to the
pharmacist
Hospitals to
send correspondence to the patient first, not the GP
Discussion and
agreement with patient over treatment plan for chronic illness
Electronic
records to state patients’ wishes regarding diet,
form of address, religion
Fast track
diagnostic centres for X-rays and blood tests
Those with
progressive diseases to be allowed to appoint a healthcare proxy
Right to die at
home with appropriate support
Understanding Female Sexual Dysfunction
There has been some controversy recently about
whether this syndrome actually exists. But there is
little doubt that some women seek help for loss of sexual desire, arousal difficulties, inability to achieve orgasm,
painful intercourse.
A new booklet called Understanding Female Sexual Dysfunction addresses
these issues in a clear, user-friendly style. It is
available free with an A5 stamped, addressed envelope from:
The Sexual Dysfunction Association, Windmill Place Business Centre, 2-4 Windmill Lane , Southall, Middlesex UB2 4NJ.
There is also a
helpline: 0870 7743571, and a website: www.sda.uk.net. The Sexual Dysfunction Association publishes a
quarterly newsletter full of excellent information on male and female sexual issues. At present, the Association is conducting trials on
treatment with Cialis and Viagra for erectile problems and is looking for people in
London
to take
part.
If in any doubt about any of the
information covered in healthwise articles and it's relevance for you, consult your GP.
In edition 45:-
Aspirin - good or not?
Who
benefits from daily doses of aspirin to prevent heart disease and stroke?
What`s best for neck pain?
Neither
special exercises or even relaxation
Red wine without hangover
A special
red wine extract in capsule form!
Exercise for Breast cancer
prevention?
A brisk
walk several times a week could reduce the risk of breast cancer
Latest on arthritis
The damp
and cold weather might not make osteoarthritis worse
HRT and heart disease
The final
results
Drinking fluids and exercise
We`re told
to drink lots of fluid before, during and after exercise, but new thinking flies in the
face of this advice
Index to
all previous Healthwise editions
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 Maximise your memory
This work provides detailed instructions, illustrations and sample
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storing and recalling information on demand.
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