An ultrasound is a diagnostic procedure that is used to capture live images from the inside of your body. It is also referred to as sonography. Significantly, this test doesn’t use any radiation. This is why it is used mostly in women during pregnancy to view the developing baby. An ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to get pictures of tissues, organs, and other structures inside your body.

A sonographer performs this procedure. The images are further viewed by the radiologist or other specialists. Without making any incision or surgical cut in your skin, your doctor...

Pegylated Doxorubicin Hydrochloride is an anthracycline medicine for cancer treatment. Its common brand names are Adriamycin and Pegdoxine. The medicine is available in the form of liposomal injections having a strength of 20mg/10ml.

FDA Approval: 07/09/1993

Uses

Pegylated Doxorubicin Hydrochloride is a cytotoxic antibiotic medication that is used in the ...

Abiraterone Acetate is a hormone therapy drug. This formulation is indicated for use in patients with prostate cancer. It belongs to the category of androgen biosynthesis inhibitors. It is sold as Zytiga 250mg and 500mg & Abiracine 250mg tablets for oral use.
This drug is considered an antiandrogen. It’s a small molecule anticancer formulation and a derivation of progesterone (steroidal). Experts believe that it is an innovative medicine that is consumed as an acetate salt prodrug. This is becaus...

Tumor marker tests look for evidence of cancer in your blood, urine, or body tissues. In medical terms, a tumor marker is a substance present in the tissues, body fluids, blood, and bone marrow. It may be a sign of cancer. Moreover, it is a protein that is made by both healthy and cancerous cells in the body.

Your doctor may use a tumor marker test to investigate your chance of cancer. A tumor marker can be a genetic mutation, changes in tumor DNA or RNA, and patterns of gene expression. In general, oncologists use different tumor marker tests for cancers in different parts of the...

Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a diagnostic procedure that is used most frequently to detect conditions associated with the brain and spinal cord. In simple words, this imaging test provides detailed pictures of organs and tissues in your body without any invasive (surgery) method.

During an MRI, computer-generated radio waves and magnetic fields are used. Moreover, most MRI machines are tube-shaped large magnets that can also produce 3D images from different angles. Since X-Rays and other radiation are not involved in this process, the test is recommended to look for diseases in t...

Abiraterone Acetate is a proven prostate cancer therapy. It is a type of hormone-targeted treatment available as tablets. This drug is recommended for patients with cancer of the prostate gland that has started spreading. Its common trade names include Zytiga and Abiracine.

FDA Approval History:

• For Late-Stage Prostate Cancer: Apr 28, 2011
• For Metastatic Prosta...
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Azacitidine is an antimetabolite of cytidine used in the treatment of certain types of cancer. This drug is marketed as Vidaza and Azalpho among others. It is available in the dose strength of 100mg in the form of injections (vials).

FDA Approval History:

For Myelodysplastic Syndromes: May 19, 2004

Uses

Azacitidine is a pyrimidine nucleoside analogue a...

L-Asparaginase is a type of cancer chemotherapy. It is made from the enzyme called asparaginase from Escherichia coli bacteria. It’s a drug widely used as a part of multi-agent blood cancer therapy. The common brand names of this medicine are L-Ginase and L-Aspara. It belongs to the category of antineoplastic agents. Drugs of this class work by interfering with the function of cancer cells in the body.

L-Asparaginase Uses

This drug is indicated as a part of multi-agent cancer therapy (chemotherapy). Doctors recommend it primarily for t...

A breast MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is a diagnostic procedure that is used to detect abnormalities in the breast like breast cancer. This test makes use of magnetic fields and radio waves to produce clear and detailed computer-generated images of your breast tissues. These images are further examined by the healthcare team. Moreover, no radiation is used in MRI.

This procedure captures multiple pictures of your breast that are further combined with the help of a computer. A breast MRI may be recommended with mammography for the detection of breast cancer. It can also determi...

Overview

Cancer of the blood that inhibits the functioning of the body is known as Blood Cancer. It is the Cancer of the Blood and the Bone Marrow. The abnormal growth of Blood Cells that crowd the healthy cells in the body affects the functioning and the production of healthy blood cells. Mainly, it is of three types: - Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma.

Types of Blood Cancer

The excessive and uncontrollable growth of blood cells is known as Blood Cancer. Below are its three main types.

Pirfenidone is a pyridone (drug class) approved for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It is marketed as Esbriet (267 mg or 801 mg) and Perfecine (200 mg) among others. This medicine is available in the form of tablets indicated for oral use. It is known to exhibit certain properties including antifibrotic and anti-inflammatory effects.

Uses

Pirfenidone is an orally active small molecule medicine that is u...

Keytruda’s effectiveness for types of cancers makes it one of the most preferred drugs in oncology. It’s a monoclonal antibody (immunotherapy) that has shown greater efficacy in skin cancer treatment. Pembrolizumab (100mg/4ml) is its salt composition. Experts believe that this drug can be a miracle medicine. The only thing that makes it less accessible is the price. In this article, we shall discuss Pembrolizumab uses and the drug’s efficacy including its success rate.

...

Lenalidomide is a chemotherapy drug approved for the treatment of some types of blood cancers. The medicine is marketed as Revlimid and Lidmed among others. It is indicated to treat and manage multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. The drug is also prescribed for follicular lymphoma. It is available in the strengths of 10mg and 25mg as capsules.

FDA Approval History:

For Multiple Myeloma: Jun 29, 2006

For Mantle Cell L...

Dasatinib is a targeted therapy (cancer growth blocker). It is marketed as Sprycel and Dasacine among others. It is indicated to treat and manage certain blood cancers. This drug is available in the strength of 50mg in the form of tablets.

FDA Approval History:

For Chronic-Phase Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Jan 2, 2019

For Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive Acu...

L-Asparaginase is a chemotherapy drug for certain blood cancers. It is marketed as L-Aspara and L-Ginase among others. This medication is indicated for the treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. It is available with a strength of 10,000 IU in the form of injections.

FDA Approval History:

For acute lymphoblastic leukemia: June 30, 2021

Uses

L-Asparaginase is an antineoplastic agent that is covalently conjugated to monomethoxy polyethy...

Fulvestrant is a hormone therapy drug for cancer. It is marketed as Faslodex and Fulvant among others. The medicine is indicated for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women. It is available in the form of pre-filled syringes with a strength of 250 mg/5ml.

FDA Approval History:

For Tamoxifen-Resistant Breast Cancer: Apr 25, 2002

For Advanced HR+ Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women: Sep 13, 2010

For HR+, HER2- Advanced Breast Cancer: Aug 28, 2017

F...

Pazopanib is a targeted therapy medicine for certain cancers. It is marketed as Votrient and Paznib among others. The drug is indicated for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell cancer (kidney cancer). It is also prescribed to treat metastatic soft tissue sarcoma in some patients prior to chemotherapy. It is available as tablets of strengths 200 mg and 400 mg for oral administration.

FDA Approval History:

For advanced renal...

Hair loss is a common problem faced by people globally. More than 80% of males and 55% of females worry about their hair issues. This article deals with the causes of hair loss, ways to grow back hair, and treat hair fall.

Causes of Hair Loss

For almost 70% of people in the world, hair and hairstyles are precious. And, one of the most searched questions we might come across is ‘what causes hair fall?’ Here, you will find some common causes of hair loss, causes specific to females, and foods that ...

How would you beat cancer without knowing you have it?

Galleri is a new multi-cancer blood test. It is a promising diagnostic solution to detect cancers. A biotech company, GRAIL manufactured it. However, the test is not exactly new. Back in 2016, Illumina Inc. (another biotech company) announced the formation of this blood test. In fact, the company expressed that it may “decrease cancer mortality” in the future.

You might think how can a cancer blood test decrease the number of patients dying from ...

Anemia is a condition of having fewer red blood cells within your body. This indicates that your blood has less than the normal hemoglobin (Hgb) levels. Hemoglobin is responsible for carrying oxygen to all the cells inside your body and it is part of red blood cells (RBC). This condition is a side effect of cancer.

This can occur due to various reasons such as cancer treatment like radiation or chemotherapy, blood loss, lack of certain vitamins or minerals in your diet due to less eating, low iron levels in the blood, major organ problems, chronic kidney ...

Arthritis is joint pain and stiffness that starts happening over a period of time. In this case, the pain becomes worse as the age progresses. Therefore, this condition requires proper treatment. You can find the early signs of arthritis pain as morning joint stiffness meaning the joint pain that is felt during the time when you wake up in the morning. This involves swelling of the joints, fever, numbness, and chronic fatigue. This arthritis pain is also affected by the season.

Arthritis pain is commonly of two types, i.e., osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The pr...

TAVNEOS (Avacopan) receives the approval of the European Commission as an oral add-on drug for the treatment of adult patients with severe GPA (granulomatosis polyangiitis) and MPA (microscopic polyangiitis). GPA and MPA are the two common types of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). Its launch is expected this year. 

Tavneos will be the first oral therapy approved for this disease in the European Union (EU). This drug has been authorized for oral use in combination with a regimen of c...

Paxlovid (Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir) is an investigational SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitor antiviral therapy that received an emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The agency confirmed that Paxlovid is authorized for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients who are at an increased risk of progressing to severe illness. The dosage recommended for this drug is three pills (one of ritonavir and two of nirmatrelvir) twice a day for a total of 30 pills.

They added that ...

Recently approved oral antiviral drug for COVID-19, Merck’s Molnupiravir, has “major safety concerns,” said Balram Bhargava, director general of ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) on January 5, 2022. He added that Molnupiravir has safety concerns including teratogenicity, severe damage to the bones and muscles, and mutagenicity. Thus, it is not added in the national task-force treatment of coronavirus. With this, he confirmed that the drug has not been added by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UK also. 

Bhargava said that the...

Facts You Must Know

Salt composition: Molnupiravir

Dosage form: Capsules

Packaging: Strip

Administration route: Oral

Prescription required: Yes

Storage: Store at room temperature.

Shelf life: 18 months

Common brand names: Monuvir and Lagevrio

Indication:  Adult patients with COVID-19 who are at risk of developing severe symptoms

Recommended dose: 800mg dose every 12 hours for 5 days

Pediatric Patients: Not recommended for use in patients aged below 19 years

What is Molnupiravir?

...

BioMarin Pharmaceutical’s Voxzogo (vosoritide) injection received approval by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) on November 19, 2021, to manage Dwarfism in children. It can now be used to improve growth in children aged above 5 years who are suffering from open epiphyses (growth plates) and achondroplasia (short-limbed dwarfism). This means that such patients can still manage the condition and grow. Earlier in August 2021, Voxzogo (vosoritide) injection received approval for use in Europe. 

The approval of VOXZOGO injection was based on the results of a double-blind,...

• The Food and Drug Administration, USA, approves Tecentriq as the first immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer in the adjuvant setting.
• The approval of Tecentriq was based on the Phase III IMpower010 study that showed an improvement in disease-free survival in comparison with best supportive care.

On October 15, 2021, Genentech announced the approval of Tecentriq (atezolizumab) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as adjuvant treatment for adult patients diagnosed with Stage II-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer following surgery and platinum-base...

• Worldwide, this is the seventh approval for QINLOCK. 
• In Europe, it is the first approval for this medicine.
• Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, has approved QINLOCK (ripretinib) for Fourth-Line Treatment of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor.

On October 12, 2021, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the Swissmedic or the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products has granted approval to QINLOCK (ripretinib) for the fourth-line treatment of those adult patients diagnosed with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor who have already r...

• RETHYMIC by Enzyvant Sciences becomes the first and only therapy that is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for Congenital Athymia.
• Enzyvant’s RETHYMIC is indicated for use in patients with an Ultra Rare Pediatric Disease for immune reconstitution.

On October 8, 2021, Enzyvant Sciences received the approval of RETHYMIC for immune reconstitution in pediatric patients diagnosed with Congenital Athymia, a type of rare immune disorder. With this, Rethymic becomes the first and only treatment option for such an ultra-rare pediatric disease.

• Mobocertinib gets accelerated approval for adult patients diagnosed with metastatic or locally advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) Exon 20 Insertion.
• Approval was based on the results of the Phase 1/2 trial that demonstrated approximately 1.5 years of median duration of response.

On September 15, 2021, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) granted accelerated approval to Mobocertinib (sold under the brand name EXKIVITY by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) for the treatment of patients suffering from metastatic or loca...

• The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine becomes the “first” to receive FDA approval.

• Its marketing name will be “Comirnaty” (pronounced as koe-mir'na-tee).

On August 23, 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the COVID-19 Vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech to prevent COVID-19 in individuals aged above 16 years. Now, it will be marketed as Comirnaty. Nevertheless, the vaccine remains applicable for emergency use (under EUA) in younger individuals aged 12 through 15 years. Plus, the administration of the...

• Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) nods to Minoxidil topical solution in India.

• Dr. Reddy’s announced the launch of Minoxidil topical solution for female pattern hair loss (FPHL).

On September 7, 2021, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories announced the launch of a prescription medicine namely Minoxidil topical solution USP 2% and 5% for the treatment of female pattern hair loss (FPHL) following its first-ever approval by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in India. 

While Minoxidil topical solution ...

Basics of HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Key points

• HIV is a virus that attacks the body's natural defense system, the immune system.
• If HIV is not treated, a person's immune system will deteriorate to the point where it will be unable to fight life-threatening infections and diseases.
• Further, AIDS is a combination of symptoms and illnesses that occur at the last stage of HIV infection.
• If you get tested for HIV on a regular basis, your healthcare expert will prescribe antiretrov...
  HIV, AIDS, hiv treatment, hiv symptoms, hiv treatment
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