Quick Hits: Mothers-to-be who take common SSRI antidepressants, such as Lexapro (escitalopram) and Prozac (fluoxetine), may unknowingly alter the brain development of their unborn child. Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center examined brain scans of nearly 100 newborns. Some of those babies were born to mothers who took SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) while pregnant. The scans revealed that babies who were exposed to certain antidepressants while in the womb had alterations in both the gray and white matter of their brains. Researchers indicated that these alterations could ultimately increase the child’s risk of depression and anxiety. Alarmingly, the changes identified were “much greater than the brain changes or abnormalities associated with psychiatric disorders” that the researchers usually detect in children or adults. The study did not demonstrate cause and effect and did not test long-term consequences of the brain changes linked to antidepressant use during pregnancy. Posted April 9, 2018. Via JAMA Pediatrics.
Quick Hits: The Parkinson’s disease drug Nuplazid may be responsible for hundreds of deaths. Nuplazid (pimavanserin), manufactured by Acadia Pharmaceuticals in San Diego, was created to regulate Parkinson’s disease psychosis. A CNN article reports that more than 700 patients have died after they started taking Nuplazid. A report from the non-profit Institute for Safe Medication Practices indicated that 244 patients who took the drug died between the drug’s launch in 2016 and March 2017. The FDA approved Nuplazid in 2016, and the agency classified the drug as a “breakthrough therapy” and granted a “priority review,” which sped up the review process. Posted April 9, 2018. Via CNN.
Quick Hits: Increasing cigarette prices would curb extreme poverty and poor health around the world. According to an analysis, low-income people would benefit from the price increase the most. After examining 500 million male smokers in 13 countries, researchers discovered that a 50% price increase in cigarettes would lead to 67 million men abandoning cigarettes. Also, the price increase would allow 15.5 million men to dodge catastrophic health spending in the 7 out of 13 countries without universal health coverage. “A higher price would encourage cessation, lead to better health, and save money much more strongly for the poor than the rich,” said lead researcher Prabhat Jha, MD, DPhil, director of the Centre for Global Health Research of St. Michael’s Hospital. Posted April 11, 2018. Via BMJ.
