Quick Hits: A new report suggests that vaping is a gateway for teens to start tobacco smoking, but may help adults quit tobacco cigarettes. The research team at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine identified numerous health impacts after analyzing over 800 peer-reviewed scientific studies involving e-cigarette use. The results of the study indicated that teens who vape can experience coughing, wheezing and asthma exacerbations. Additionally, e-cigarettes can explode and cause other serious injuries. Although e-cigarettes have been found to be less harmful than tobacco cigarettes, their short- and long-term effects are currently unknown.Via EurekAlert. Posted January 23, 2018.
Quick Hits: The FDA and Federal Trade Commission have issued warning letters to some distributors of opioid cessation treatments for marketing unapproved products with false claims. The companies sell their products online and make claims such as “safe and effective natural supplements.” However, these products have not been demonstrated to be safe and effective and may deter patients from seeking FDA-approved therapies. The firms must respond to the letters within 15 business days. Via FDA. Posted January 24, 2018.
Quick Hits: A new review is calling for more clinical trial data to be released on statins because their benefits may be exaggerated. The review, which is published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, advises doctors to be “inherently skeptical” when prescribing statins to people who do not have a high risk of heart disease. According to the report, results of the cholesterol-lowering drugs may have been manipulated to amplify their benefits and downplay their side effects. The review argues that the data may be tainted due to the fact that the drug companies that developed statins have conducted many of the clinical trials. Via British Journal of Sports Medicine. Posted January 21, 2018.
