Month: March 2021

Monthly Injection Approved for Patients with HIV

Rebecca Voelker MSJ

JAMA  March 2 2021  Volume 325  Number 9  Page 816

One of the Features of the JAMA  Magazine is their page dedicated to the Information coming from the FDA. In this issue, Ms Voelker is the writer and this article. once again tells of possible good news.  HIV is still an extremely serious malady to have and those afflicted, though no longer automatically looking at an immediately fatal condition, still have to deal with the difficulties that ensue with the current treatments.  

One of the topics in today’s main  article gives the information that the FDA has approved a new treatment that will allow an HIV patient to only take a single  injection once a month. This would be a MAJOR change from the current regimen that some undergo now.  I will not give the names of those new drugs here because that might be giving undue hope to some but any person so involved can see what those are by checking this info in the above issue of JAMA and speaking with their physician. .     

JAMA NOTE:

A year ago, the JAMA magazine ran an article about alcohol.. I repeat comments made on that article now to share a view that still may have relevance today. The topic remains controversial but this is another opinion cited at that time

JAMA 25 February 2020 Volume 322 Number 8

ALCOHOL – RELATED MORTALITY INCREASE MAY STILL UNDERESTIMATE THE TOLL

No specific author is given on this article but in essence it cites information from a study by individuals at the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism (NIAAA). This article says that between 1999 and 2017, alcohol related deaths increased almost 30 per cent. It also said that deaths with these substances along with or in combination with other drugs were the cause of approximately half of these deaths This was true for all but the youngest and oldest age groups………..Just another look at an old subject..