Introduction When a new therapy is preparing to enter the market, policymakers and payers face two critical questions: Is the drug good value for money? and Can we afford it? Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) addresses the first question, but budget impact analysis (BIA) is designed to answer the second. In modern market access strategies, BIA has become an indispensable complement to CEA, offering a practical view of the financial consequences of adopting a new medicine with

By Vanessa Muller, PharmD Most people don’t think about the technology behind medication safety. You pick up a prescription, read the instructions, and trust that if something important changes, your doctor will hear about it. But the amount of safety information that experts handle today is far greater than it used to be. Every year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews millions of safety reports, research findings, electronic health-record patterns, and globa

Lately, among the pharmacologists and life scientists, the concept of "drug repurposing" has increasingly become more common. As the expression suggests, drug repurposing consists of using an existing drug for a well-defined pathological condition, for a new treatment that was not indicated before. The condition for which the drug is repurposed can be even totally unrelated to the original disease for what the drug was developed and used. In this article, we are going to expl

Introdution In the past few years, few drugs have generated as much excitement in the world of medicine as tirzepatide, a once-weekly injectable therapy developed by Eli Lilly. Known by its brand names Mounjaro (for diabetes) and Zepbound (for obesity), tirzepatide is being recognized not only as a treatment for blood sugar control and weight loss, but also as a potential revolution in how we manage a wide range of metabolic diseases. This medicine represents a new generation

A lot has been said about artificial intelligence (AI) and pharmacovigilance (PV), but for seasoned professionals we should have seen this coming a long time ago. The traditional way PV activities have been conducted relied heavily on manual, resource‑intensive processes. Case processing involved receiving and validating adverse event reports, entering them into databases, and ensuring regulatory submissions were complete. Narrative writing required medical reviewers to craft

Antibiotics  Antibiotics are groups of powerful, lifesaving medications used to treat bacterial infections. It is important to note that they do not work against viral infections like colds or flu. Antibiotics work by either killing the bacteria or preventing the multiplication of bacteria.   Bacteria are tiny, single-celled living organisms. There are millions of different types of bacteria. Bacteria can be found in and on your body and are beneficial to you.  Other bacteria

Steve Jobs was open about how using LSD shaped his worldview and enhanced his creativity. Spiritual leader Ram Das, who has millions of followers postmortem, attributed his spiritual awakening to psychedelics. Now pharmaceutical companies around the world are racing to bring these types of drugs to your medicine cabinet. In 2023, the FDA legitimized the potential therapeutic use of psychedelics by issuing “ first draft guidance ” for clinical trials. (1) And in 2024, the FDA

Abstract Stress has become a pervasive health concern, contributing to a range of psychological and physiological disorders. Meditation, a key component of many mind–body interventions, has been widely explored as a nonpharmacologic approach to mitigating stress and promoting overall well-being. This article synthesizes findings from recent clinical and observational research examining the effects of meditation on stress reduction. Evidence from randomized controlled trials a

Introduction Obesity has become one of the most pressing health challenges of our time. Beyond affecting appearance or daily comfort, it is closely linked with serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, joint disease, and even depression. Traditional weight loss strategies—diet, exercise, and behavioral changes—often provide limited and short-lived results. But in recent years, a new class of medications has begun to change the landscape: GLP-1 rece

According to UN Weather report, there were approximately 489,000 heat-related deaths annually between 2000 and 2019, with 36 per cent occurring in Europe and 45 per cent in Asia. With global warming making extreme weather phenomena more and more common, heat waves have also begun to break records. While some may welcome the seemingly sunnier summers, for millions this weather anomaly entails being hit hard physically and economically. Rising temperatures bring with them droug

As we age, our bodies change- and so do our health needs. Many older adults live with chronic conditions like high blood pressure, arthritis, or diabetes, and these often require medication. But what happens when medications start to pile up? That's where polypharmacy comes in. Polypharmacy is just a fancy word for when someone takes multiple medications at the same time. While sometimes necessary, polypharmacy can also bring serious risks. Why Polypharmacy Matters Taking sev

Image credit: Freepik What is Cannabis? Cannabis commonly known as marijuana, is the dried parts of the marijuana plant. It contains more than eighty biologically active chemical compounds that can alter your mood, thoughts, and consciousness. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the commonly known compounds in the cannabis plant. THC is the compound know to give you the "high" with marijuana use. How is Cannabis used? Cannabis is used for medicinal pu

Paracetamol (acetaminophen), reduces fever and relieves mild to moderate pain. It is a widely available over-the-counter drug sold under various brand names, including Tylenol and Panadol.   Because pregnant women often face limits on what medications are considered “safe,” paracetamol is typically recommended as the first-line option when something is needed. However, over the past years, there has been increasing scientific scrutiny about whether paracetamol might carry ri

Stoppage Rate of Semaglutide Use According to data reported by Reimar Thomsen, MD, PhD, of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, about 52% (40,262 of 77310) adults without diabetes who took semaglutide for weight loss ceased to take the medication after 12 months, while about 18% of the adults stopping to take Wegovy injection within 3 months, 31% within 6 months, and 42% within 9 months. Thomsen noted at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) annual meeti

What are antibiotics? Antibiotics are chemical agents that inhibit the growth of bacteria by either killing them or stopping them from growing. They are used in the treatment and prevention of diseases. Antibiotics have improved the life span of human due to their positive outcomes in the management of many bacterial infections Antibiotics resistance This is the ability for a microorganism (bacteria) to thrive in the presence of antibiotic treatment, which has been previously

First responders are those who work in emergency medical services (EMS) and are trained to address emergencies outside of the health clinic or hospital. A common belief is that EMS are ambulance drivers. While transport to hospitals can be part of EMS, the work requires much more. Assessing scene safety, rapid identification of life threatening emergencies, and applying life saving measures are also core parts of the job. Careers in EMS attract those who are interested in lea

Imagine a medicine that works like a missile . It finds diseased cells and delivers a tiny dose of radiation right where it’s needed. That’s what radiopharmaceuticals do. They are drugs that carry a radioactive atom attached to a molecule that knows how to find a specific target in the body. They could direct the radioactivity to specific cells, tissues, or biological pathways, and are used both to image disease (diagnostic tracers) and to treat disease (therapeutic radiophar

Prevalence of Obesity in the US According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, between August 2021 and August 2023, the prevalence of obesity in adults was 40.3%. Obesity is considered a chronic condition that increases the risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers. Furthermore, prevalence of obesity has continued to increase among both men and women between 1999 and 2018. GLP-1 Receptor Agonist as

Paracetamol and ibuprofen are two of the most common painkillers which you can get over the counter at a pharmacy and are widely available for purchase in many shops. But many people don't know the difference between the two, which means many people struggle to know what may be best for them. Drug mechanisms: Paracetamol Paracetamol, sometimes sold under the names Tylenol, Panadol and many others, is used for various types of pain, from headaches, to tooth ache, to period pai

Introduction Cancer is a major global public health challenge, claiming approximately 10 million lives in 2020 alone. Over the past decades, cytotoxic chemotherapy has been the cornerstone of cancer treatment, featuring common drugs such as cisplatin, paclitaxel, and methotrexate. While these agents effectively kill tumor cells, their lack of specificity inevitably damages normal tissues, leading to severe side effects that limit clinical application. Balancing therapeutic ef