05/02/2013

– The FDA makes two important updates to anticoagulation drugs. New drug Kcentra receives approval while Pradaxa receives a boxed warning suggesting increased stroke risk. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryhusten/2013/04/30/anticoagulation-update-new-agent-for-urgent-anticoagulation-reversal-pradaxa-label-revised/)

– The minimum purchase age for Plan B contraceptives has been lowered from 17 to 15 years of age and the drug will now be over-the-counter, instead of behind pharmacy shelves. (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/01/health/fda-lowers-age-for-morning-after-pill.html?_r=1&)

– Researchers at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine have discovered a technique that directly converts skin cells to the type of brain cells destroyed in patients with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and other so-called myelin disorders. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130414193143.htm)