GLG News by Physicians who Specialize in Alcohol Withdrawal

It is fundamentally a good idea to focus on central nervous system interventions for over-eating, as opposed to metabolic regulation of glucose catabolism in the periphery.  It is also very economical ("sound business") to use agents that are not patent-protected to try this really good idea. ...

Obesity treatment works in the short-term but likely needs to be extended over a life-time to be continuously effective.  This is the same as management of any chronic illness.  The surgical intervention model of a single procedure to "cure" complex biopsychosocial problems is naive and s...

1. Iloperidone has demonstrated efficacy in treating positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia and also has a favorable safety profile. 2. Vanda has utilized pharmacogenetic studies to identify a group of schizophrenic patients that will benefit from this agent that binds to a number of serotonin...

I often marvel at the way different drugs weather the FDA storm and the varying vehemence of the press in terms of how they hold the respective pharmaceutical companies responsible for their products.  Chronic use of olanzapine causes significant metabolic changes which are likely to have adverse...

1. DOV 21,947 in a phase Ib study produced a statistically significant reduction in plasma triglyceride levels, body weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI). 2. This compound is believed to not only manage depression but also impact weight gain. 3. A phase II study of DOV 21,947 is being delayed until the...

It is very important to understand that potent opioid agonists should only be used when a patient has had long-term opioid treatment.  Moreover, breakthrough pain has significant psychological overlay and using a cannon when a small pistol will do is potentially a reaction of the physician who...

Beware of easy solutions for feeling pudgy, they may decrease fat deposits but will they change your self-image?  To add to the problem, regulation in this field is miniscule.  Will we have a repeat of breast implants, namely adding fat "in all the right places"?

1. Shire has withdrawn patches that had defective patch liners. 2. This defect is not related to safety or efficacy issues. 3. The cost to Shire is less than $10 million.

While opioids are arguably the best analgesics for acute and subacute pain there are significant systemic side effects such as mental status changes and nausea which do not make it ideal.  There are those who are addiction-prone or have previously had addiction who should avoid opioids or other...

BLOOM (Behavioral modification and Lorcaserin for Overweight and Obesity Management) is interesting in that it recognizes the need to test any pharmaceutical approaches to obesity within the background of behavioral interventions.  This is for a number of reasons, most important among these is...