A bill that has passed the House and now needs Senate approval, will give Medicare the right to negotiate drug prices and bargain directly with the pharmaceutical companies. Drug companies are lobbying hard against this legislation.

AARP is urging all members and all seniors to contact their Senators on April 4, AARP’s National Call to Action Day, to urge their senators to pass this bill and give Medicare the ability to negotiate lower prices for their 43 million beneficiaries.

For instructions on how to join the Call to Action, see the AARP website.

The FDA has issued another alert to consumers about purchasing drugs via internet websites after a number of consumers received drugs containing haloperidol, a powerful anti-psychotic.

Consumers who placed orders for specific drugs - Ambien, Xanax, Lexipro and Ativan - instead received products that contained the haloperidol, a drug used to treat schizophrenia. Reports show that several consumers suffered symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, muscle spasms and muscle stiffness after ingesting the suspect product and sought emergency medical treatment.

The FDA wants to caution consumers about the dangers of ordering prescription drugs online and states that consumers should consult the FDA website before buying medication over the Internet.

Photos of the of the tablets in question and the shipping packages can be seen here.

Experts in the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease are hopeful that the FDA will grant approval for a transdermal rotigotine patch that will be marketed under the name Neupro. The patch is already being sold and used in Europe.

The patch provides for a continuous, steady delivery of a drug shown to be effective in 48% of all Parkinson’s patients.

The results of a six-month study of the effectiveness of the patch will be published in the January 23 issue of the journal Neurology.

Parkinson’s Patch Nears U.S. Approval - WebMD

A study reported in the November 15 issue of JAMA indicates that testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may not be harmful to the prostate as has been previously thought.

Testosterone levels decrease with age and low testosterone can contribute to depression, sexual dysfunction, diminished lean body mass, muscle volume and strength, and reduced bone mineral density.

The new research indicates that testostrone replacement therapy has little effect on the prostate gland. Currently more than 2.3 million prescriptions for TRT are written for men over age 45.

Testosterone replacement therapy appears safe for prostate