The Food and Drug Administration has approved several generic versions of the Boehring Ingelheim’s Mobic Tablets, (Meloxicam) a popular NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) used in the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Meloxicam is an extremely popular drug, ranking 38th in dollar sales of brand-name drugs in the United States. A generic alternative will mean significant savings for patients. The approval of generic drugs can effectively aid in the lowering of health care costs and currently are used to fill more than 50% of all prescriptions written in the U.S.

The FDA has approved Lucentis, a drug that treats the “wet” type of macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in people over 60.

In the wet form of macular degeneration blood vessels grow under the center of the retina, distorting vision or destroying central vision. It is less common than the dry type of macular degeneration but accounts for more vision loss than does the dry form of the disease.

In clinical trials, 90% of patients using Lucentis maintained their vision and approximately a third of those taking it over a 12 month period had improved vision.

Lucentis is made by Genentech, Inc.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA) has issued a warning about seven so-called “natural” products being sold on the internet as alternatives to impotence drugs. Marketed as natural, botanical preparations, these products state they are non-prescription or herbal alternatives to help men (and in some cases, women ) enhance sexual performance.

However, the FDA warns that these products do in fact contain one or both of two active ingredients in the prescription drugs, Viagra and Levitra. They caution that these products may be dangerous as the undeclared ingredients could interfere or interact with prescription medications taken for other serious medical conditions. Men who cannot take the prescription drugs due to other health concerns or medications, may be drawn to these products as they claim to be natural and to not contain the active ingredients of the prescription drugs that are FDA-approved.

For more information, go to the FDA website.

As always, be cautious and smart when surfing the net or purchasing products. It’s your health, your money and maybe even your life that is at stake.