PRx Blog

Consumer News in Review: Good luck, Robin edition

Another August is nearly in the books. As the Labor Day weekend begins everyone is a buzz about the start of the school year, the end of summer and the changing of the weather.

Before you retire your white pants and put away your beach chairs check out some of the week’s consumer health story highlights.

Robin Roberts leaves GMA a little earlier than expected
Good Morning America (GMA) Anchor Robin Roberts announced she was signing off the Emmy-winning morning show Thursday morning—a day earlier than anticipated—to visit her ailing mother.

The breast cancer survivor made headlines this June when she disclosed that she has MDS, a disease that affects the bone marrow and blood. Roberts was set to begin her medical leave on Friday to prepare for her upcoming bone marrow transplant.

It is unknown when Roberts will return and her physicians note that the first 30 days post-transplant will be telling. In her absence ABC is bringing back some familiar faces including Katie Couric, Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer and Elizabeth Vargas.

Dealing with breast cancer and now MDS cannot be easy and I can only imagine doing so with the entire world watching is far worse. I, for one, applaud Roberts for remaining positive despite her health struggles.

I wish her continued strength as she faces her illness head-on.

Study: Calorie cutting now does not lead to more years
The results of a 23-year study looking at the impact of calorie restrictive diets on the lifespan of rhesus monkeys were reported this week in the journal Nature.

Warning: the results are a buzz kill for those eating lighter in the hopes that their caloric sacrifices will lead to longer lifespan.

The study followed 121 rhesus monkeys separated into two age groups who were fed 30 percent less than the average monkey. While the emaciated monkeys did not live any longer than those kept at more normal weights, several aging-related diseases appeared slightly later in the hungry monkeys.

Experts are unsure why this study’s results differ so much from previous studies but note that genetics may play a role.

FDA approves 4-in-1 HIV combination pill
The Food and Drug Administration gave the nod to a new anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pill that combines four medicines to combat the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Stribild is a once-a-day treatment intended to control HIV in adults who have not previously been treated for the virus.

The pill contains a combination of two previously approved antiviral drugs and two new drugs that interfere with one of the enzymes that HIV needs to multiply.

Since the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first recognized AIDS in 1981 it has claimed the lives of more than 30 million people.

Get out there this weekend and enjoy the last few moments of summer. While you’re at it tweet us @SchwartzMSLPRx and tell us your favorite summer activity. We will see you next week!

Have a great Labor Day weekend!