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CDC: Flu still strong across central U.S.
ATLANTA — If the flu were a storm cloud, the influenza virus is hovering over America's Bread Basket on its way to the Southwest, according to data provided through the U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported that 4.3% of patient visits reported through ILINet were due to influenza-like illness, above the national baseline of 2.2%. But as the map indicates, influenza rates are declining up and down the East Coast and is most virulent in Texas and states west.
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Merck: FDA approves Oxytrol for Women, creating overactive bladder category in OTC
WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Merck on Friday announced the Food and Drug Administration has approved the switch of Oxytrol for Women (oxybutynin transdermal system, 3.9 mg/day) from prescription-only to nonprescription, creating a new category — overactive bladder in women — in the OTC area. Most notable about this switch is the fact that the FDA approved Oxytrol for Women against the majority opinion of its Nonprescription Drug Advisory Committee, which voted five in favor and six opposed to the switch in November.
