Initial excitement turned to disappointment.  There was a report today from a Miami dermatology conference that a turmeric skin cream improved wrinkles.

From a cosmetically-minded MD colleague (thanks, New Skin Laser Center) came the inevitable pooh-pooh.

The real bone of contention was the trial design: comparing before and after photos.  The study size was small, only 89 patients.  It was not clear as to whether investigators were blinded. 

Counterfeit Alli weight loss supplements have appeared online. WebMD has details on how to tell if you have the real thing. FDA warns that the counterfeit pills actually contain sibutramine, an entirely different weight loss medicine.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20100119/fake-alli-sold-on-internet

Let the gushing begin. The new son-of-Plavix, Brilinta, beat Plavix in a randomized trial, published this week.

Plavix is a leading blood thinner given to patients after a heart attack or stent procedure. Only problem is that it's set to go off patent in 2011, leaving AstraZeneca needing to fill a $6 billion/year revenue hole.

Looks like Brilinta is all but inevitable. The incremental benefit is 1.9%, leaving insurance pharmacy benefit managers having to scratch their heads over whether a 1.9% benefit is worth billions of dollars in incremental drug spending.

Bloomberg News (7/15 Ostrow) reports Women who had hormone therapy for menopause symptoms were more likely to develop ovarian cancer regardless of the length formulation or type of treatment they received according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers noted that the finding suggests that no type of hormone seems safe regarding the risk of ovarian cancer. Furthermore if a woman has a special predisposition for ovarian cancer she should consider not taking hormones.

A half cupful of bleach per tub full of water seems effective in a small study published in next weeks' journal Pediatrics. This seems like an off-the-wall idea but the efficacy was pretty amazing: five-fold reduction in eczema flares in children in the treatment group. Evidently this is a real thing: The eczema kept getting better and better with the bleach bath and these baths prevented it from flaring again which is an ongoing problem for these kids said lead author Dr. Amy S.

Based on a small study FDA has approved a brain implant device for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. WebMD interviewed a neurosurgeon in Hackensack NJ who had this to say: "Some could go back to work some could again have relationships and participate in life " though we don't know whether the change was permanent or whether it was a profound change in most cases or only a few. Then there are toxicities: at least 1/3 of the patients had serious adverse events including brain infections or hemorrhage.