DHEA: Fountain of Youth or Dangerous Steroid? -- DHEA, developed to treat lupus, has recently made its way into mainstream health food stores and is being marketed as a naturally occurring "Fountain of Youth." The problem: The natural drug is converted to testosterone and can have unsightly, even dangerous side effects. The latest research shows that using DHEA can lead to facial hair growth, acne and osteoporosis in women or prostate cancer in men. After testing 16 mainstream DHEA products, researchers found that only half actually met manufacturers' label claims. Since the FDA does not yet monitor "dietary supplements," consumers need to be aware of the dangers of natural drugs.

No More Needles for Insulin Dependent Diabetes Sufferers? -- Millions of diabetes sufferers must receive daily insulin injections to avoid serious, often deadly complications. But there's hope: A leading Canadian scientist has developed and patented an oral insulin medication that's now set for human trials with the Health Protection Branch (the Canadian equivalent of the FDA). Next step -- approval in the US.

Key Seminars Topics Include:

Monday, November 16
Emerging Trends in Drug Design and Development --1:30-5 p.m. Marketing of Pharmaceuticals in a Managed Health Care Environment -- 1:30-5 p.m. Acceleration of Drug Development for Life-Threatening Diseases: FDA and Industry
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Contact: Amy Miller
miller@aaps.org
703-518-8417
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
27-Oct-1998