Article: Drug for dry mouth nears FDA approval. (Originated from Knight-Ridder Newspapers)

A promising new drug to treat dry mouth is nearing federal approval. 
The drug, Pilocarpine, has been used to treat glaucoma. But a large national study in 30 cities found that it significantly increased saliva production, improving the lives of patients. 
``These folks are getting improvements that almost border on the remarkable,'' says Dr. Francis LeVeque, chief of oral medicine and surgery at Detroit's Harper Hospital. He directs the hospital's new dry mouth clinic and has been involved in tests of the drug. 
Dry mouth, or xerostomia, the medical term for the problem, affects 2 to 4 million Americans. About 40,000 are people who have had radiation treatment for ...

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