Feature Channels: Pharmaceuticals

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There could be an intervention on the horizon to help prevent heart damage caused by the common chemotherapy drug doxorubicin, new research suggests.

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Using advanced computational simulations, researchers at the University of Chicago have revealed just how remdesivir works at the molecular level, and also found that two drugs that work in a similar manner, ribavirin and favilavir, do not bind as effectively to the virus.

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In a recent study, researchers from Rutgers University explored the therapeutic response to Tamoxifen, a drug that blocks the activity of estrogen to the breast, in estrogen-receptor (ER) positive breast cancer by using a computational framework to predict treatment resistance based on behavior of molecular pathways.

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An immunotherapy agent combined with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor drug whose clinical testing as a first-line treatment in advanced kidney cancer was led by Toni K. Choueiri, MD, Director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has become a standard therapy.

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Essential for bone health, immune response and even memory and thinking, vitamin D may also be linked to preventing severe COVID-19 symptoms.

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This JAMA Insights review provides clinical details of anaphylactic reactions reported to and verified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the first week of use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the United States.

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A pain management regimen comprised mostly of over-the-counter medication reduced opioid exposure in trauma patients while achieving equal levels of pain control, according to a new study by physician-researchers at UTHealth.

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New research into opioid overdoses that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted new disparities along racial lines that are likely fueled by existing inequality

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Antidepressants are commonly used worldwide to treat pain, however new research from the University of Sydney shows they offer little to no help for people suffering chronic back pain and osteoarthritis and may even cause harm.

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The Monell Chemical Senses Center has received a two-year, $890,000 grant from the Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation. Monell scientists and collaborators will develop a new way to classify fever-inducing diseases using distinct signatures of volatile chemicals from urine and saliva.

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Researchers captured and comparted hi-res images of ribosome structures from sensitive and resistant bacteria and report that a water molecule needed for antibiotic binding was not present in the ribosomes from the drug-resistant bugs.

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Paper published in BMC Infectious Diseases documents association between hydroxychloroquine exposure and reduced hospitalization rates in mildly symptomatic outpatients with COVID-19

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Scientists have identified two drugs that are potent against acute myeloid leukemia (AML) when combined, but only weakly effective when used alone. The researchers were able to significantly enhance cancer cell death by jointly administering the drugs that are only partially effective when used as single-agent therapies.

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The Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) has issued a public response to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) regarding the NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel’s “neither for nor against” recommendation for the use of ivermectin in the treatment of COVID-19.

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Dr. Marc Suchard, of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, co-led international research team looking at two widely used types of blood pressure drugs.

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in the January 2021 issue, Toxicological Sciences offers an engaging slate of research in toxicology, from endocrine toxicology and biomarkers to genetic and epigenetic toxicology and mixtures toxicology.

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A team of neuroscientists and engineers at McMaster University has created a nasal spray to deliver antipsychotic medication directly to the brain instead of having it pass through the body.

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The NEJM paper actually states that the efficacy between the first and second doses was found to be 52 percent when given 21 days apart. After the second dose, the efficacy raises to 95 percent.

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NIH Revises Treatment Guidelines for Ivermectin for the Treatment of COVID-19 Ivermectin is Now a Therapeutic Option for Doctors & Prescribers

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A new potential therapy for COVID-19 developed by researchers at Rush University Medical Center has shown success in preventing the disease’s symptoms in mice.

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Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM), a rare form of lymphoma, does not have any known cure and only one FDA-approved treatment making it challenging to treat patients. Researchers at the University of New Hampshire took the novel approach of targeting specific cell proteins that control DNA information using inhibitors, or drugs, that were effective in reducing the growth of the cancer cells and when combined with a third drug were even more successful in killing the WM cancer cells which could lead to more treatment options.

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DALLAS – Jan. 13, 2021 – A new treatment that combines two existing medications may provide long-sought relief for many battling debilitating methamphetamine use disorder, according to a study to be published tomorrow in The New England Journal of Medicine.

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Researchers evaluating whether an investigational oral drug, vadadustat, can help prevent acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19 patients were awarded $5.1 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to expand the Phase II clinical trial at UTHealth.

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MD Anderson and UroGen today announced a strategic three-year collaboration agreement to advance combination immunotherapy, delivered directly into the bladder, for the treatment of high-grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. The collaboration will work through MD Anderson's immunotherapy platform to design pre-clinical and clinical studies.

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Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed, in collaboration with researchers in Germany and the U.S., new small antibodies, also known as nanobodies, which prevent the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus from entering human cells.

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The Endocrine Society is calling on policymakers to include government negotiation as part of an overall strategy to reduce insulin prices in its updated position statement published today in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

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Argonne scientists and research facilities have made a difference in the fight against COVID-19 in the year since the first gene sequence for the virus was published.

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The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has launched a new center for psychedelics research. The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research pursues a multipronged clinical and research approach to discovering novel and more efficacious therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and other stress-related conditions in the veteran and civilian population.

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People taking immunosuppressive drugs to prevent organ transplant rejection or to treat inflammatory or autoimmune diseases do not fare worse than others on average when they are hospitalized with COVID-19.

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An FDA-approved drug that is currently used in treating cancers has the potential to protect against or treat hearing loss in humans.

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A novel form of a drug used to treat osteoporosis that comes with the potential for fewer side effects may provide a new option for patients.

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Irvine, Calif., Jan. 6, 2021— In the United States, Black, Latino and low-income communities have historically lacked nearby access to pharmacy services. To provide the first record of these “pharmacy deserts” in Los Angeles County, a University of California, Irvine study identified communities where the nearest pharmacy was at least one mile away.

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The Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Rumi Scientific announced today that they will team up to initiate a drug discovery pipeline for rare genetic disorders that carry a high risk of autism.

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New research from UHN’s Peter Munk Cardiac Centre (PMCC) shows statins, commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, may also protect the heart from damaging side-effects of early breast cancer treatment.

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A new randomized controlled trial has found antibiotics are not necessary after routine sinus surgery for preventing infection and optimizing patient outcomes.

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Study offers a key finding in the development of a promising treatment

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Treatment of depression faces two main challenges. The first is that almost 50% of patients do not respond well to existing antidepressants.

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The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and the Hopkins Business of Health Initiative on January 25, 2021, will present a panel discussion on the COVID-19 vaccine from discovery to manufacturing to delivery.

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Scientists have developed a machine-learning method that crunches massive amounts of data to help determine which existing medications could improve outcomes in diseases for which they are not prescribed.

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Use of the delivery system in mouse models results in unprecedented siRNA penetration across the intact blood brain barrier

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Research conducted at LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence reports that a combination of an LSU Health-patented drug and selected DHA derivatives is more effective in protecting brain cells and increasing recovery after stroke than a single drug.

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Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive health network which has treated more COVID-19 patients than any other health system in the state, is now enrolling individuals in the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson’s Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial.

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Around a third of the world's population carries Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that puts people with a weakened immune system at risk and can trigger malformations in the womb.

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New epidemiological and neuroscientific evidence suggests emotional pain activates many of the same limbic brain centers as physical pain. Pain experts Mark Sullivan and Jane Ballantyne at the University of Washington School of Medicine explain the relation in a reflections column published ahead of print in the Annals of Family Medicine. The researchers say opioids may make patients feel better early on, but over the long term these drugs cause all kinds of havoc on their well-being.

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Three clinical trial platforms working together to test the effects of full doses of anticoagulants (blood thinners) in COVID-19 patients have paused enrollment for one group of patients. Among critically ill COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care unit (ICU) support, full dose anticoagulation drugs did not improve outcomes. Enrollment continues for moderately ill hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the trials.

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins Medicine Media Relations is focused on disseminating current, accurate and useful information to the public via the media. As part of that effort, we are distributing our “COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins” every other Tuesday.

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Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation is celebrating another milestone.