Feature Channels: Pharmaceuticals

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GenScript USA Inc., the world’s leading research reagent provider, announced today that Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária) has authorized the use of the cPass™ SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization Antibody Detection Kit for detecting neutralizing antibodies. The cPass test is the first and only ANVISA authorized test for detecting neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. Neutralizing antibodies specifically block the ability of a virus to infect a cell and are well-recognized to confer immunity.

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Researchers from Berkeley Lab and Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed new methods for the large-scale production, purification, and use of the radioisotope cerium-134, which could serve as a PET imaging radiotracer for a highly targeted cancer treatment known as alpha-particle therapy.

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Area9 Lyceum will participate in the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Annual Scientific Meeting, to be held December 13-17, 2020, joining an online community to share the latest developments in scientific education. Participants will have the opportunity to experience the world’s leading adaptive learning program for laboratory medicine, based on Area9’s adaptive platform.

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FAST (the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics) today announced that Virtually Unstoppable, their annual Summit & Gala benefitting Angelman syndrome (AS) raised over $2.2 million during their virtual two-day conference.

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The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences researchers have successfully developed “PhytFoon”, a spray compound to deal with the PM 2.5 dust particles, which have become an annual plague that hinders the air quality and health of Thai people. The Dust Fighting Spray works by trapping the PM 2.5 dust particles suspended in the air and then weighing them down to the ground. The compound will be launched to the market by S.T. Protex Co. Ltd. at a conference on December 16, 2020, at the Renaissance Ratchaprasong Hotel. The company has received production rights from Chulalongkorn University to produce the PM 2.5 dust–fighting spray, “PhytFoon“.

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Newly published study reports InvisiMask™, a self-administered single-dose nasal spray, protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection for up to 10 hours in mice

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AACC is pleased to announce the recipients of the AACC 2020 Top Corporate Supporter Awards. This year, AACC recognizes 45 different companies and organizations that generously support the association through sponsorships, advertising, and exhibiting. These significant contributions make it possible for AACC to improve patient care by fostering research, innovation, and professional excellence in the field of laboratory medicine.

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In a new study, researchers at Uppsala University have been able to show differences in how Rituximab, a monoclonal antibody drug, interacts with the blood of healthy individuals compared to patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

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A new drug discovered through a research collaboration between the University at Buffalo and Tetra Therapeutics took a major step toward becoming a first-in-class treatment for Fragile X Syndrome, a leading genetic cause of autism.

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The study will explore pacritinib as a treatment for cytokine storm in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19. Pacritinib is a new type of oral kinase inhibitor—a drug that blocks enzymes that may cause cancer cells to grow. As a multi-kinase inhibitor, pacritinib has the potential to prevent an inflammatory response that frequently leads to respiratory failure in severe COVID-19. The study will evaluate pacritinib in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 with or without cancer. Patients discharged from the hospital will complete their study treatment on an outpatient basis. The PRE-VENT study is sponsored by CTI BioPharma.

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Results from phase two study show improved language and daily functioning among participants

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The APS has been a powerful tool in the battle against the novel coronavirus, contributing more information about the structure of the virus to the International Protein Databank than any other light source in the United States.

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Irvine, Calif., Dec. 10, 2020 — Ever see long lines at the pharmacy counter and give up on a medication, or find that the drive is just a little too long? A study by the University of California, Irvine and UC San Diego found that patients using an automated kiosk in their workplace had better prescription pickup rates without sacrificing instruction from pharmacists.

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Adding an immune checkpoint inhibitor to the standard chemotherapy regimen for patients with early-stage breast cancer places no greater burden on patients’ ability to perform day-to-day activities than chemotherapy alone, new research by Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center investigators shows.

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Researchers from the National University of Singapore have utilised a ground-breaking AI platform to find an optimal combination of available therapies against COVID-19. The research team identified the drug combination from over 530,000 possibilities within two weeks, cutting down the number of tests typically needed by hundreds of thousands.

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Instrumentation Laboratory Receives US FDA Marketing Authorization for the First Apixaban Diagnostic Test

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The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) today warned that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) interim final rule establishing a “most favored nation” (MFN) payment model for Medicare Part B drugs will dramatically disrupt patient access to critical therapies needed to manage rheumatic diseases and conditions.

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UC Davis Health will launch a COVID-19 clinical trial with Novavax to test a new coronavirus vaccine. This vaccine has an important advantage: liquid state storage that allows for distribution using standard vaccine channels, unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that must be stored at subzero temperature.

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“It will all be needless death from here on out, given that there is a readily available scientific solution to the pandemic," Kory says.

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Camille Stewart's article about medical cannabis explains issues around the drug’s legality, makes recommendations for its use before and after surgery and pushes for research on its effects on postoperative patients.

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Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Francisco J. Hernandez-Ilizaliturri, MD, along with a team of researchers from other institutions, has been investigating a novel therapy for patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Dr. Hernandez-Ilizaliturri will present the team’s findings today at the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, which is being held virtually.

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A drug currently prescribed to treat a rare enzyme deficiency can help cells clear the herpes simplex 1 and herpes simplex 2 viruses, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances.The new data shows that the antiviral activity of the drug — called phenylbutyrate, or PBA — was even better when used along with acyclovir, a common HSV-1 treatment.

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In a new study by Yale Cancer Center researchers, the drug caplacizumab is shown not to be cost-effective in treating thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) when added to the standard-of-care.

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A phase I/II study led by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found IMGN632, a novel CD123-targeting antibody-drug conjugate, was tolerable and resulted in a 29% overall response rate in patients with relapsed/refractory blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm.

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Members of the Hematologic Malignancies Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey examined the utilization of a low dose of oral vancomycin, a drug used at higher doses to treat established Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), as a way to prevent CDI in blood and bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients.

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A study led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center showed that first-line treatment with a regimen of chemotherapy combined with the monoclonal antibody blinatumomab resulted in increased survival and achieved a high rate of measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity for patients who were newly diagnosed with a high-risk form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) known as Philadelphia chromosome-negative B-cell ALL (Ph-negative B-ALL).

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A new biomarker discovered by a team that includes researchers from Penn Medicine identifies patients with an aggressive form of lymphoma unlikely to respond to the targeted treatment ibrutinib.

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A new approach to cancer therapy shows potential to transform the commonly used chemotherapy drug gemcitabine into a drug that kills cancer cells in a specialized way, activating immune cells to fight the cancer, according to a study led by Cedars-Sinai Cancer investigators.

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The novel oral drug venetoclax can be safely added to standard therapies for some high-risk myeloid blood cancers and in early studies the combination shows promise of improved outcomes, say scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

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A subcutaneous injection of the immune-boosting drug teclistamab was found to be safe and elicit responses in a majority of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

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Cedars-Sinai has launched a center to manufacture the next generation of stem cell and gene therapies that will enable biomedical researchers, government medical programs, commercial entities and others to develop new biologic drugs and propel novel disease discoveries.

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The December 2020 issue of the Society of Toxicology’s official journal, Toxicological Sciences, delivers cutting-edge toxicological research in endocrine toxicology, environmental toxicology, organ-specific toxicology, and more.

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“Following the swi. review— and subsequent guidance— by the NIH and theCDC of Ivermectin, we expect that Ivermectin’s widespread, immediate use willallow for a rapid and safe re-opening of businesses and schools across the nation—and quickly reduce the strain on overwhelmed ICUs.” —FLCCC Alliance

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A team of biochemists from Chulalongkorn University became the first researchers in Thailand to study proteolytic enzymes for the Covid–19 virus at a molecular level in 3D, possibly leading to the development of Covid–19 treatments.

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Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah have identified a potential drug combination to treat uveal melanoma, a type of eye cancer. Lead author Amanda Truong, trainee in the McMahon Lab at HCI and student at the U of U, explains uveal melanoma patients frequently have changes in genes called GNAQ and GNA11.

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A team of researchers recently created a pharmacophore model and conducted data mining of the database of drugs approved by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to find potential inhibitors of papain-like protease of SARS-CoV2, one of the main viral proteins responsible for COVID-19.

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The recent serious outbreak of Covid19 has affected (November 13, 2020) 53,796,098 people worldwide, resulting in 37,555,669 recovered, 1,310,250 deaths (Figure 1), and a large number of open cases.

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People who have coronary artery disease, stroke or peripheral artery disease often are prescribed a statin, a cholesterol-lowering drug that reduces the risk of heart attack or stroke.In a recent publication in JAMA Network Open, Mayo Clinic researchers identify trends in statin use across the U.S. among people with these diseases, as well as among those who already had a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Their data indicate that only about 60% of patients are getting the recommended therapy.

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The University of California’s two nationally ranked medical centers, UCSF and UCLA, and their nuclear medicine teams have obtained approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to offer a new imaging technique for prostate cancer that locates cancer lesions in the pelvic area and other parts of the body to which the tumors have migrated.

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A landmark study on how cannabis affects driving ability has shown that cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabis component now widely used for medical purposes, does not impair driving, while moderate amounts of the main intoxicating component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) produce mild driving impairment lasting up to four hours.

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CEL-SCI Corporation announced today its LEAPS COV-19 peptides, delivered as a therapeutic treatment following SARS-CoV-2 virus challenge, achieved a 40% survival rate in transgenic mouse models as compared to 0% survival in the two control groups in studies conducted at the University of Georgia Center for Vaccines and Immunology.

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High-resolution mass spectrometry promotes new methods for analysis. Humans are exposed to various environmental or dietary molecules that can attenuate or even increase the effect of therapeutic drugs. Studies on the industrial chemical bisphenol A and the phytoestrogen genistein, for example, have shown drug-exposome interactions.

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OX40 Agonist Appears Safe When Used Alone or in Combination with Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy

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the National Institutes of Health has renewed a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant at the University of Delaware. The COBRE research team is focused on discovery of new molecules that can be used to study and treat diseases such as breast cancer, renal cancer, Crohn’s disease, tuberculosis and Legionnaires disease.

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Rutgers is leading a clinical trial assessing the efficacy of a three-drug combination in treating people infected with SARS-CoV-2 and asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic.