A new type of anti-epilepsy medication that selectively targets proteins in the brain that control excitability may significantly reduce seizure frequency in people whose recurrent seizures have been resistant to even the latest medications, new Johns Hopkins-led research suggests.
The nation’s top 20 public firms could have added nearly $1 trillion to their market value if, in 2010, they had used a new tool, known as the research quotient (RQ), to determine their research and development (R&D) budgets, says its creator, Anne Marie Knott, PhD, associate professor of strategy at Washington University in St. Louis.
Unintentional poisonings from medicines cause more emergency room visits for young children each year than do car accidents. But nearly 1 of every 4 grandparents says that they store prescription medicines in easy-access ways, according to a new poll.
Aristolochic acid (AA), a component of a plant used in herbal remedies since ancient times, leads to kidney failure and upper urinary tract cancer (UUC) in individuals exposed to the toxin.
As medical advancements and an expanding pharmaceutical industry bring new prescription drugs into the market, deciding which ones to cover is becoming an even more difficult choice for health plans to make. How those decisions are made – and what information is used in the process – was the focus of a recent study by researchers at RTI International.
Researchers at the University of Montreal’s Sainte-Justine Hospital have identified how neural cells are able to build up resistance to opioid pain drugs within hours.
Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered why diabetic-like symptoms develop in some patients given rapamycin, an immune-suppressant drug that also has shown anti-cancer activity and may even slow ageing.
• Drug’s epigenetic approach seeks to alter behavior of cancer cells. • Preliminary results show minimal toxicity. • Innovative approach to phase I trial seeks to establish optimal dosage.
Cancers shrank for about one third of the patients who could be evaluated, and disease stabilised for a further third. For one patient, all signs of their cancer disappeared.
• Drug combination superior to cancer drug alone. • Data emphasize importance of understanding genetic mutations. • Combination could be effective treatment for BRAF-mutant melanoma.
A Penn- and MIT-led team explained how rapamycin, a drug that extends mouse lifespan, also causes insulin resistance. The researchers showed in an animal model that they could, in principle, separate the effects, which depend on inhibiting two protein complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2, respectively. The study suggests that molecules that specifically inhibit mTORC1 may combat age-related diseases without the insulin-resistance side effect, which can predispose people to diabetes.
Today at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 43rd Annual Meeting on Women's Cancer®, Dr. Jonathan Ledermann, Director of Cancer Services and Professor of Medical Oncology at University College London, presented new data updating the overall survival of women enrolled in a "Phase II randomized placebo-controlled study of olaparib (AZD2281) maintenance in patients with platinum-sensitive relapsed serous ovarian cancer."
Hapten Sciences Inc. has licensed a compound developed by university researchers that shows promise in preventing reactions to poison ivy, oak and sumac. The potential drug could end the misery of itching and blistering for millions of Americans each summer.
Escherichia coli – a bacteria considered the food safety bane of restaurateurs, grocers and consumers – is a friend. Cornell University biomolecular engineers have learned to use E. coli to produce sugar-modified proteins for making pharmaceuticals cheaper and faster. (Nature Chemical Biology, March 25, 2012.)
Early data suggest ETC-1002, a drug that regulates lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, had a significant impact on cholesterol levels and improved factors believed to contribute to cardio-metabolic diseases, say researchers from the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, the Baylor College of Medicine, and Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.
A drug targeting one specific receptor may provide the first effective approach to treatment for the common problem of memory loss after surgery and anesthesia, according to an experimental study in the April issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).
A Florida State University researcher is developing technologies to miniaturize the first phase of a process used by pharmaceutical companies to discover new drugs. A breakthrough could ultimately lead to personalized and therefore more effective medical treatments, as well as major health care savings.
A new topical gel now available by prescription significantly decreases the amount of time needed to treat actinic keratosis, a skin condition that is a common precursor to skin cancer, according to a multi-center trial led by researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The gel, called ingenol mebutate, is applied to the skin for just a few days, making it quicker and even more effective as current therapies require weeks to months to apply. The Phase III study results of the trial are published in the March 15, 2012 issue of the The New England Journal of Medicine.
A combined therapy of common acne medications was shown to be a potent regimen for treating patients with severe facial acne, according to two published studies involving Henry Ford Hospital. The companion studies found that a therapy of the topical Epiduo Gel containing adapalene and benzoyl peroxide and the antibiotic doxycycline proved more effective at reducing acne lesions compared to other treatment regimens.
Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified a regulator protein that plays a crucial role in kidney fibrosis, a condition that leads to kidney failure. Finding this regulator provides a new therapeutic target for the millions of Americans affected by kidney failure.
New research with monkeys sheds light on how the drug methylphenidate may affect learning and memory in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Research suggests that a class of drugs for rheumatoid arthritis seeking approval this year could be effective against other autoimmune diseases.
Researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have uncovered how an advanced form of melanoma gets around an inhibitor, Zelboraf, which targets the mutated BRAF gene.
Mayo Clinic researchers this week will announce the use of the blood pressure drug prazosin as an effective treatment to curb post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-related nightmares.
Merck announces data presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) Annual Meeting in Orlando.
More than 70 years after the first sulfa drugs helped to revolutionize medical care and save millions of lives, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have determined at an atomic level the mechanism these medications use to kill bacteria. The discovery provides the basis for a new generation of antibiotics that would likely be harder for bacteria to resist and cause fewer side effects.
A drug that relieves the severe symptoms of a life-threatening bone marrow cancer called myelofibrosis also improves the survival of patients with the disease, according to a phase III clinical trial published in the March 1 edition of New England Journal of Medicine.
Scientists at the Toronto Western Research Institute (TWRI), Krembil Neuroscience Center, have developed a drug that protects the brain against the damaging effects of a stroke in a lab setting.
• Nab-paclitaxel appears to enhance gemcitabine activity. • Study also shows the potential value of a time-delay administration. • Combination treatment regimen already in late-stage phase III clinical trial.
Researchers from UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, together with scientists from 12 other sites in the United States and Australia, report for the first time that a newly approved drug for patients with metastatic melanoma nearly doubles median survival times, a finding that will change the way this deadly form of skin cancer is treated.
Investigators from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) and 12 other centers in the United States and Australia have found that a new drug for patients with metastatic melanoma nearly doubled median overall survival.
Billions of engineered nanoparticles in foods and pharmaceuticals are ingested by humans daily, and new Cornell research warns they may be more harmful to health than previously thought.
-New study published in Science Translational Medicine demonstrates microRNA-21 contributes to fibrogenesis in the kidney -Regulus, in partnership with Sanofi, developing novel anti-fibrotic therapies targeting microRNAs
Leading representatives of the American Epilepsy Society, American Academy of Neurology, and the Epilepsy Foundation today reported they have grave concerns about the implications and potential misuse of the anticonvulsant (AED) drug comparisons study recently released by the U.S. Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ). The study’s intent is to provide an evidence-based analysis of the Effectiveness and Safety of Antiepileptic Medications in Patients With Epilepsy. But the AHRQ report has little clinical value according to the specialists in neurology and epilepsy and could negatively impact patient care.
A mutli-site study offers paramedics a better tool for treating seizures -- autoinjectors were found to be a safe, effective alternative to giving drugs by IV.
Jack Muckstadt, a professor of Engineering and an expert on manufacturing systems, manufacturing logistics and supply chain systems, comments on reports that chronic shortages of key drugs are driving up health care costs and compromising patient care.
Antibiotics that doctors typically prescribe for sinus infections do not reduce symptoms any better than an inactive placebo, according to investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Novel gene abnormalities discovered in a subpopulation of lung and colorectal tumors could potentially identify patients with a good chance of responding to highly specific “targeted” drugs already in use for treating other cancers, scientists report. The genetic alterations – pieces of two genes fused together - showed up in a massive search of the DNA in stored tumor samples of non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer, said researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Foundation Medicine, Inc. These specific genetic abnormalities had not been previously linked to the two cancer types.
Tenofovir, one of the most effective and commonly prescribed antiretroviral medications for HIV/AIDS, is associated with a significant risk of kidney damage and chronic kidney disease that increases over time, according to a study of more than 10,000 patients led by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
With the new year came many drug recalls. In the first six weeks of 2012, there were at least 13 drug-related recalls. Some were due to bacterial contamination. Eight distinct bacterial contaminants were identified in one over-the-counter product.
Short-term use of the antibiotic cefpodoxime for the treatment of women with uncomplicated cystitis (bladder infection) did not meet criteria for noninferiority for achieving clinical cure compared with ciprofloxacin, a drug in the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics for which there have been concerns about overuse and a resulting increase in resistance rates, according to a study in the February 8 issue of JAMA.
Within a few years, a new generation of easy-to-use blood-thinning drugs will likely replace Coumadin for patients with irregular heartbeats who are at risk for stroke, according to a journal article by Loyola University Medical Center physicians.
Research from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey on the FDA-approved drugs Celebrex® and Lipitor® -- used respectively for arthritis pain and lowering cholesterol -- shows that these drugs are well tolerated in the treatment of recurrent prostate cancer. Preliminary results from an ongoing Phase II clinical trial will be presented this week during the 2012 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.
The FDA's approval of ivacaftor for treatement of cystic fibrosis will provide substantial benefit for CF patients with the G551D mutation in CFTR, say UAB investigators who conducted clinical trials on the drug.
Researchers at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine have identified a genetic variation that raises the risk of developing serious necrotic jaw bone lesions in patients who take bisphosphonates, a common class of osteoclastic inhibitors.
Researchers have discovered that the most common receptor for the major neurotransmitter in the brain is also present in the eye, which may explain links between cataracts, epilepsy and use of a number of antiepileptic and antidepressant drugs.
HIV-positive mothers have been able to guard against transmitting the disease to their babies by taking antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy. Although the drugs prevent children from being born with HIV, they could cause birth defects, such as cleft lip and palate. A new study explores any links between antiretroviral prophylaxis and cleft lip and palate.
Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) announced today that the company will establish a type 1 diabetes research and development center in Seattle, Wash., U.S. The new center will combine Novo Nordisk's history of innovation and leadership in diabetes treatment with the company's growing expertise in immunotherapy.
The Institute of Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery (ICB&DD) at Stony Brook University announced a multi-year research collaboration with Sanofi, a multinational pharmaceutical company, on a potential treatment for Tuberculosis (TB) and other bacterial infections.
Allergies to Plavix®, also know by its chemical name, Clopidogrel occur in about six percent of patients given the drug, vital for the prevention of life-threatening stent thrombosis after angioplasty and percutaneous coronary interventions. Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University found that a combination of steroids and antihistamines can successfully alleviate the allergic reaction and enable patients to remain on the drug. Until now, hypersensitivity required drug interruption, placing the patient at risk for restenosis or a major coronary event.
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