Agonist News and Research

RSS

Peptide vaccine fights off breast tumors with help of bacteria-mimicking agents

With the help of immune system-stimulating molecules that mimic bacterial components, researchers have used a type of cancer vaccine to both delay and prevent breast tumors in mice.

1 Feb 2007

Inhaled steroids best treatment for children with asthma

Although several medications are available to help children maintain asthma control, clinical trials directly comparing them have not been conducted.

23 Jan 2007

Guanfacine no more effective than a placebo

Guanfacine, a medication commonly prescribed to alleviate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, is no more effective than a placebo, according to a study led by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

2 Dec 2006

Combination therapy of salmeterol and fluticasone improves survival in patients with COPD

A combination of two common medications may help patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) live longer.

23 Oct 2006

Targeted tumor therapy has paramount consequences for future expansion of nuclear medicine

Targeted tumor therapy lobs toxic payloads directly into tumors to destroy cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed.

20 Oct 2006

New diabetes drug Januvia works without causing weight gain

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has granted approval for a new drug to treat adults with type 2 diabetes.

17 Oct 2006

FDA approves Januvia for diabetes

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today the approval of Januvia (sitagliptin phosphate) Tablets, the first diabetes treatment approved in a new class of drugs known as DDP-4 inhibitors that enhances the body's own ability to lower elevated blood sugar.

17 Oct 2006

Insulin receptor stops progression of Alzheimer's disease

Stimulation of a receptor in the brain that controls insulin responses has been shown to halt or diminish the neurodegeneration of Alzheimer's disease, providing evidence that the disease can be treated in its early stages, according to a study by researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown Medical School.

21 Sep 2006

Inhaled corticosteroids reduce COPD mortality risk

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who use inhaled corticosteroids may have a significantly decreased mortality risk, according to a new study published in the September issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP).

12 Sep 2006

More children around the world now have allergies and asthma

Researchers in Auckland, New Zealand say that the number of children with allergies and asthma is increasing around the world and especially among the youngest.

28 Aug 2006

Drug combo could reduce risk of severe asthma attacks

Giving asthma patients on regular preventive drugs the same drugs to relieve the symptoms of their condition, rather than conventional reliever drugs, could reduce their risk of severe attacks and hospitalisations.

24 Aug 2006

Memory Pharmaceuticals achieves milestone for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders

Memory Pharmaceuticals is to receive approximately $2.3M in funding from Roche in 2007.

17 Jul 2006

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients using beta-agonist inhalers are at risk

A new analysis that compares two common inhalers for patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) finds that one reduces respiratory-related hospitalizations and respiratory deaths, but the other - which is prescribed in the majority of cases - increases respiratory deaths.

9 Jul 2006

Some common inhalers double death rate in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients

4 Jul 2006

New sleep medication Ramelteon shows less potential to foster abuse and dependence

As part of the effort to develop effective behavioral and medical sleep therapies, scientists consider the potential for dependence and abuse associated with prescription sleep drugs.

27 Jun 2006

Asthma sufferers reduce need for inhalers by breathing exercises

Scientists in Australia say that people with mild asthma benefit from exercises that focus on shallow breathing through the nose, as well as non-specific upper body exercises, and can reduce the need to use a bronchodilator inhaler by as much as 86 per cent.

6 Jun 2006

Spacers versus nebulisers for treatment of acute asthma

Two treatment methods for asthma attacks - spacers and nebulizers - are equally effective in staving off hospital admissions, a new review shows. However, at least for children, spacers mean shorter stays in emergency departments.

29 May 2006

Low affinity analogs of thyrotropin-releasing hormone are super-agonists

Chemical knockoffs resembling a key thyroid-related hormone are, in certain cases, more effective than the real thing at activating the target receptor.

16 May 2006

Usage and outcomes of primary androgen deprivation therapy for localized prostate cancer

In the online March 2006 version of Cancer, Dr. Kawakami and associates report from the CaPSURE database that primary androgen deprivation therapy (PADT) is used in 14% of prostate cancer (CaP) patients with reasonable outcomes at approximately 5 years follow-up.

11 Apr 2006

New guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson disease

New guidelines developed by the American Academy of Neurology aim to educate physicians on the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson disease and provide people with Parkinson disease an improved quality of life.

3 Apr 2006