Efficacy News and Research

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Anorexia not alleviated by anti-depressants

Patients battling to deal with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, do not benefit or prevent relapses of the life-threatening eating disorder by taking the anti-depressant Prozac.

14 Jun 2006

Parkinson's patients stomach new drug better than conventional meds

Several studies conducted at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston show that a new kind of orally disintegrating tablets provides improved symptom relief for patients with Parkinson's disease.

13 Jun 2006

Duloxetine proven effective for use in men with stress urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy

Up to 33% of patients undergoing radical prostatectomy suffer from varying degrees of incontinence.

13 Jun 2006

FDA approves Gardasil as a treatment for cervical cancer

Merck & Co. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Gardasil as a treatment for cervical cancer, vulvar and vaginal pre-cancers caused by HPV types 16 and 18 and to prevent low-grade and pre-cancerous lesions and genital warts caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18.

9 Jun 2006

Antipsychotic use in children increasing

A steadily increasing number of patients younger than age 20 received prescriptions for antipsychotic medications between 1993 and 2002, according to a report published in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

9 Jun 2006

Sunitinib shows promise in treating metastatic renal cell cancer

A new study suggests that sunitinib is a promising agent for treatment of metastatic renal cell cancer, currently a disease without highly effective treatment options, according to an article in the June 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

7 Jun 2006

Impact of obesity on treatment of chronic hepatitis C

According to a new study, obese patients chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and treated with combination drug therapy may have better outcomes if the underlying abnormalities caused by excessive fat tissue are corrected.

6 Jun 2006

Drug adverts aimed at cancer patients difficult to read

Oncology drug advertisements that ran in patient-focused cancer magazines presented the drugs' benefits differently -- earlier in the advertisement text and in larger type size -- than their side effects or risks, according to an analysis by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

6 Jun 2006

Type 1 diabetes results from selective destruction of pancreatic islet beta cells

IDDM, which used to be referred to as Type 1 diabetes, results from selective destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic islet beta cells by the body's immune system.

6 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

Advanced prostate cancer can be treated successfully with intermittent chemotherapy

Advanced prostate cancer can be treated successfully with intermittent chemotherapy, according to a study conducted by Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute scientists.

6 Jun 2006

Helium-based MRI scans may one day allow closer look at smoker lungs

Aided by a powerful imaging technique, scientists have discovered they can detect smoking-related lung damage in healthy smokers who otherwise display none of the telltale signs of tobacco use.

5 Jun 2006

HERA trial continues to demonstrate significant patient benefits from Herceptin

New 23-month follow-up data from HERA, one of the largest breast cancer trials ever carried out, show that Herceptin (trastuzumab) following standard chemotherapy significantly reduced the risk of death by 34% for women with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer.

5 Jun 2006

$21 billion for HIV/AIDS, is it paying off?

This year, the U.S. federal government will spend $21 billion for HIV/AIDS research, treatment, prevention, and related activities. Is this enormous expenditure paying off?

1 Jun 2006

Experimental treatment increases response rates in advanced lung cancer

An early phase study pairing an experimental targeted therapy with a common anti-inflammatory produced promising results in patients with advanced lung cancer, researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center reported.

1 Jun 2006

FDA gives tentative approval to new generic AIDS drug

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced the tentative approval of generic abacavir sulfate tablets manufactured by Aurobindo Pharma LTD. of Hyderabad, India.

18 May 2006

Novel animal model of lung adenocarcinoma

Drs. Katerina Politi, Harold Varmus and colleagues at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York have developed a novel animal model of lung adenocarcinoma that will be of great use in testing the efficacy of targeted therapies against human lung cancer.

17 May 2006