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New drug approved by FDA for treatment of von Willebrand disease

"VONVENDI [von Willebrand factor (Recombinant)]", the new drug from Baxalta Incorporated, a global biopharmaceutical company recently spun off from Baxter International, has just been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

22 Dec 2015

Scientists uncover novel strategy to block cancer's spread, restore tumor vulnerability to chemotherapy

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have discovered how an aggressive tumor of the muscle and soft tissue hijacks an export pathway in cells to lay the groundwork for cancer progression and resistance to chemotherapy.

22 Dec 2015

Small airway-on-a-chip enables analysis of human COPD and asthma

A research team at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University leveraged its organ-on-a-chip technology to develop a model of the human small airway in which lung inflammatory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the third leading cause of mortality worldwide, and asthma can be studied outside the human body.

22 Dec 2015

Study on myosins may lead to therapies for muscle diseases, cancers

Understanding how tiny molecular motors called myosins use energy to fuel biological tasks like contracting muscles could lead to therapies for muscle diseases and cancers, says a team of researchers led by Penn State College of Medicine scientists.

22 Dec 2015

UM student awarded grant for research on human immune system

A hardworking University of Montana undergraduate student will spend the next two and half years studying the hardest-working cell in the human immune system.

22 Dec 2015

Alexza reports interim results from AZ-002 Phase 2a study in epilepsy patients

Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced interim results of its Phase 2a study of AZ-002 (Staccato alprazolam) in epilepsy patients. AZ-002 produced a dose-related decrease in mean Standardized Photosensivity Range (SPR), the primary endpoint in the study.

21 Dec 2015

New easy-to-use computer program can quickly identify drug-resistant infections

Scientists have developed an easy-to-use computer program that can quickly analyse bacterial DNA from a patient's infection and predict which antibiotics will work, and which will fail due to drug resistance. The software is currently being trialled in three UK hospitals to see whether it could help speed up diagnosis of drug-resistant infections and enable doctors to better target the prescription of antibiotics.

21 Dec 2015

Aquinnah secures $5 million private equity investment from Takeda

Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has received a $5 Million investment from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Limited, in it's first private equity financing. The company has assembled a world-class team of drug developers and an exceptional Scientific Advisory Board in the fields of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), protein and RNA regulation, and neurodegenerative diseases.

21 Dec 2015

Halozyme Therapeutics, Lilly sign global collaboration and license agreement

Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. today announced a global collaboration and license agreement with Eli Lilly and Company to develop and commercialize products combining proprietary Lilly compounds with Halozyme's ENHANZE platform.

21 Dec 2015

Chromatrap to be Lead Sponsor at 'Epigenetics in Drug Discovery' conference

Chromatrap, a business unit of Porvair Sciences, has announced that it will be the Lead Sponsor at the prestigious “Epigenetics in Drug Discovery” conference to be held in Cambridge, UK from 26th-27th January 2016.

From Chromatrap® - Porvair Sciences Ltd 21 Dec 2015

New study improves understanding of metal-based chemotherapy drugs

What is the mechanism of action of metal-based chemotherapy drugs (the most widely used for treating common cancers like testicular or ovarian cancer)? How can we improve their effect and reduce their toxicity? A new study combining experiments and theory has broadened our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of these active drugs to help experimentalists devising increasingly effective drugs with fewer side effects.

21 Dec 2015

Targeted alpha therapy has potential to reduce HIV-infected cells from central nervous system

Targeted alpha therapy has the potential to selectively eliminate HIV infected cells from the central nervous system, according to a recent study co-authored by the JRC. The study shows that a specific human antibody labelled with the alpha emitter bismuth-213 can penetrate the blood brain barrier and selectively target and destroy HIV-infected cells while sparing non-infected healthy cells.

21 Dec 2015

New discovery may soon make prostate cancer cells easier to destroy

A newly discovered connection between two common prostate cancer treatments may soon make prostate cancer cells easier to destroy. Drugs that could capitalize on the discovery are already in the pipeline, and a clinical trial to test whether the finding could improve treatments for prostate cancer patients could be only a few years away.

20 Dec 2015

New data shows opioid overdose deaths hit record levels in 2014

From 2000 to 2014 nearly half a million Americans died from drug overdoses. Opioid overdose deaths, including both opioid pain relievers and heroin, hit record levels in 2014, with an alarming 14 percent increase in just one year, according to new data published today in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

20 Dec 2015

Teens with moderate mental health problems vape e-cigarettes

Teenagers with moderate mental health problems who may not have considered smoking conventional cigarettes are turning to electronic cigarettes, a new USC study has found.

20 Dec 2015

Turing Pharmaceuticals emphasizes continued availability of Daraprim

Turing Pharmaceuticals AG, a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative treatments for serious diseases and conditions, today emphasizes the continued availability of Daraprim and cautions healthcare providers of proposed alternatives to Daraprim.

20 Dec 2015

FDA approves Fenix Continence Restoration System to treat fecal incontinence

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the Fenix Continence Restoration System to treat fecal incontinence in patients who are not candidates for, or have previously failed, medical or other surgical options.

20 Dec 2015

Common mechanism may underlie epilepsy, suicidality

Patients with epilepsy have an increased risk of attempting suicide, which precedes their epilepsy diagnosis, say researchers.

18 Dec 2015

Poor outlook for ICH associated with novel oral anticoagulants

Haematoma expansion, disability and death are common among patients who have intracerebral haemorrhage while taking novel oral anticoagulants, a study in JAMA Neurology shows.

18 Dec 2015

Kitov announces more data from Phase III trial on the favorable blood pressure effects of KIT-302

Kitov Pharmaceuticals, an innovative biopharmaceutical company focused on late-stage drug development, today announced more data from its successfully concluded Phase III trial for its lead drug candidate, KIT-302. Data showed the favorable blood pressure effects of KIT-302 were present in all blood pressure variables measured in the study.

18 Dec 2015