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First specific antidote for cocaine toxicity

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have shown that an injectable solution can protect mice from an otherwise lethal overdose of cocaine. The findings could lead to human clinical trials of a treatment designed to reverse the effects of cocaine in case of emergency. Cocaine is involved in more than 400,000 emergency-room visits and about 5,000 overdose deaths each year in the United States.

19 Apr 2012

State roundup: Mass. seeks to improve medical malpractice system; Health exchange legislation progresses in Ala.

Seven Massachusetts hospitals plan to offer patients harmed by medical errors a prompt apology and financial settlements before they resort to lawsuits, part of a major new initiative to improve the state's cumbersome medical malpractice system. A coalition of physician, hospital, and patient groups planned to release details Wednesday of the initiative, called "Road Map to Reform,"' which they predict will increase reporting of medical mistakes and cut down on lengthy litigation that drives up health care costs and fuels distrust between caregivers and patients.

19 Apr 2012

GSK, Epizyme and Constellation to develop next generation of epigenetic drugs for cancer

Scientific insights that expand on the teachings of Mendel, Watson and Crick, and underpinnings of the Human Genome Project are moving drug companies along the path to development of new medicines based on deeper insights into how factors other than the genetic code influence health and disease. That's the topic of the cover story in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society.

19 Apr 2012

Ecstasy and speed-using grade ten students more likely to develop depression

A five year study conducted with thousands of local teenagers by University of Montreal researchers reveals that those who used speed (meth/ampthetamine) or ecstasy (MDMA) at fifteen or sixteen years of age were significantly more likely to suffer elevated depressive symptoms the following year. "Our findings are consistent with other human and animal studies that suggest long-term negative influences of synthetic drug use," said co-author Fr-d-ric N. Bri-re of the School Environment Research Group at the University of Montreal.

19 Apr 2012

Study explains why some people develop kidney stones and others do not

Kidney stones strike an estimated 1 million Americans each year, and those who have experienced the excruciating pain say it is among the worst known to man (or woman).

19 Apr 2012

BCCA, UBC scientists identify new breast cancer genes

Scientists at the BC Cancer Agency and University of British Columbia have identified new breast cancer genes that could change the way the disease is diagnosed and form the basis of next-generation treatments.

19 Apr 2012

Testosterone may help heart failure patients: Study

The researchers used testosterone patches and injections that improved the breathing and exercise abilities of people with heart failure, a chronic inability of the heart to pump enough blood to the rest of the body. Although most of the study participants were men, the researchers said the results would likely apply to women as well, through much smaller doses of testosterone.

18 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 18, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about the latest Capitol Hill developments related to the budget.

18 Apr 2012

USP convenes pharmaceutical supply chain integrity workshop

The increasing globalization of the drug supply presents a host of public health challenges: theft and diversion of medicines, growth of illegal Internet pharmacies and insertion of adulterated medicines or ingredients into the supply chain.

18 Apr 2012

Levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel better than standard oral form to treat advanced Parkinson's disease

A levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) works better than standard oral levodopa-carbidopa in reducing "off" time in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease.

18 Apr 2012

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus senses and reacts to host cell's impending death

A research team led by Children's National Medical Center has identified a trigger that causes latent Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) to rapidly replicate itself. KSHV causes Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and other cancers that commonly affect immunocompromised patients, including those with AIDS.

18 Apr 2012

Engineered particles tied to penetratin discover, deliver ligands for mitochondria, ribosomes

Scientists who developed a technology for identifying and targeting unique protein receptor ZIP Codes on the cellular surface have found a way to penetrate the outer membrane and deliver engineered particles - called iPhage - to organelles inside the cell.

18 Apr 2012

Addiction to opioids has higher risk of death than alcohol or other drugs

People with an opioid addiction had the highest risk of death when compared with rates for alcohol and other drugs, according to a new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

18 Apr 2012

Bevacizumab added to chemotherapy for NSCLC does not improve survival in elderly patients

Adding the drug bevacizumab (Avastin) to the standard chemotherapy regimen for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) - an approach approved by the FDA in 2006 - did not lead to significantly increase survival rates for patients over the age of 65 enrolled in Medicare, a new study by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers has found.

18 Apr 2012

No added HIV risk with hormonal contraceptives

An HIV prevention trial that pre-dates the shift to antiretroviral (ARV)-based approaches is nonetheless helping to answer some of the most relevant and topical questions the field is facing today.

18 Apr 2012

Access reports positive interim results from MuGard Phase 4 clinical trial in oral mucositis

ACCESS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC., a biopharmaceutical company leveraging its proprietary drug-delivery platforms to develop treatments in areas of oncology and oncology supportive care, announced interim results from its ongoing MuGard Phase 4 clinical trial in oral mucositis.

18 Apr 2012

Caffeine increases eye's ability to produce tears

Researchers at the University of Tokyo's School of Medicine have shown for the first time that caffeine intake can significantly increase the eye's ability to produce tears, a finding that could improve treatment of dry eye syndrome. This common eye condition affects about four million people age 50 and older in the United States.

18 Apr 2012

New brain cancer vaccine with material from own tumors proves effective in clinical trial

A new brain cancer vaccine tailored to individual patients by using material from their own tumors has proven effective in a multicenter phase 2 clinical trial at extending their lives by several months or longer. The patients suffered from recurrent glioblastoma multiforme-which kills thousands of Americans every year.

18 Apr 2012

Promising anti-diabetic substance found in liquorice root

It provides the raw material for liquorice candy, calms the stomach and alleviates diseases of the airways: liquorice root. Chosen as the "Medicinal plant 2012", the root has been treasured in traditional healing since ancient times. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have now discovered that liquorice root also contains substances with an anti-diabetic effect.

18 Apr 2012

Accidental deaths among kids down but more needs to be done: CDC report

According to U.S. mortality data the overall death rate from unintentional injury among children and teens fell 29% from 2000 to 2009. What was concerning however, was that rates of death by poisoning in young adults - mostly from prescription drug overdose - and suffocation in infants rose. And unintentional injury still accounted for 37% of all deaths in the 19-and-under age group in 2009 and was the fifth leading killer of patients younger than 1, the report said. The CDC report was published in the April 16 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

17 Apr 2012

Drugs News and Research

First specific antidote for cocaine toxicity

State roundup: Mass. seeks to improve medical malpractice system; Health exchange legislation progresses in Ala.

GSK, Epizyme and Constellation to develop next generation of epigenetic drugs for cancer

Ecstasy and speed-using grade ten students more likely to develop depression

Study explains why some people develop kidney stones and others do not

BCCA, UBC scientists identify new breast cancer genes

Testosterone may help heart failure patients: Study

First Edition: April 18, 2012

USP convenes pharmaceutical supply chain integrity workshop

Levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel better than standard oral form to treat advanced Parkinson's disease

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus senses and reacts to host cell's impending death

Engineered particles tied to penetratin discover, deliver ligands for mitochondria, ribosomes

Addiction to opioids has higher risk of death than alcohol or other drugs

Bevacizumab added to chemotherapy for NSCLC does not improve survival in elderly patients

No added HIV risk with hormonal contraceptives

Access reports positive interim results from MuGard Phase 4 clinical trial in oral mucositis

Caffeine increases eye's ability to produce tears

New brain cancer vaccine with material from own tumors proves effective in clinical trial

Promising anti-diabetic substance found in liquorice root

Accidental deaths among kids down but more needs to be done: CDC report

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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