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Malawi government addressing drug, medical supply shortages in wake of aid withdrawals

As international donors "remain reluctant to release aid meant for the health sector" in Malawi "amid allegations of pilfering and corruption in the procurement of drugs," "patients seeking medical treatment at government-run medical facilities are unable to access medication such as antiretrovirals (ARVs), anti-malarial drugs and even painkillers," Inter Press Service reports, adding, "Health facilities are also experiencing a shortage of medical equipment such as gloves, and malaria and HIV/AIDS testing kits."

17 Nov 2011

CF Foundation, Genzyme announce new drug research agreement

Genzyme, a Sanofi company, and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Inc., the nonprofit affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, today announced a research agreement to support the discovery of new drugs to treat people with the most common mutation found in patients with CF, Delta F508.

17 Nov 2011

Potential breakthrough in treating late-stage ovarian cancer

A potential breakthrough in treating late-stage ovarian cancer has come from University of Guelph researchers who have discovered a peptide that shrinks advanced tumours and improves survival rates for this deadly but often undetected disease.

17 Nov 2011

Diallyl trisulfide may protect heart after attack

A component of garlic oil may help release protective compounds to the heart after heart attack, during cardiac surgery, or as a treatment for heart failure.

17 Nov 2011

Austerity measures in Europe may cause rise in drug-related HIV infections, report says

"Austerity measures brought in to tackle Europe's economic crisis may cause a rise in drug-related HIV infections as stretched health services struggle to cope, the E.U.'s narcotics agency said on Tuesday," Reuters reports.

17 Nov 2011

New 2-DG-ABT combination cancer therapy triggers apoptosis

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Kyushu University Medical School say a novel combination of a specific sugar molecule with a pair of cell-killing drugs prompts a wide variety of cancer cell types to kill themselves, a process called apoptosis or programmed cell death.

17 Nov 2011

People with prior stroke or diabetes benefit from thrombolytic therapy

People with a history of stroke or diabetes who were given clot-busting drugs to break up blood clots after stroke fared better than those who did not receive the drugs, according to a study published in the November 16, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 Nov 2011

Dipyrone may reduce brain damage after stroke

An older nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) called dipyrone may offer a new approach to reducing injury to brain tissue after a stroke, according to a study in the October issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

17 Nov 2011

Incyte receives FDA approval for Jakafi to treat intermediate or high-risk MF

Incyte Corporation today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval for Jakafi (ruxolitinib) for the treatment of patients with intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis (MF), including primary MF, post-polycythemia vera MF and post-essential thrombocythemia MF.

17 Nov 2011

Excessive vitamin D levels can lead to onset of AF

While previous studies have linked vitamin D deficiency to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, new research at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute shows that too much vitamin D can lead to the onset of a dangerous heart condition known as atrial fibrillation.

16 Nov 2011

Non-therapeutic antibiotic usage in food animals creates resistance genes, promotes antibiotic resistance

In a review study, researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine zero in on the controversial, non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in food animals and fish farming as a cause of antibiotic resistance.

16 Nov 2011

Boehringer Ingelheim bolsters drug discovery, development with $350M in capital investments

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has made more than $350 million worth of capital investments throughout its U.S. operations this year, in order to further bolster its drug discovery, development and manufacturing capabilities.

16 Nov 2011

Intelligent children more likely to abuse drugs as teens and adults: Study

A new study finds that children with high IQs are more likely to use marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines and other illicit drugs as teenagers and adults. This comes after an in-depth look at nearly 8,000 British men and women who were tracked for more than three decades.

16 Nov 2011

Cholesterol drugs clash head on

Major cholesterol lowering drugs are being pitched against each other. The cheaper ones are more likely to win say experts.

16 Nov 2011

Geron bows out of stem cell research

Geron Corp. is removing itself from the field it pioneered – stem cell research. Late Monday, the company said it would halt its study of a stem cell-based treatment for spinal cord injury, the first embryonic stem cell trial approved in the U.S.

16 Nov 2011

Streamlining clinical trials review process to speed up delivery of drugs to those in need

In this Atlantic opinion piece, Amanda Glassman, director of Global Health Policy at the Center for Global Development (CGD), reports on how lengthy, inefficient review processes for drug and vaccine candidates waiting in the pipeline for late stages of clinical development is keeping promising new medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic techniques from reaching millions in need.

16 Nov 2011

Aileron, Roche to expand Stapled Peptide drug collaboration

Aileron Therapeutics announced today that Roche will initiate a new program to expand its collaboration with Aileron to discover, develop and commercialize Stapled Peptide drugs.

16 Nov 2011

Study detects contrasting patterns of malaria drug resistance in humans, mosquitoes

A study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute and their Zambian colleagues detected contrasting patterns of drug resistance in malaria-causing parasites taken from both humans and mosquitoes in rural Zambia.

16 Nov 2011

First clinical trial of dapivirine-maraviroc ring to treat HIV in women

In the first clinical trial of a vaginal ring combining two antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, researchers from the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) are collaborating with the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) to evaluate whether the ring is safe for use in women.

16 Nov 2011

NIAID's ACTG and TB Alliance partner to complete moxifloxacin Phase III trial

The TB Alliance announces the launch of a collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' (NIAID) AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) to conduct and help complete a Phase III clinical trial testing potentially faster-acting tuberculosis (TB) treatments.

16 Nov 2011