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ACS honors MIT professor with Priestley Medal for controlled-release drug discovery

Robert S. Langer, Sc.D., the David H. Koch Institute Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been named winner of the 2012 Priestley Medal by the American Chemical Society.

18 Aug 2011

Scientists turn drug-disease match makers

In a new medical breakthrough American researchers have devised a drug-disease matchmaking program that mines databases for potentially useful new treatment combinations and have actually turned up two so far, said a study on Wednesday.

18 Aug 2011

FDA approves Zelboraf (vemurafenib) for advanced skin cancer

A new drug was approved for advanced skin cancer this Wednesday by U.S. regulators, offering the first new treatment for melanoma in 13 years.

18 Aug 2011

Study looks at intraoperative awareness

In some cases a patient might lie on the operating table conscious and aware of the surgeon's knife despite general anesthesia and this is worrisome say experts. One recent innovation is the so-called bispectral index, a monitoring system which measures electrical brain activity to attempt to detect awareness.

18 Aug 2011

EMA accepts Pfizer's regulatory submissions of two investigational cancer drugs for review

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted Pfizer's regulatory submissions for review of two investigational compounds - crizotinib, an oral first-in-class anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with previously treated ALK-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); and bosutinib for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase.

18 Aug 2011

Ultrasound can predict high risk of stroke in patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis

A new study shows that a simple ultrasound test may help to identify people at high risk of stroke who have a condition called asymptomatic carotid stenosis, a narrowing of the carotid artery found in the neck, in which few or no symptoms are present.

18 Aug 2011

New research: Sniffer dogs can reliably identify lung cancer

Sniffer dogs could be used for the early detection of lung cancer, according to new research published in the European Respiratory Journal.

18 Aug 2011

Roundup: Rx discounts for Medicaid programs are increasing; deadline extended for Mich. Medigap verifications

Governors have complained repeatedly in recent months that spiraling Medicaid costs are crushing their budgets. But there's good news on at least one line item in the $370 billion program — prescription drug discounts are getting more generous. According to a new report from the Inspector General of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, discounts under the federal-state Medicaid program have been growing since 2006, adding up to a 45 percent rebate for most brand name drugs by 2009.

18 Aug 2011

New gout drug may help severely affected: Study

A new drug for gout could help very sick gout patients who don't get better with usual treatment, according to a new study. The research was designed and funded by the pharmaceutical company Savient, which markets the drug, called Krystexxa (pegloticase).

17 Aug 2011

Addiction – a brain disorder say experts

According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, addiction is a chronic brain disorder like any other chronic brain disease such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder. Neurological abnormalities like disruptions in neurotransmission and the reward system drive addiction, the group said in a statement.

17 Aug 2011

Zelboraf receives FDA approval for treatment of metastatic melanoma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Zelboraf (vemurafenib), a drug to treat patients with late-stage (metastatic) or unresectable (cannot be removed by surgery) melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer.

17 Aug 2011

FDA, USP co-sponsors OTC drug products workshop

Updated public standards incorporating new tests for impurities as well as more modern technologies to help ensure the quality of over-the-counter (OTC) ingredients and products will be key areas of focus for a September 8-9, 2011, workshop co-sponsored by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention.

17 Aug 2011

Clinical trial to assess 6MP drug in women with advanced breast or ovarian cancer

A CANCER RESEARCH UK-funded trial of a new drug for patients with advanced breast or ovarian cancer due to inherited gene faults has been launched at the Oxford Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) at the University of Oxford.

17 Aug 2011

Vanderbilt's Handle with Care initiative aims to reduce violence in emergency department

With violence toward health care workers from patients and visitors on the rise inside emergency departments, personnel with Vanderbilt's Adult Emergency Department are learning a new set of skills to keep them - and those they care for - safe. A training program called Handle with Care is the latest initiative in Vanderbilt's ongoing effort to reduce violence in the emergency department and protect staff, patients and guests.

17 Aug 2011

Study reveals structure of ribosomal assembly intermediate

As part of a joint research effort with the University of Michigan, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have for the first time defined the structure of one of the cell's most basic engines, which is required for cell growth, as it assembles from its components.

17 Aug 2011

When it comes to drug prices, Medicare shelling out more than Medicaid

Medicaid gets much deeper discounts on many prescription drugs than Medicare, in part because Medicaid discounts are set by law whereas Medicare prices are negotiated by private insurers and drug companies, federal investigators said Monday in a new report.

17 Aug 2011

Clinical Trials Partnership Middle East Summit to take place in Dubai

Global pharmaceutical companies are currently seeking emerging markets to conduct clinical trials due to the increase in drug development costs and the demand to advance drugs faster.

From IQPC Ltd 17 Aug 2011

New tool can identify patients at high risk of venous thromboembolism

A new risk prediction tool can identify patients at high risk of serious blood clots (known as venous thromboembolism) who might need preventative treatment, says a study published on bmj.com today.

17 Aug 2011

Pegloticase can improve clinical outcomes of patients with chronic gout

Injections of pegloticase, a modified porcine enzyme, can produce significant and sustained clinical improvements in 2 out of 5 patients with chronic gout that is resistant to conventional therapies, researchers report in the August 17, 2011, issue of JAMA.

17 Aug 2011

JAK protein triggers contractions in tumours and allows cancer cells to spread

Cancer Research UK-funded scientists have discovered that a protein called JAK triggers contractions in tumours which allows cancer cells to squeeze though tiny spaces and spread, in research published in Cancer Cell today.

17 Aug 2011