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FDA-approved bioidentical estrogens help women manage common symptoms of menopause

Women looking for the best method to manage common symptoms of menopause, like hot flashes and night sweats, may not have access to credible information, especially when it comes to understanding their estrogen therapy options. In fact, there are an array of celebrities and authors who are simply not qualified to give medical advice about managing menopause, yet they dominate the internet and media space simply because of their popularity.

8 Jul 2010

New York Times examines India's growing influence on global drug industry

"India's drug industry — on track to grow about 13 percent this year, to just over $24 billion — was once notorious for making cheap knockoffs of Western medicines and selling them in developing countries. But India, seasoned in the basics of medicine making, is now starting to take on a more mainstream role in the global drug industry, as a result of recent strengthening of patent law here and cost pressures on name-brand drug makers in the West," the New York Times writes.

8 Jul 2010

Scientists use genetically reprogrammed herpes virus to shrink distant sarcomas

Scientists have used a genetically reprogrammed herpes virus and an anti-vascular drug to shrink spreading distant sarcomas designed to model metastatic disease in mice - still an elusive goal when treating humans with cancer, according to a study in the July 8 Gene Therapy.

8 Jul 2010

Drug initiative granted rights to develop TB compounds for potential treatment of NTDs

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative now has the rights to "develop a class of potential anti-[tuberculosis] compounds" for the treatment of Chagas disease, African sleeping sickness and leishmaniasis, Reuters reports (Nebehay, 7/7).

8 Jul 2010

Olaparib shows promising results against inherited forms of breast and ovarian cancer

Olaparib, a new type of experimental drug called a PARP inhibitor, has shown promising results against inherited forms of breast and ovarian cancer in two small clinical trials led by scientists at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit at King's College London.

8 Jul 2010

Scientists identify new strategy for treating movement disorders

Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease and Stanford University have shown how key circuits in the brain control movement. The research, published in the journal Nature not only establishes the function of these circuits, but offers promise for treating movement related disorders, such as Parkinson's disease.

8 Jul 2010

Patients cope with navigating the health care system

Americans who lose employer coverage between now and 2014, when much of the health overhaul kicks in, "may find buying insurance on their own unaffordable." But for those without coverage and who can't afford to buy it "there are ways to cope."

8 Jul 2010

Crooks defraud health care system with fake insurance plans and phony Medicare, Medicaid claims

"Massive unemployment and a changing health care system is creating a breeding ground for con artists." Fake health insurance is one of the "fastest growing scams." Advertisements for such products are "stapled to neighborhood telephone polls, flyers left on your car or maybe you'll get a phone call from someone who's selling health insurance at extremely low rates, as low as $29.99 a month in some cases, says Jim Quiggle of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. The sad truth is that often these bogus policies pay little or nothing on claims, leaving consumers with exorbitant medical bills" (Haley, 7/6).

8 Jul 2010

ISCO and Sankara Nethralaya collaborate to develop "CytoCor" stem cell-derived corneal tissue

International Stem Cell Corporation and Sankara Nethralaya, announced today commencement of a collaboration to develop ISCO's "CytoCor™" stem cell-derived corneal tissue. The goal is to use CytoCor to treat corneal blindness and vision impairment. "This is one more step in ISCO's stated plan of building its portfolio of therapeutic agents through strategic alliances throughout the world," said Chairman, Ken Aldrich.

7 Jul 2010

Use of NSAIDs do not increase risk of heart attack in elderly patients: Study

Commonly used painkillers like ibuprofen do not increase the risk of heart attack in the elderly population, according to a new study. Researchers found that the use of these drugs - also called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - was also associated with a lower risk of death although they are not sure why.

7 Jul 2010

PolyMedix receives NIH grant to develop defensin-mimetic antimicrobial compounds for malaria

PolyMedix, Inc., an emerging biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutic drugs to treat acute cardiovascular disorders and infectious diseases, has received a grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to support the development of defensin-mimetic antimicrobial compounds for the treatment of malaria.

7 Jul 2010

Map of herpes virus "cell-entry machinery" provides new target for antiviral drugs

The mechanism by which a herpes virus invades cells has remained a mystery to scientists seeking to thwart this family of viruses. New research funded by the National Institutes of Health and published online in advance of print in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology reveals the unusual structure of the protein complex that allows a herpes virus to invade cells. This detailed map of a key piece of the herpes virus "cell-entry machinery" gives scientists a new target for antiviral drugs.

7 Jul 2010

Drug use debilitates sexual response: Study

Sharing a bottle of red wine may seem like the best recipe for a romantic interlude. However, the evening may not turn out as planned according to a Concordia University study, which evaluated the effect of a wide range of drugs, including alcohol, on sexual behaviour. The findings, published in the journal Hormones and Behavior, definitively show that despite our preconceived notions, use of many recreational drugs can cause a loss in that lovin' feeling.

7 Jul 2010

Researchers identify key players in biochemical pathway that regulates blood pressure

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified key players in a little-known biochemical pathway that appears to regulate blood pressure. The findings, reported in the early online version of Cardiovascular Research, have evolved from studies conducted by Jeffrey S. Isenberg, M.D., Eileen M. Bauer, Ph.D., and their colleagues at Pitt's Vascular Medicine Institute.

7 Jul 2010

Study finds decline in homicide, suicide rates among mentally ill people

People with mental health problems are committing fewer homicides while the number of suicides by mental health patients has also fallen, latest figures reveal; a previous rise in homicides by mentally ill people may have been the result of drug misuse, says the report.

7 Jul 2010

European Commission approves new indication for ORENCIA in combination with MTX for RA

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company has today announced that on 1 July 2010 the European Commission approved a new indication for ORENCIA® (abatacept), in combination with methotrexate (MTX), for the treatment of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adult patients who have responded inadequately to previous therapy with one or more disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) including MTX or a TNF-alpha inhibitor.

7 Jul 2010

New research shows cellular changes in fat tissue lead to type 2 diabetes

Cellular changes in fat tissue-not the immune system-lead to the "hyperinflammation" characteristic of obesity-related glucose intolerance and type 2 diabetes, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati.

7 Jul 2010

Polyethylene glycol "works a bit better" than lactulose for chronic constipation: Study

When ordinary over-the-counter laxatives fail to work, doctors turn to other medications to treat people with constipation. Now, a new review of existing research finds that one common drug treatment is better than another is at helping patients who are desperate to get things moving.

7 Jul 2010

Perseid Therapeutics achieves second milestone for CTLA4-Ig therapeutics

Maxygen, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of improved protein drugs, today announced that its majority-owned subsidiary, Perseid Therapeutics LLC, achieved a second preclinical milestone under its collaboration with Astellas Pharma Inc. to co-develop and commercialize next-generation CTLA4-Ig therapeutics.

7 Jul 2010

MicroRNAs accurately identify four histological types of renal tumors: Study

Rosetta Genomics, Ltd., a leading developer and provider of microRNA-based molecular diagnostics, announces that a peer-reviewed article entitled "Accurate Molecular Classification of Renal Tumors Using MicroRNA Expression" has been published in the online version of The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

7 Jul 2010

Drugs News and Research

FDA-approved bioidentical estrogens help women manage common symptoms of menopause

New York Times examines India's growing influence on global drug industry

Scientists use genetically reprogrammed herpes virus to shrink distant sarcomas

Drug initiative granted rights to develop TB compounds for potential treatment of NTDs

Olaparib shows promising results against inherited forms of breast and ovarian cancer

Scientists identify new strategy for treating movement disorders

Patients cope with navigating the health care system

Crooks defraud health care system with fake insurance plans and phony Medicare, Medicaid claims

ISCO and Sankara Nethralaya collaborate to develop "CytoCor" stem cell-derived corneal tissue

Use of NSAIDs do not increase risk of heart attack in elderly patients: Study

PolyMedix receives NIH grant to develop defensin-mimetic antimicrobial compounds for malaria

Map of herpes virus "cell-entry machinery" provides new target for antiviral drugs

Drug use debilitates sexual response: Study

Researchers identify key players in biochemical pathway that regulates blood pressure

Study finds decline in homicide, suicide rates among mentally ill people

European Commission approves new indication for ORENCIA in combination with MTX for RA

New research shows cellular changes in fat tissue lead to type 2 diabetes

Polyethylene glycol "works a bit better" than lactulose for chronic constipation: Study

Perseid Therapeutics achieves second milestone for CTLA4-Ig therapeutics

MicroRNAs accurately identify four histological types of renal tumors: Study

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