Drugs News and Research

RSS

Research on fruit flies suggest starvation allows sleep deprivation

As anyone who has ever struggled to keep his or her eyes open after a big meal knows, eating can induce sleepiness. New research in fruit flies suggests that, conversely, being hungry may provide a way to stay awake without feeling groggy or mentally challenged.

2 Sep 2010

Medicare smoking prevention program could lower costs

A Medicare program that has agreed to pay for counseling for seniors who smoke but are not yet sick could help the program, and America's health system, lower costs.

2 Sep 2010

Study on kidneys may help to treat high blood pressure

A study of the body system that deals with Americans' love affair with salt may yield more insight into why so many end up hypertensive and how to better treat them.

2 Sep 2010

Research on adult mammary stem cells may help to cure breast cancer

For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have identified and isolated adult mammary stem cells in mice. Long-term implications of this research may include the use of such cells to regenerate breast tissue, provide a better understanding of the role of adult stem cells in breast cancer development, and develop potential new targets for anti-cancer drugs.

2 Sep 2010

FDA launches performance management system in support of open government initiative

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today launched an innovative performance management system designed to advance the President's commitment to transparency, public participation, and collaboration in the work of government.

2 Sep 2010

ESC announces new Clinical Practice Guidelines on Atrial Fibrillation

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) today announces the release of new Clinical Practice Guidelines covering Atrial Fibrillation. These are the first guidelines to be prepared solely by the ESC on this very important topic.

2 Sep 2010

Pharmacor 2010 findings predict COPD drug market rise to $13 billion in 2019

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues finds that, through 2019, an expanding aging population and increases in diagnosis and drug treatment will fuel steady 4.6 percent annual growth in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) drug market.

2 Sep 2010

Also in Global Health News: China's first HIV discrimination case; Congo mass rape; S. Sudan flooding; Kenya's population growth; Family planning in the Philippines

"A municipal court in central China has accepted the country's first lawsuit alleging work discrimination because of HIV status, state media reported Tuesday," the Associated Press reports (8/31). "The lawsuit alleges city officials denied the plaintiff, a recent college graduate, a teaching job after a medical screening revealed he had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS," Agence-France-Presse reports (8/31).

2 Sep 2010

World becoming numb to HIV/AIDS: UNAIDS executive director

HIV infection is on the rise but there is potential to control the upsurge of infections with effective measures only if there are adequate funds. According to UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe the world has become numb to the fact that 7,400 people are being infected with AIDS every day and funds to combat it are not pouring in as they should. Since 2001, the number of newly infected people has fallen by 17 per cent a year - but there are still 2.7 million new cases each year.

1 Sep 2010

Doctor depression on the rise: Review

According to a review of Australian and international research released by Beyondblue this week, doctors use more prescription drugs and have a higher rate of suicide than the general population. General Practitioner Naomi Harris says doctors are less inclined to seek help for their own mental illness, resulting in some disturbing trends and she is urging doctors to come out for help being a member of an advisory committee formed to deal with the problem.

1 Sep 2010

Event Pulse report reveals impact of new therapies on MS drug market

The study titled Event Pulse Preview: Multiple Sclerosis shows that 84% of neurologists expect to prescribe Gilenia for some MS patients if approved, but prescribing will likely be limited to second- or third-line therapy until concerns about safety and monitoring requirements are resolved.

1 Sep 2010

Report finds some donated malaria drugs are being stolen, resold In Africa

Some of the malaria drugs given to Africa by international donors are "being stolen and resold on commercial markets," according to a study to be released Thursday in the journal Research and Reports in Tropical Medicine, the Associated Press reports.

1 Sep 2010

Parkinson’s disease discoveries

Genes that affect the immune system and link it to Parkinson’s disease have been uncovered. This paves the way for new drug development in Parkinson’s disease – a serious, degenerative disease of the nerves that leads to tremors and muscle stiffness and eventually complete loss of movements. There is currently no cure for PD.

31 Aug 2010

pSivida announces FDA Priority Review status for Iluvien NDA

pSivida Corp., a leader in the development of sustained release back of the eye drug delivery systems for difficult-to-treat conditions, today announced that its licensee, Alimera Sciences has been notified that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Priority Review status for the New Drug Application (NDA) filed for Iluvien for the treatment diabetic macular edema (DME).

31 Aug 2010

Medicago included in President's report that examines drugs to prevent spread of infectious diseases

Medicago Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and affordable vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles, today announced that it was included in a report of President Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology entitled "Report to the President on Reengineering the Influenza Vaccine Production Enterprise to Meet the Challenges of Pandemic Influenza", which was released earlier this month. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and other public health officials held a briefing to discuss this report and the $2 billion plan to accelerate the development of drugs and vaccines to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

31 Aug 2010

ESC issues revised practice guidelines for management of AF

The European Society of Cardiology today issued revised practice guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation, including guidance on the role of a novel oral treatment, dabigatran etexilate, for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation.

31 Aug 2010

Study on conflict between capacity to pay and need for health care

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) in all its forms is the biggest cause of death across Europe. Although there is little doubt that better focus on prevention can lessen its impact, we are left with a series of fundamental questions to what extent can the impact be reduced, and at what cost. And are the health benefits of prevention worth the investment. The EUROASPIRE III health economics study aims to find out.

31 Aug 2010

Naurex announces GLYX-13 molecule recognized in “Top 10 to Watch" list for depression treatment

Naurex Inc., a clinical stage company developing innovative treatments for depression and other CNS disorders, today reported that its clinical stage candidate for the treatment of depression, GLYX-13, and its second-generation NRX-1050 series have been selected for inclusion on Windhover's list of the "Top 10 Most Interesting Neuroscience Projects to Watch."

31 Aug 2010

Standard dose of UFH optimal for treatment of PCI patients on fondaparinux: Study

A landmark international study, coordinated by McMaster University, has found that lower doses of a blood thinner called unfractionated heparin (UFH) during angioplasty did not reduce bleeding or vascular complications compared to standard dose UFH in patients initially treated with a blood thinner, fondaparinux.

31 Aug 2010

NewYork-Presbyterian /Columbia sets up new Myelodysplastic Syndromes Center

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center has established a new center devoted to research and treatment of pre-leukemia blood disorders. Known as the Myelodysplastic Syndromes Center, it is one of the largest programs of its kind in the nation.

31 Aug 2010