Drugs News and Research

RSS

Research offers hope to thousands of UK transplant patients

New research could have an "incredible" impact on the numbers of people being saved through the organ donor system, experts claim today. As demand for organ transplants continues to outstrip supply, a team of scientists from the University of Sunderland are hopeful they may have found a way to expand the donor pool.

12 Jul 2010

Discovery of antibodies that kill more than 90% of HIV viruses gives new hope for vaccine

"An effective vaccine against the AIDS virus may have moved one step closer to reality, researchers said Thursday," the Los Angeles Times reports. "Federal researchers have identified a pair of naturally occurring antibodies that are able to kill more than 90% of all strains of the AIDS virus, a finding they say could lead to the development of new treatments for HIV infections and to the production of the first successful vaccine against the virus" (Maugh, 7/9).

12 Jul 2010

Researchers demonstrate that MSNs can effectively suppress tumors in mice

The application of nanotechnology in the field of drug delivery has attracted much attention in recent years. In cancer research, nanotechnology holds great promise for the development of targeted, localized delivery of anticancer drugs, in which only cancer cells are affected.

12 Jul 2010

Science special section examines HIV/AIDS in Russia, Ukraine

In a special section in advance of the International AIDS Conference, Science examines the "state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia and Ukraine, which account for more than 90% of HIV infections in Eastern Europe."

12 Jul 2010

Sirtuin1 protein promotes memory, brain flexibility: MIT researchers

The same molecular mechanism that increases life span through calorie restriction may help boost memory and brainpower, researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory report in the July 11 issue of Nature.

12 Jul 2010

Survival rates for people diagnosed with once-deadly cancer increase: Cancer Research UK

People diagnosed with breast, bowel and ovarian cancers and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are today twice as likely to survive for at least 10 years as those diagnosed in the early 1970s according to new figures1 released by Cancer Research UK.

12 Jul 2010

Medicaid: Generic drugs save money, dental care not always accessible

"When blockbuster drugs lose their patent protection, state Medicaid programs can save millions of dollars by switching patients to cheaper, generic versions of the medications." But, while some states have policies to shift people quickly to generics, others require permission from patients. "A new study tracking these policies concludes that some states, including Massachusetts, are quicker than others to bring down the costs of prescription drugs once alternatives are available. The difference has implications for expanding Medicaid coverage to more people after the national health care overhaul takes effect" (Cooney, 7/8).

12 Jul 2010

New food safety requirements for large-scale egg producers: FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that as many as 79,000 illnesses and 30 deaths due to consumption of eggs contaminated with the bacterium Salmonella Enteritidis may be avoided each year with new food safety requirements for large-scale egg producers.

9 Jul 2010

Research roundup: Improving hospital processes can improve care; E-mailing the doctor; Medicaid savings with generic drugs

Public Reporting On Hospital Process Improvements Is Linked To Better Patient Outcomes - This study analyzed "data from 3,476 acute care, nonfederal U.S. hospitals that publicly reported quality information on the CMS Hospital Compare Web site from 2004 through 2006" and "evaluated the hospitals' performance every six months during the study period, using the ten original measures from Hospital Compare."

9 Jul 2010

UMMC to partner with Mayo Clinic to discover new therapies, train new medical scientists

The University of Mississippi Medical Center will partner with the renowned Mayo Clinic on a series of initiatives intended to convert laboratory discoveries into new therapies and train a new generation of medical scientists.

9 Jul 2010

HHS to give states $25 million for HIV drugs; Researchers identify antibodies that may help in AIDS vaccine research

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday "that she would provide $25 million more to help states buy life-saving medications for people with H.I.V. or AIDS. Advocates for patients said the money was not nearly enough to eliminate waiting lists, which have surged to record levels as people have lost health insurance, along with their jobs, and states have cut their budgets. Ms. Sebelius said she was 'reallocating and transferring $25 million in existing resources' to provide medicines for people on waiting lists.

9 Jul 2010

Merck to lay off 15 percent of workers, close plants, research facilities

Drugmaker Merck announced it is closing eight research centers and eight manufacturing plants and laying off 15,000 people from its worldwide operations during the next two years because of its merger with Schering-Plough. "The restructuring is expected to save $2.7 billion to $3.1 billion in 2012, the company said. Meanwhile, the pretax cost of the initial phase of the cost-cutting program is expected to range from $3.5 billion to $4.3 billion, much of it in severance packages for employees."

9 Jul 2010

Second round of checks to close Medicare doughnut hole sent out

"The Obama administration is sending $250 checks to more than 300,000 older Americans who paid higher drug costs in the Medicare coverage gap known as the 'doughnut hole,' officials announced Thursday. The one-time, tax-free checks are the first tangible benefit of the health care package that became law this year."

9 Jul 2010

MJFF awards $1.1M to six different projects for validating potential therapeutic targets for PD

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research today announced $1.1 million in total funding to six different projects aimed at validating potential therapeutic targets for Parkinson's disease.

9 Jul 2010

URI engineers develop new controlled drug delivery system using nanoparticles embedded in liposome

A new system for the controlled delivery of pharmaceutical drugs has been developed by a team of University of Rhode Island chemical engineers using nanoparticles embedded in a liposome that can be triggered by non-invasive electromagnetic fields.

9 Jul 2010

Phase II trial results of TB-402 presented at International Congress on Thrombosis

BioInvent International AB and ThromboGenics NV announce that the positive results from a Phase II trial of TB-402 (Anti-Factor VIII antibody) were presented at the 21st International Congress on Thrombosis in Milan, Italy yesterday. TB-402 is a novel, long acting anticoagulant that is being developed as a single injection for the prevention of venous thromboembolism following orthopaedic surgery.

9 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 9, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include news about some little-known health reform provisions and how the Obama administration is using technology to help consumers navigate changes resulting from the health overhaul.

9 Jul 2010

Promising study may lead to potential new therapeutics for women facing triple-negative breast cancer

Using a small molecule decoy, investigators funded by the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation have managed to block protein interactions and induce epigenetic reprogramming in human and mouse breast cancer cells, essentially changing the gene expression of breast cancer cells to behave in a more normal manner.

9 Jul 2010

Patients with advanced Parkinson's disease prefer dopamine agonists, shows review

Of the three main types of oral drugs commonly added to levodopa therapy for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease, one might be the most effective, according to a new review.

9 Jul 2010

UC San Diego professor to establish new Peru/Brazil ICEMR to help control malaria

Tropical disease specialist Joseph Vinetz, MD, of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine will lead an ambitious multi-national effort to help control and eventually conquer malaria, establishing a new Peruvian/Brazilian International Center of Excellence in Malaria Research Center with a seven-year, $9.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

9 Jul 2010

Drugs News and Research

Research offers hope to thousands of UK transplant patients

Discovery of antibodies that kill more than 90% of HIV viruses gives new hope for vaccine

Researchers demonstrate that MSNs can effectively suppress tumors in mice

Science special section examines HIV/AIDS in Russia, Ukraine

Sirtuin1 protein promotes memory, brain flexibility: MIT researchers

Survival rates for people diagnosed with once-deadly cancer increase: Cancer Research UK

Medicaid: Generic drugs save money, dental care not always accessible

New food safety requirements for large-scale egg producers: FDA

Research roundup: Improving hospital processes can improve care; E-mailing the doctor; Medicaid savings with generic drugs

UMMC to partner with Mayo Clinic to discover new therapies, train new medical scientists

HHS to give states $25 million for HIV drugs; Researchers identify antibodies that may help in AIDS vaccine research

Merck to lay off 15 percent of workers, close plants, research facilities

Second round of checks to close Medicare doughnut hole sent out

MJFF awards $1.1M to six different projects for validating potential therapeutic targets for PD

URI engineers develop new controlled drug delivery system using nanoparticles embedded in liposome

Phase II trial results of TB-402 presented at International Congress on Thrombosis

First Edition: July 9, 2010

Promising study may lead to potential new therapeutics for women facing triple-negative breast cancer

Patients with advanced Parkinson's disease prefer dopamine agonists, shows review

UC San Diego professor to establish new Peru/Brazil ICEMR to help control malaria

Industry Focus eBook - Forensics & toxicology (2nd edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Latest News