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Catalyst’s CPP-115 improves retinal safety profile than vigabatrin

Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. today announced positive results from a series of CPP-115 preclinical safety and efficacy evaluations. CPP-115 was found to have a significantly improved retinal safety profile compared to vigabatrin.

1 Nov 2010

New Specialist Library offers treatment for eating disorders

Eating Disorder Hope, a respected independent resource for individuals suffering from anorexia, bulimia, binge eating and other body image and eating disorders, has expanded its Eating Disorder Specialist Library to further help sufferers of anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder find treatment options.

30 Oct 2010

Marijuana legalization initiatives prompt NFIA to launch 'But What About the Children?' campaign

Whether or not Californians approve Proposition 19 on November 2, the proposition is the first of many to legalize marijuana for recreational use and turn it into an unregulated commercial enterprise.

30 Oct 2010

Physicians suggest tips to overcome acute pain

The truth is not all pain is created equal. Acute pain is where it all begins. Lasting for several months, acute pain is typically treated with rest, time and medication. For many, that is enough. But if the pain persists, it converts to chronic pain, and new methods must be explored.

29 Oct 2010

Long hours and nights on call lead to surgeon distress

Just as with everyone else perhaps, the more hours surgeons work, and the more nights they spend on call each week, the more likely they are to face burn-out, depression, dissatisfaction with their careers and serious work-home conflicts, according to a major new study led by Johns Hopkins and Mayo Clinic researchers.

29 Oct 2010

New version of Addiction Severity Index performs well in psychometric terms

The new version of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) gives health professionals the opportunity to design an integral and personalised plan of assistance for patients suffering disorders due to substance abuse.

28 Oct 2010

Immune system may play a role in cancer therapies: Study

The immune system may play a critical role in ensuring the success of certain types of cancer therapies, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The research showed treatments that disable cancer-promoting genes called oncogenes are much more successful in eradicating tumors in the presence of a signaling molecule secreted by kind of immune cell called a T helper cell.

28 Oct 2010

Kings Cross drug injecting center gains permanent status

After much debate the parliament’s upper house voted to maintain the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Kings Cross permanently this week on Wednesday. The votes stood 22 -15 for the centre to be given permanent status. This followed approval for a change from trial to permanent status by the lower house last week.

27 Oct 2010

Opiate substitution treatment reduces mortality risk by 85%

Giving people opiate substitution treatment to help with their drug addiction can lead to a 85% plus chance of reducing mortality, according to a new study published on bmj.com today.

27 Oct 2010

Reuters examines how harm reduction policies in Switzerland could serve as model for reducing spread of HIV/AIDS among IDUs

Switzerland's innovative policy of providing drug addicts with free methadone and clean needles has greatly reduced deaths while cutting crime rates and should serve as a global model, health experts said on Monday, Reuters reports in an article that examines the outcomes of drug policy reform in the country

27 Oct 2010

Contraband tobacco accounts for 43% of cigarettes consumed by Ontario students

A new study from The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) found that contraband tobacco accounts for 43% of all cigarettes consumed by Ontario high school daily smokers in grades 9 to 12.

26 Oct 2010

Smokers with anxiety disorders less likely to quit smoking

Researchers may have pinpointed a reason many smokers struggle to quit. According to new research published in the journal Addiction, smokers with a history of anxiety disorders are less likely to quit smoking. The study, conducted by the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI), offered free coaching and medications to smokers in Madison and Milwaukee.

26 Oct 2010

Positive results from Alkermes combination Phase 1 study of ALKS 33 and buprenorphine for cocaine addiction

Alkermes, Inc. today announced positive topline results from a phase 1 clinical study of an investigational combination of ALKS 33, one of Alkermes' proprietary candidates, and buprenorphine, an existing medication for the treatment of opioid addiction, for the treatment of cocaine addiction.

25 Oct 2010

New Canadian Cardiovascular Society guidelines support clinicians in practicing evidence-based medicine

Summaries of a number of new Canadian Cardiovascular Society guidelines and position statements offering the most up to date information to support clinicians in practicing evidence-based medicine were released at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2010 this week.

25 Oct 2010

Hepatitis C from anesthetist case assumes new proportions

According to Victoria’s chief health officer yesterday, another 1,100 people would be screened for hepatitis C that could have come from contact with an infected doctor at more than one clinic.

24 Oct 2010

Quest Diagnostics reports use of prescription opiates by American workers has increased by 40%

According to the American Council for Drug Education, more than 70 percent of substance abusers hold a job, which increases their risk of work related injury to them or others. While this statistic includes abuse of both legal and illegal drugs, Quest Diagnostics, a diagnostic testing company, reported the use of prescription opiates by American workers and job applicants has increased by 40% since 2005.

From Quest Diagnostics 22 Oct 2010

UTHealth renewed as 'Center of Excellence' by NIDA

By delivering an innovative, interdisciplinary approach to drug abuse and addiction research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) has been renewed as a "Center of Excellence" by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health.

22 Oct 2010

CIHR, RX&D - HRF to fund research projects on mental illness, palliative care

Six research projects on co-existing heath problems associated with mental illness and one project on palliative care among First Nations received over $9 million in funding announced today. This amount is provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Rx&D Health Research Foundation.

22 Oct 2010

Researchers suggest gene therapy may treat patients with major depression

In a report published in the Oct. 20 issue of Science Translational Medicine, researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center say animal and human data suggest gene therapy to the brain may be able to treat patients with major depression who do not respond to traditional drug treatment.

22 Oct 2010

PMAI offers new addiction treatment options for opioid dependence

Punyamurtula S. Kishore MD, MPH, FASAM, of Preventive Medicine Associates, Inc. (PMAI), the largest outpatient substance dependence provider in Massachusetts, announced today his 37 clinical locations will be offering new addiction treatment options through the use of VIVITROL (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension), which was approved on Tuesday, October 12, 2010 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prevention of relapse to opioid dependence.

21 Oct 2010