Therapy News and Research

RSS

Gene study sheds new light on lung cancer

A multi-institution team, funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today reported results of the largest effort to date to chart the genetic changes involved in the most common form of lung cancer, lung adenocarcinoma. The findings should help pave the way for more individualized approaches for detecting and treating the nation's leading cause of cancer deaths.

22 Oct 2008

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals reports on phase II trial of Bavituximab plus Docetaxel in advanced breast cancer

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that updated preliminary data from the first stage of its Phase II trial evaluating bavituximab in combination with docetaxel showed that 10 of 14 (71%) evaluable breast cancer patients achieved an objective tumor response according to RECIST criteria.

22 Oct 2008

Aires Pharmaceuticals signs license agreement with NIH

Aires Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced the signing of an exclusive license agreement with the U.S. National Institutes of Health for the patented use of a nitric oxide prodrug to treat cardiopulmonary conditions.

22 Oct 2008

Researchers identify novel type of antibody that potently inhibits HIV infection

A small antibody fragment that is highly effective in neutralizing the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by preventing the virus from entering cells has been identified by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

21 Oct 2008

Laser treatment works well on sun-damaged skin

Researchers in the United States have found that sun-damaged skin responds well to laser treatment - which is good news for people with skin badly damaged by exposure to the sun.

21 Oct 2008

FDA grants orphan drug status to new 'Trojan Horse' like Ewing's Sarcoma drug

The Cure Our Children Foundation, a nonprofit charitable foundation dedicated to children, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Orphan Drug Designation of the foundation's unique drug product for children with Ewing's Sarcoma cancer. The efforts to develop this drug were made possible by the generous volunteers and researchers in private industry and at two universities.

20 Oct 2008

Sun-damaged skin responds well to laser treatment

Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System Department of Dermatology have found scientific evidence that the appearance of sun-damaged skin may be improved by treatment with a topical product that increases the skin's sensitivity to light, followed by laser therapy.

20 Oct 2008

FDA approves new labeling for psoriasis drug Raptiva

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced labeling changes, including a Boxed Warning, to highlight the risks of life-threatening infections, including progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), with the use of Raptiva (efalizumab). The labeling changes are based on the FDA's post-market surveillance.

19 Oct 2008

Genes that control cell death may play role in age-related hearing loss

Several genes that play a role in how our body's cells normally auto-destruct may play a role in age-related hearing loss, according to research published online in the journal Apoptosis - a journal devoted to the topic of cell suicide, or programmed cell death.

19 Oct 2008

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor may predict schizophrenia relapse

A factor that helps optimize brain formation and function may also provide clues about whether patients suffering with schizophrenia are headed toward relapse, researchers say.

16 Oct 2008

Biothera initiates second phase of metastatic colorectal cancer trial

Biothera has announced today it began dosing patients in the second arm of its metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) trial in August.

16 Oct 2008

New therapy for heart failure

During heart failure the body reacts to the production of the hormone aldosterone. Too much aldosterone can stiffen and damage the muscles of the heart.

15 Oct 2008

Women need to be aware of changes, breast expert says

Every day, women face a barrage of headlines about breast cancer. What should they do with all of that information?

15 Oct 2008

Prolonging the withdrawal of life support in the ICU affects family satisfaction with care

Clinicians in the intensive care unit (ICU) often care for patients who are on several life support measures at once. When such a patient is dying and the decision is reached to withdraw life support, these clinicians may make an imperfect compromise in seeking to balance the complex needs of the patient and the patient's family - they may remove the life support measures one at a time over a period of days, rather than withdrawing all at once.

15 Oct 2008

Addex Parkinson's product progressing in early clinical trials

Addex Pharmaceuticals has announced that it has completed the first part of a two-part Phase I clinical trial to evaluate the newly developed modified release formulation of ADX48621. ADX48621 is scheduled to start a Phase IIa proof of concept study for the treatment of levodopa associated dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease during the first half of 2009.

15 Oct 2008

Qld uni student diagnosed with tuberculosis

A student at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane has been diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) and as a result 160 staff and students at the University are being screened for the disease.

14 Oct 2008

Shark antibodies show potential as lifesaver from cancer

Australian scientists have discovered a potentially potent weapon in the fight against cancer in antibodies taken from shark blood.

14 Oct 2008

Antiretroviral drug efavirenz associated with better outcomes in HIV-infected adults

A study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that HIV-infected patients taking the antiretroviral drug efavirenz were more likely to adhere to treatment and less likely to experience virologic failure and death compared to patients taking nevirapine.

14 Oct 2008

More effective treatment found for convergence insufficiency, a childhood vision disorder

Scientists have found a more effective treatment for a common childhood eye muscle coordination problem called convergence insufficiency (CI). For words on a page to appear in focus a child's eyes must turn inward, or converge. In CI, the eyes do not converge easily, and as a result, additional muscular effort must be used to make the eyes turn in.

14 Oct 2008

Steroids aid recovery from pneumonia, UT Southwestern researchers say

Adding corticosteroids to traditional antimicrobial therapy might help people with pneumonia recover more quickly than with antibiotics alone, UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists have found.

14 Oct 2008