Drugs News and Research

RSS

Breast cancer drug Herceptin a 'stunner'

According to the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) the first trials of the breast cancer drug, Herceptin, tested on women with early stage disease are "simply stunning".

20 Oct 2005

Zambia to try 'herbal remedy' as a treatment for HIV/AIDS

The United Nations paints a grim picture of the health situation in Zambia. One in every six adults in Zambia is living with HIV, life expectancy at birth is below 40 years and 630,000 children in Zambia are AIDS orphans.

20 Oct 2005

Good news for treating children with amblyopia

New research findings led by Thomas Krahe and Ary S. Ramoa of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine offer two pieces of good news for treating children with amblyopia.

19 Oct 2005

Blocking macrophage migration inhibitory factor molecule might prevent the progression of multiple sclerosis

A new study suggests that a substance made by immune cells plays a key role in the progression of a disease in animals that closely mimics multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings further suggest that blocking the molecule, known as macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) might prevent the progression of the disease.

19 Oct 2005

Research reveals possible mechanisms for the treatment of cocaine addiction

Researchers are now understanding in greater detail the molecular machinery underlying the short-term brain changes that produce the high of cocaine, as well as the longer-term changes behind addiction. Their findings offer hope for targeted drugs that can short-circuit that addiction machinery.

19 Oct 2005

Herceptin results "quite remarkable"

The targeted drug trastuzumab, or Herceptin, previously shown to prolong survival in advanced breast cancer, dramatically reduced the chances of recurrence in patients with early-stage disease when given for one year following standard chemotherapy.

19 Oct 2005

Survival rate of HIV-infected patients in India has risen in response to a 20-fold drop in the price of antiretroviral therapy

Many of the more than 5 million HIV-infected people living in India have been unable to obtain treatment due to the high cost. With the introduction of generic ART into India in 2000, the price of HIV drugs fell from $778 per month to $100 per month, and eventually declined even further to just $33 per month in 2003.

19 Oct 2005

New drug safety officer for FDA will have more clout

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a new director to its Office of Drug Safety.

19 Oct 2005

As Europe panics, global co-operation urged in the fight against birdflu

As the panic about bird flu spreads across Europe, EU foreign ministers are urging global cooperation in efforts to tackle the threat of the deadly virus.

19 Oct 2005

Majority of women with breast cancer do not need chemotherapy

Researchers are now saying that chemotherapy with drugs called aromatase inhibitors is unnecessary after lumpectomy, radiation and 5 years of Tamoxifen, for the vast majority of women with breast cancer.

19 Oct 2005

When it comes to keeping clean, old fashioned soap and water may be best

Over the last decade the popularity of soaps and cleaning products claiming to have anti-bacterial properties has mushroomed as consumers are persuaded, by clever marketing, that they offer a defense against household illnesses.

19 Oct 2005

Court victory means breast cancer drug Herceptin will be available to more women

The court victory of British woman Barbara Clark to be treated with the breast cancer drug Herceptin, means that now more than 100 breast cancer patients in Cornwall and Devon could soon be prescribed the drug.

19 Oct 2005

Putting things in prespective - help the world's children to fight bird flu

Amid the escalating panic in Europe centered around attempts to halt the spread among the bird population of bird flu, a senior health expert has said that swift action against age-old child killers such as diarrhea and pneumonia could help the world get ready to combat a bird flu pandemic.

19 Oct 2005

Fertility treatment most successful in summer

When it comes to considering fertility treatment, scientists say that women who have the treatment during the summer are twice as likely to become pregnant as those who have it in the winter.

19 Oct 2005

Study of the effects of aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine and risperidone, in elderly patients with dementia

Some newer antipsychotic medications may be associated with a small increased risk of death when used to treat elderly dementia patients, psychiatrists at Johns Hopkins warn.

18 Oct 2005

LABA medications, asthma and inhaled steroids

A combination of airway-opening drugs and inhaled inflammation-reducing steroids works better at preventing severe asthma attacks than a normal dose of steroids alone, according to a new review of recent studies.

18 Oct 2005

Yeast cells help show how GSAO (glutathionarsenoxide) angiogenesis inhibitor drug works

The humble yeast has revealed the molecular workings of an anti-cancer drug that stops the growth and spread of tumours in humans by starving their blood supply.

18 Oct 2005

Controlling antibiotic-prescribing practices in hospitals

Plenty of promising strategies exist to control antibiotic-prescribing practices, but no single method emerges as the best for hospital patients, according to a new review of studies.

18 Oct 2005

Atypical antipsychotic drugs slightly increase risk for death when used in people with dementia

Atypical antipsychotic drugs seem to confer a small increased risk for death when used in people with dementia, concludes a team of researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in a meta-analysis of 15 clinical trials published in the October 19 issue of the JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

18 Oct 2005

Beta blockers not as effective as other drugs that reduce high blood pressure in patients with hypertension

Beta blockers are not as effective as other drugs that reduce high blood pressure in patients with hypertension, concludes a meta-analysis published online by The Lancet.

18 Oct 2005