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Report reveals disturbing information about young Australians

The report offers comprehensive up-to-date information on injury incidence, including transport accidents, intentional self-harm and suicide, assault and accidental poisoning, hospitalisations and deaths among young people in Australia.

3 Jun 2008

Settlements between PBMs, States, indicate need for 'stronger medicine' to address problems, Lazarus writes

A $9.5 million settlement with 28 states announced last week by Express Scripts to resolve allegations that the company had "been pocketing money from pharmaceutical companies to steer patients into name-brand drugs" indicates the need for "some stronger medicine" to address problems in the industry, Los Angeles Times columnist David Lazarus writes.

3 Jun 2008

One million people gained access to antiretrovirals in 2007

About one million people in developing countries gained access to antiretroviral drugs in 2007, according to a report released on Monday by UNAIDS, UNICEF and the World Health Organization, the New York Times reports (Dugger, New York Times, 6/3).

3 Jun 2008

How and where fat is stored predicts disease risk better than weight

Young adults who abuse amphetamines may be at greater risk of suffering a heart attack, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

3 Jun 2008

How the cholesterol-lowering drug ezetimibe (Zetia) works

A new study in the June issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, sheds light on the action of the drug ezetimibe (trade name Zetia), which is used to treat high cholesterol. Ezetimibe is unique among cholesterol-lowering drugs in that it works by cutting the amount of cholesterol taken in from the diet rather than by blocking cholesterol's manufacture in the body.

3 Jun 2008

You may not be what you eat after all!

A new study shows that increased eating does not necessarily lead to increased fat. The finding in the much-studied roundworm opens the possibility of identifying new targets for drugs to control weight, the researchers say.

3 Jun 2008

Boehringer Ingelheim, Gilead to freeze AIDS drug price

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today applauded decisions by Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) and Gilead Sciences, Inc. to freeze prices on antiretroviral medications purchased by government agencies.

3 Jun 2008

Long term dope use shrinks the brain

According to Australian researchers the long term use of marijuana may cause parts of the brain which control memory, emotion and aggression, to shrink.

3 Jun 2008

Edward Kennedy has successful surgery for deadly brain tumour

Doctors in the United States treating Senator Edward Kennedy for a brain tumour say he has undergone successful surgery.

3 Jun 2008

Latest drug scare in China sees six dead

In the last 10 days six people have died in east China's Jiangxi province after being injected with human immunoglobulin at a hospital in the provincial capital Nanchang.

3 Jun 2008

Less than 1 in 5 patients receive treatment to prevent venous thrombosis after surgery

Fewer than 1 in 5 patients received post-discharge therapy to prevent life-threatening blood clots - venous thrombosis - after hip- or knee-replacement surgery, report Rahme and colleagues in a retrospective cohort study. Venous thrombosis is one of the leading causes of death among hospital patients. However, elderly patients have a 70% lower chance of dying within 3 months if they take an anticoagulant drug to prevent blood clots.

2 Jun 2008

Personal genomes may lead to personalized vitamin supplements

As the cost of sequencing a single human genome drops rapidly, with one company predicting a price of $100 per person in five years, soon the only reason not to look at your "personal genome" will be fear of what bad news lies in your genes.

2 Jun 2008

Arana and Greenovation in anti-cancer co-development deal

Arana Therapeutics Limited and Germany-based greenovation Biotech GmbH have entered into a collaborative agreement to develop next generation anti-cancer antibodies.

2 Jun 2008

Appeals court decisions in Vioxx lawsuits indicate 'sanity still exists' in legal system, editorial states

State appeals courts in New Jersey and Texas last week "delivered a one-two punch to the liability suits against Merck for its Vioxx painkiller," an indication that "some sanity still exists in the tort system -- at least at the appellate level," according to a Wall Street Journal editorial.

2 Jun 2008

New approach to treating vision loss caused by type 1 Usher syndrome

A new approach to treating vision loss caused by type 1 Usher syndrome (USH1), the most common condition affecting both sight and hearing, will be unveiled by a scientist at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics tomorrow (Tuesday 3 June).

2 Jun 2008

Bipolar disorder in adolescents is a huge risk factor for smoking and substance abuse

A study from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) supports previous reports that adolescents with bipolar disorder are at increased risk for smoking and substance abuse.

2 Jun 2008

Distinct clusters of genetic markers linked to treatment responses for smoking cessation

Scientists have identified distinct clusters of genetic markers associated with the likelihood of success or failure of two smoking cessation treatments, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and the medication bupropion (Zyban). This study, supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was published in the June issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

2 Jun 2008

How advanced prostate cancer becomes resistant to androgen-deprivation therapy

For the past 70 years the treatment of choice for advanced, metastatic prostate cancer has been androgen-deprivation therapy. That is, the suppression of circulating testosterone - the hormone that fuels prostate-cancer growth - via surgical castration (orchiectomy) or medical castration with testosterone-blocking drugs. While such therapy buys time for patients, it is not a cure, as inevitably the cancer becomes resistant to the androgen deprivation and continues to grow.

2 Jun 2008

NIDA highlights best drug abuse treatment approaches at blending conference

The most difficult challenge in finding substance abuse treatment for a loved one is how to know which programs have a proven track record. That is just one of the topics being discussed today at the conference "Blending Addiction Science and Treatment: The Impact of Evidence-Based Practices on Individuals, Families and Communities." Held at the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati, the conference is hosted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health. It is part of NIDA's Blending Initiative, in which teams of experts create clinical tools based on the latest treatment research.

2 Jun 2008

Survivors of childhood Hodgkin's lymphoma at higher risk of future health problems

Adults who survived childhood Hodgkin's Lymphoma should be especially vigilant about cancer and cardiovascular screenings, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues.

2 Jun 2008