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Australian researchers at the forefront of an international project to identify genes associated with schizophrenia

University of Queensland researchers are at the forefront of an international project to identify genes associated with schizophrenia, a common mental illness whose causes are not fully understood.

20 Jun 2005

FDA severely limits access to cancer drug Iressa

After Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials agreed with studies showing lung cancer drug, Iressa, did not help patients live longer, drug company AstraZeneca said it would severely limit access to its drug.

20 Jun 2005

China used flu drug on birds

The World Health Organization (WHO) is attempting to clarify from China, reports that the government there encouraged farmers to use a human anti-viral drug to treat birds infected with a deadly strain of avian flu.

20 Jun 2005

Drug for schizophrenia can prevent and treat SARS

Chinese and European experts at a conference of the Sino-European Project on SARS Diagnostics and Antivirals in China say that a drug normally used to treat schizophrenia has been shown to prevent and treat Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

20 Jun 2005

Studies show Alzheimer's prevented by drinking juice daily and having the occasional alcoholic drink

At a conference in the U.S. on Alzheimer's disease on June 19, researchers said that they think brain scans and simple blood tests may offer the best ways to predict who has the highest risk of Alzheimer's disease.

20 Jun 2005

Brazil patent seizure threatens global trade and public health

With a number of other non-profit groups, ITSSD is calling attention to Brazil's threat to break U.S. patents on American AIDS drugs used as part of Brazil's government-funded treatment program.

19 Jun 2005

Fine tuning drug levels in neuroblastoma patients is effective

Monitoring and fine tuning the levels of the cancer drug topotecan in children with neuroblastoma holds promise for maximizing the drug's effectiveness while reducing its toxicity, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

19 Jun 2005

Australian scientists develop unique animal model for asthma

The State Government of Victoria, Australia has announced that Melbourne veterinary scientists have developed a unique animal model for asthma that may help drug companies fast track the creation of therapies for the disease.

19 Jun 2005

Stem cells to solve blood shortage problems

The State Government of Victoria, Australia announced that Melbourne scientists at Monash University have developed a unique technology that can grow large numbers of blood cells from human embryonic stem cells.

19 Jun 2005

Study shows why thiazolidinediones cause edema and helps understand role of kidneys in hypertension

In related discoveries with far-reaching implications for treating diabetes and understanding hypertension, University of Utah researchers have learned why thiazolidinediones (TZDs), a major anti-diabetes drug, cause edema and also have found a new pathway critical to fluid metabolism. Identification of this pathway may help understand fundamental mechanisms of blood pressure control.

19 Jun 2005

Bipolar disorder more prevalent and costly than believed

The incidence of bipolar disorder in the general population is considerably higher than earlier studies have indicated, resulting in significantly less productivity and more days lost from work compared to the better known major depressive disorder, according to preliminary findings from a national survey presented today at the Sixth International Conference on Bipolar Disorder.

19 Jun 2005

Chronic insomnia medicines have not yet been rigorously evaluated for long-term use

Many of the medications widely used to manage chronic insomnia have not yet been rigorously evaluated for long-term use, according to an independent scientific panel convened this week by the National Institutes of Health.

16 Jun 2005

Fine tuning drug levels in neuroblastoma patients is effective

16 Jun 2005

Open debate about illegal drug use is needed

Open debate about illegal drug use is needed to gain accurate, impartial information about the true extent of usage and the acute and long-term health effects, states an editorial in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

16 Jun 2005

Single course of one antibiotic can successfully treat elephantiasis

A single course of one antibiotic can successfully treat elephantiasis (filariasis) - a parasitic worm disease that is one of the most common causes of global disability, concludes a study published in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

16 Jun 2005

Dental care needs for HIV patients continue to rise

People with HIV now are living longer and the number of dental patients treated monthly at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry's Russell Street Clinic continues to grow.

16 Jun 2005

Tentative approval for Lamivudine tablets

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the tentative approval of Lamivudine Tablets manufactured by Aurobindo Pharma LTD. Hyderabad, India.

16 Jun 2005

Immunomedics awarded U.S. and Australian patents

Immunomedics announced that it has received notices that the U.S. and Australian patent offices have allowed claims in respective patent applications covering methods for treating a wide range of autoimmune diseases using monoclonal antibodies that bind to the CD22 antigen present on B-lymphocytes.

16 Jun 2005

Risky sexual behaviour fuelled in gay and bisexual men by the internet

A U.S. study says that gay and bisexual men who use the internet to meet partners are apparently more likely to engage in risky sex but tend to do so with people who have the same HIV status.

16 Jun 2005

Wonder drug attacks range of cancers

A team of cancer research scientists from the Royal Marsden Hospital in London say the drug 17AAG has shown in early trials, promising signs of fighting a range of cancers.

16 Jun 2005