Drugs News and Research

RSS

Taking antidepressants with painkillers dangerous

Taking antidepressants together with painkillers can substantially increase the risk of bleeding from the stomach, according to new research by the University of East Anglia.

9 Oct 2007

Potential new treatment for Huntington's disease found

MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegererative Disorders (MIND) researchers have identified a compound that may lead to a treatment that could protect against the effects of Huntington's Disease (HD).

9 Oct 2007

Half of the world has no access to palliative care

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a guide on palliative care for people with the advanced stages of cancer.

8 Oct 2007

Joint effort means 750,000 of the world's poor will have acess to TB drugs

Thanks to a partnership between the World Health Organisation (WHO) and an international initiative, anti-tuberculosis drugs will now be available to people in poor countries.

8 Oct 2007

Warnings about drugs used with ultrasounds

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reportedly about to issue "blackbox" warnings for drugs used to enhance the images of ultrasound machines in the diagnosing of heart problems.

8 Oct 2007

Carbon nanotubes show great potential for use as cellular probes

As "nanopipes" they can be used to transport liquids to or from cells and inject solutions or drugs directly into individual cells and individual organelles within the cells.

8 Oct 2007

Researchers tackle phantom sounds of tinnitus

For the more than 50 million Americans who experience the phantom sounds of tinnitus -- ringing in the ears that can range from annoying to debilitating -- certain well-trained rats may be their best hope for finding relief.

8 Oct 2007

Completion of first clinical trial of Apatone for cancer treatment

In a significant advancement in the ongoing battle against cancer, a group of researchers from Summa Health System, IC-MedTech and other institutions have completed the first ever FDA-approved human clinical trial of Apatone®.

8 Oct 2007

Fraunhofer pharmaceutical agent speeds drug development

It takes a great deal of time and money to develop a new drug. At Biotechnica in Hanover from October 9 to 11, the Fraunhofer Life Sciences Alliance will demonstrate how a pharmaceutical agent can make its way more quickly from the research laboratory to the pharmacy.

8 Oct 2007

Researchers create modular, multi-functional drug delivery system

There are two aspects to creating an effective drug: finding a chemical compound that has the desired biological effect and minimal side-effects and then delivering it to the right place in the body for it to do its job.

8 Oct 2007

Brain eating amoeba in lake kills sixth victim

A Texas boy has become the sixth person this summer to die from brain eating amoeba.

7 Oct 2007

Thalidomide therapy helps elderly myeloma patients live longer

The drug thalidomide is making a comeback as a cancer fighting therapy and has been successfully used along with standard therapy to treat the blood cancer myeloma.

7 Oct 2007

Federal jury in Miami convicts company owner of Direct Nursing Assistance Inc

A federal jury in Miami has convicted the owner and operator of Direct Nursing Assistance Inc. of Medicare fraud, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta of the Southern District of Florida announced today.

4 Oct 2007

Sex after chronic heart failure

Although medication can help extend the lives of men with chronic heart failure, several factors associated with this disease can interfere with a person's ability to engage in and enjoy sexual activities.

4 Oct 2007

A systematic review of mortality in schizophrenia

As medical advances boost lifespans across the world, one group of people has been left out.

4 Oct 2007

How emotionally charged events leave their mark on memory

Researchers have uncovered new evidence in mice that may explain how emotionally charged situations can leave such a powerful mark on our memories.

4 Oct 2007

40,000 computers used to tackle bird flu in search for new anti-viral drug discoveries

Last month a collaboration of European and Asian researchers launched a new attack against the deadly bird flu virus, harnessing the combined power of more than 40,000 computers across 45 countries to boost the pace of anti-viral drug discovery.

4 Oct 2007

Gates Foundation leads the charge against tuberculosis with Northeastern University

Northeastern University announced that Dr. Kim Lewis, Professor of Biology and Director of the Antimicrobial Center, is among the recipients of $280 million in grants the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has dedicated to help support the research and speed the development of TB vaccines, diagnostic tests, and treatments.

4 Oct 2007

Donepezil no better than placebo to treat behavioural symptoms of Alzheimer's

New research has found that donepezil (known commercially as Aricept©) is no more effective than a placebo at tackling the agitation which often accompanies Alzheimer's disease.

4 Oct 2007

Specific immune deficiency pinpointed as likely cause of ulcerative colitis

In a series of mouse experiments, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have pinpointed a specific immune deficiency as the likely fundamental cause of ulcerative colitis, a chronic, sometimes severe inflammatory disease of the colon or large intestine that afflicts half a million Americans.

4 Oct 2007