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Toxicology is far from robust and based on flawed evidence

The science of measuring drug levels in the blood after death is far from robust and based on flawed evidence - leading to likely miscarraiges of justice and conspiracy theories, say forensic scientists in this week's BMJ.

17 Sep 2004

Paintball injuries are sending more and more patients to the emergency room every year

The incidence of paintball eye injuries treated in emergency rooms has risen from an estimated 545 in 1998 to approximately 1,200 in 2000, according to a recent report in the journal Pediatrics.

16 Sep 2004

Wyeth supports FDA recommendation to strengthen antidepressant labeling

Statement by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals supporting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Joint Advisory Committee’s recommendation to strengthen the product labels across the antidepressant category regarding use in the pediatric population.

16 Sep 2004

Slimming agents could pose major health risk

Commonly used nutritional supplements and body-building agents for elite athletes could pose an increased risk of cancer according to a study undertaken at the University of Sydney.

16 Sep 2004

One-third to buy cheaper Canadian drugs, 100 million find insurance coverage cut or costlier

Faced with a double-barreled crisis of shrinking health care coverage and fast-rising medical costs, two out of three American adults (67 percent) now think health care coverage should be a “guarantee” as in Canada, Britain and other nations.

16 Sep 2004

New diagnostic tests for bird flu

On the final day of the recent HPA conference, delegates heard about work that the Agency is carrying out to prepare for an avian flu pandemic.

16 Sep 2004

Drug combo may have a greater impact on cancer development

Cancer researchers have long suggested that new targeted drugs may work best when paired with other therapies. In a new study published today in Cancer Research, scientists have taken some of the first steps to demonstrate this synergy in mouse and cell line models.

16 Sep 2004

Cancer drug effective at treating lupus

A drug now used to treat a type of cancer appears to be very effective at treating lupus, with just one injection easing symptoms in several patients for a year or more.

16 Sep 2004

Researchers get a grip on marijuana

Now researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine are a step closer to understanding how the drug's active ingredients - tetrahydrocannabinol and related compounds, called cannabinoids - may exert their effects.

16 Sep 2004

Can anti-psychotic drugs treat anorexia?

A new study to pilot the effectiveness of anti-psychotic drugs in the treatment of anorexia is about to commence at the University of Melbourne’s ORYGEN Research Centre.

15 Sep 2004

HHS enhances Medicare drug card program to help seniors

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced new measures to help seniors get the lowest price possible for their medicines by allowing them -- for the first time -- to compare prices for similar drugs used to treat common diseases such as high cholesterol or blood pressure.

15 Sep 2004

Prozac, Paxil, Wellbutrin, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Luvox and Remeron should have "Black Box" warnings

A panel of experts has voted 15 to 8 in favour of the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) adding black box warnings to certain medications used to treat depression in children and teenagers.

14 Sep 2004

New test to determine whether tuberculosis sufferers are taking their prescribed antibiotics

Antibiotics are highly effective against TB, but must be taken daily over long periods. It is essential to monitor patients to ensure that they take their treatment regularly, as drug resistant TB is caused when patients discontinue their treatment.

14 Sep 2004

Bush AIDS plan is using expensive, brand name drugs, rather than keeping its promise to use the lowest cost drugs available

Global AIDS Alliance reacted today to the statement of the Bush Administration regarding its global AIDS programs.

14 Sep 2004

Campaign to reduce high salt consumption in the UK

Every day at least 26 million people eat more than the recommended daily limit of 6g of salt. Men are eating the most with a daily average of 11.0g of salt while women consume an average of 8.1g a day

14 Sep 2004

Which provincial pharmacare system works best to protect Canadians against catastrophic drug costs?

Health-care economy researchers at the University of British Columbia have found there is wide variation in coverage for pharmaceuticals in Canada.

14 Sep 2004

New insights into the international burden of malaria

Malaria research scientists from around the globe have published new insights into the international burden of malaria and what can be done about it.

14 Sep 2004

Micro-thin implantable films may one day allow patients to forgo daily injections and pills

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a material that may one day allow patients to forgo daily injections and pills and receive prescriptions instead through micro-thin implantable films that release medication according to changes in temperature.

14 Sep 2004

First molecular-scale images of DNA binding to an adenovirus enzyme

The images, which appear on the cover of the October 2004 issue of Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, show how binding to DNA may stimulate the enzyme and are already being used to design new antiviral drugs to block this interaction.

14 Sep 2004

Molecule that may be a primary cause of high blood pressure and link to diabetes

A study published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences identified the molecule that binds to a receptor (a molecule on the cell surface that triggers a reaction within the cell) in the brain that is known to regulate blood pressure and release of insulin.

14 Sep 2004

Drugs News and Research

Toxicology is far from robust and based on flawed evidence

Paintball injuries are sending more and more patients to the emergency room every year

Wyeth supports FDA recommendation to strengthen antidepressant labeling

Slimming agents could pose major health risk

One-third to buy cheaper Canadian drugs, 100 million find insurance coverage cut or costlier

New diagnostic tests for bird flu

Drug combo may have a greater impact on cancer development

Cancer drug effective at treating lupus

Researchers get a grip on marijuana

Can anti-psychotic drugs treat anorexia?

HHS enhances Medicare drug card program to help seniors

Prozac, Paxil, Wellbutrin, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Luvox and Remeron should have "Black Box" warnings

New test to determine whether tuberculosis sufferers are taking their prescribed antibiotics

Bush AIDS plan is using expensive, brand name drugs, rather than keeping its promise to use the lowest cost drugs available

Campaign to reduce high salt consumption in the UK

Which provincial pharmacare system works best to protect Canadians against catastrophic drug costs?

New insights into the international burden of malaria

Micro-thin implantable films may one day allow patients to forgo daily injections and pills

First molecular-scale images of DNA binding to an adenovirus enzyme

Molecule that may be a primary cause of high blood pressure and link to diabetes

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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