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Mexiletine use improves stiffness in patients with nondystrophic myotonias

Preliminary research finds that for patients with nondystrophic myotonias (NDMs), rare diseases that affect the skeletal muscle and cause functionally limiting stiffness and pain, use of the anti-arrhythmic medication mexiletine resulted in improvement in patient-reported stiffness, according to a preliminary study in the October 3 issue of JAMA.

3 Oct 2012

Positive results from Noven’s LDMP Phase 3 clinical studies on menopausal VMS

Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc., today announced positive results from two multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical studies evaluating low-dose mesylate salt of paroxetine (LDMP; 7.5 mg/day) for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms (VMS) associated with menopause.

3 Oct 2012

Noven initiates d-Amphetamine Transdermal System Phase 2 study in ADHD

Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc., today announced commencement of a Phase 2 study of a d-Amphetamine Transdermal System (d-ATS) for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. Currently, there is no approved amphetamine-based transdermal treatment option available for ADHD.

3 Oct 2012

Eating apples might help keep the cardiologist away

Eating an apple a day might in fact help keep the cardiologist away, new research suggests.

3 Oct 2012

Adjunctive drugs hasten sedation in the emergency department

Adding intravenous droperidol or olanzapine to midazolam shortens the time to adequate sedation in acutely agitated patients in the emergency department, show findings from a randomized controlled trial.

2 Oct 2012

Steroid use during tonsillectomy does not raise excessive bleeding risk

Children who are given dexamethasone during tonsillectomy are not more likely to experience excessive bleeding after surgery than those who do not receive the steroid perioperatively, study findings suggest.

2 Oct 2012

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements could slow key biological process linked to aging

Taking enough omega-3 fatty acid supplements to change the balance of oils in the diet could slow a key biological process linked to aging, new research suggests.

2 Oct 2012

Trial evidence is mixed regarding digital nerve reconstruction

Evidence supporting various surgical and postsurgical interventions in digital nerve reconstruction is inconsistent or imprecise, research shows.

1 Oct 2012

EC approves Sosei’s Seebri Breezhaler to treat COPD

Sosei Group Corporation confirms the information released today by Novartis that the European Commission has approved Seebri Breezhaler (glycopyrronium bromide) 44 mcg delivered dose (equivalent to 50 mcg glycopyrronium measured dose per capsule), as a once-daily inhaled maintenance bronchodilator treatment to relieve symptoms in adult patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

1 Oct 2012

Active Biotech, Ipsen announce new data on biomarkers from tasquinimod Phase II study in CRPC

Active Biotech and Ipsen have presented a new set of data on biomarkers from the previously concluded tasquinimod Phase II study in chemotherapy-naïve metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) at the scientific congress ESMO (European Society for Medical Oncology) held in Vienna September 28-October 2.

1 Oct 2012

Sorafenib does not improve overall survival among patients with NSCLC

Treatment with the drug sorafenib as a third or fourth line therapy does not result in improved overall survival among patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to findings released at the ESMO 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Vienna. However, a post-hoc biomarker analysis of the trial data that was also presented suggests that patients with EGFR-mutant tumors may benefit.

29 Sep 2012

Exelixis announces preliminary results from BRIM7 Phase Ib trial on BRAFV600 mutated MM

Exelixis, Inc. today announced preliminary results from BRIM7, an ongoing Phase Ib trial conducted by Roche and Genentech, Exelixis' collaborator and a member of the Roche Group, of the BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi) vemurafenib in combination with the MEK inhibitor GDC-0973 in patients with locally advanced/unresectable or metastatic melanoma carrying a BRAFV600 mutation.

29 Sep 2012

New trial data shows improvements in treatment of esophageal and gastrointestinal cancers

New trial data showing improvements in the treatment of esophageal and gastrointestinal cancers were released today at the ESMO 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Vienna.

29 Sep 2012

Abbott receives FDA approval for Humira to treat ulcerative colitis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today expanded the approved use of Humira (adalimumab) to include treatment of moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis in adults.

29 Sep 2012

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound effective in diagnosing men with high-grade prostate cancer

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound was found to better detect high-grade prostate cancer than conventional methods, making it a more appropriate approach for screening clinically important cancers and monitoring low-risk ones with less biopsies, researchers from Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals conclude in a phase III study published online in September in the Journal of Urology.

28 Sep 2012

Melatonin supplementation improves sleep in hypertensive patients on beta-blockers

Over 20 million people in the United States take beta-blockers, a medication commonly prescribed for cardiovascular issues, anxiety, hypertension and more. Many of these same people also have trouble sleeping, a side effect possibly related to the fact that these medications suppress night-time melatonin production. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have found that melatonin supplementation significantly improved sleep in hypertensive patients taking beta-blockers.

28 Sep 2012

BioLineRx’s BL-1020 safe and effective in treating schizophrenia

BioLineRx, a biopharmaceutical development company, announced today the publication of results from the Phase II EAGLE clinical trial for BL-1020, a first in class, orally available, GABA-enhanced antipsychotic for the treatment of schizophrenia, showing that BL-1020 is safe and effective in improving schizophrenia, in addition to improving cognitive impairment associated with this condition.

28 Sep 2012

Japanese MHLW approves Sosei’s Seebri inhalation capsules to treat COPD

Sosei Group Corporation confirms the information released today by Novartis that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has approved Seebri (glycopyrronium bromide) Inhalation Capsules 50 mcg administered through the Breezhaler device, as a once-daily, long-term, inhaled maintenance bronchodilator treatment for the relief of various symptoms due to airway obstructive disease in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

28 Sep 2012

Bayer HealthCare receives FDA approval for Stivarga to treat colorectal cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Stivarga (regorafenib) to treat patients with colorectal cancer that has progressed after treatment and spread to other parts of the body (metastatic).

28 Sep 2012

Early, intensive therapy with adalimumab can help treat rheumatoid arthritis

Early, intensive therapy with a biotechnologically produced medication can provide significantly faster pain relief for patients with rheumatic joint inflammation. Damage to joints can also be reduced when the medication is applied right at the beginning of the illness.

27 Sep 2012