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New guideline on the use of prescription medications for treatment of opioid addiction

Medications play an important role in managing patients with opioid use disorders, but there are not enough physicians with the knowledge and ability to use these often-complex treatments.

25 Sep 2015

Rhythm Metabolic awarded FDA grant to advance ongoing setmelanotide clinical trial in Prader-Willi syndrome

Rhythm announced today the award of a $1 million research grant from the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development to its subsidiary, Rhythm Metabolic, Inc., to support the ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of setmelanotide, the company's novel peptide MC4 agonist, for the treatment of obesity and hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS).

24 Sep 2015

Palatin Technologies reports net loss of $12.1 million for fourth quarter 2015

Palatin Technologies, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing targeted, receptor-specific peptide therapeutics for the treatment of diseases with significant unmet medical need and commercial potential, today announced results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2015.

21 Sep 2015

New study highlights gap in scientific knowledge about some diabetes drugs

A gap in scientific knowledge about a family of drugs that are used to treat Type 2 diabetes has been highlighted in a new study.

21 Sep 2015

Researchers identify protein that regulates neuron growth

An international team of researchers, led by scientists at the National University of Singapore (NUS), has identified a protein that regulates the growth of neurons by transporting key metabolic enzymes to the tips of neural cells.

18 Sep 2015

Researchers use new synthetic method to prepare potential drug candidates for type 2 diabetes

Aryl alkyl ethers are important structural motifs found in many biologically active compounds. Therefore, stereoselective etherification is a highly important synthetic operation in the preparation of drug candidates.

16 Sep 2015

AstraZeneca presents safety and efficacy data for ExQW at 51st Annual Meeting of EASD

AstraZeneca today announced new analyses of exenatide once weekly (ExQW) demonstrating a favorable gastrointestinal (GI) tolerability profile, including less frequent upper and lower GI adverse events (AE), compared to shorter-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA), exenatide twice daily (ExBID) and liraglutide once daily (LiraQD).

16 Sep 2015

Three studies point to mGluR2 as new molecular target for addiction treatment

The latest issue of Biological Psychiatry presents the results of three studies implicating metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 (mGluR2) as a new molecular target for the treatment of addiction.

15 Sep 2015

BioDelivery Sciences and Endo present Phase 2 data on buprenorphine HCl buccal film in patients with chronic pain

Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., a subsidiary of Endo International plc, and BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. today presented data from a Phase 2 study for the investigational drug buprenorphine HCl buccal film utilizing BDSI’s patented BioErodible MucoAdhesive (BEMA) drug delivery technology.

11 Sep 2015

New study reveals effect of diabetes drug on bone health, benefit of exercise in mice

Inside our bones there is fat. Diabetes increases the amount of this marrow fat. And now a study from the UNC School of Medicine shows how some diabetes drugs substantially increase bone fat and thus the risk of bone fractures.

9 Sep 2015

Helsinn, BIAL sign exclusive distribution and licence agreement for Anamorelin

Helsinn, the Swiss Group focused on building quality cancer care, and BIAL - Portela & Ca. S.A., one of the largest Iberian pharmaceutical companies, today announce that they have entered into an agreement for the exclusive distribution and licence rights to Anamorelin in Spain, Portugal, Angola and Mozambique.

8 Sep 2015

ELIXA trial results demonstrate cardiovascular safety of lixisenatide drug

In patients with type 2 diabetes and acute coronary syndrome, the glucose-lowering medication lixisenatide did not increase or decrease the rate of cardiovascular (CV) events compared to placebo, according to results of the Evaluation of Lixisenatide in Acute Coronary Syndrome (ELIXA) trial.

31 Aug 2015

Novartis receives FDA approval for expanded use of Promacta for younger children with rare blood disorder

Novartis announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved an expanded use for Promacta to include children 1 year of age and older with chronic immune thrombocytopenia who have had an insufficient response to corticosteroids, immunoglobulins or splenectomy.

26 Aug 2015

Researchers evaluate use of pharmacy-based naloxone education and distribution to fight opioid overdoses

In response to the growing opioid crisis, several states, including Massachusetts and Rhode Island, have granted pharmacists the authority to provide naloxone rescue kits without a prescription to at-risk patients. This model of pharmacy-based naloxone (PBN) education and distribution is one of the public health strategies currently being evaluated at hundreds of pharmacies in both states to determine the impact on opioid overdose death rates.

25 Aug 2015

Researchers find effectiveness of ramelteon for treatment of sleep disturbances after TBI

Kessler researchers found preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of ramelteon for the treatment of sleep disturbances after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The article, "Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation on May 28, 2015. Authors are Anthony Lequerica, PhD, and Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, of Kessler Foundation, Neil Jasey, MD, of Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, and Jaclyn Portelli Tremont, MA, of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University.

21 Aug 2015

Palatin applauds FDA's approval of flibanserin for women living with hypoactive sexual desire disorder

Palatin Technologies, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company developing targeted, receptor-specific peptide therapeutics for the treatment of diseases with significant unmet medical needs and commercial potential. Palatin's lead product under development is bremelanotide for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction (FSD).

19 Aug 2015

NIH funds multicenter study to evaluate impact of medical treatment in transgender youth

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $5.7M for a five-year, multicenter study, which will be the first in the U.S. to evaluate the long-term outcomes of medical treatment for transgender youth.

19 Aug 2015

Intarcia Therapeutics announces positive top-line results from ITCA 650 Phase 3 FREEDOM-2 clinical trial

Intarcia Therapeutics, Inc. today announced positive top-line results from its 52-week Phase 3 FREEDOM-2 clinical trial to determine the comparative efficacy of the company's late-stage investigational candidate ITCA 650 to Merck's Januvia in reducing HbA1c in patients with type 2 diabetes following a year of treatment.

18 Aug 2015

Rhythm Metabolic completes $40 million Series A financing

Rhythm announced today the completion of a $40 million Series A financing for its subsidiary, Rhythm Metabolic, Inc., which is developing setmelanotide (RM-493), a novel peptide MC4 agonist for the treatment of obesity caused by genetic deficiencies in the MC4 pathway.

13 Aug 2015

Ardelyx reports net income of $9.0 million for second quarter 2015

Ardelyx, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on gastrointestinal and cardio-renal diseases, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2015.

12 Aug 2015