Addiction News and Research

RSS

NIDA awards GeneGo SBIR grant to develop integrated systems biology platform for nicotine addiction research

GeneGo, Inc., the leading systems biology company, today announced that it has been awarded a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to develop an integrated systems biology platform for research into the causes and treatment of tobacco dependence, nicotine addiction, smoking cessation and tobacco/nicotine withdrawal.

22 Sep 2010

Titan completes enrollment in Probuphine Phase 3 study for opioid addiction

Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that patient enrollment is now complete in the confirmatory, Phase 3 clinical study of Probuphine for the treatment of opioid addiction. This placebo and active controlled Phase 3 study is being conducted at 20 sites in the United States and the results are expected in the second quarter of 2011, about three months ahead of the original schedule.

22 Sep 2010

UT MD Anderson Cancer Center aims to reduce tobacco use among at-risk youths in SE Texas

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is reaching out to southeast Texas via an interactive, arcade-style video game aimed at reducing tobacco use among at-risk teens and adolescents.

22 Sep 2010

UC researcher receives NIDA’s Avant-Garde Award for cocaine addiction research

A University of Cincinnati (UC) researcher will receive $2.5 million over five years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to support his work on a potential immunotherapy for cocaine addiction.

22 Sep 2010

NIDA's Avant-Garde Awards support novel approaches for treating tobacco and cocaine addiction

A potential immunotherapy, a new gene therapy, an enzyme inhibitor, and a compound originally isolated from a Chinese herb are among the latest approaches scientists are proposing to treat addiction.

22 Sep 2010

New findings could impact diagnosis and treatment of ADHD and alcoholism

Impulsive behaviour can be improved with training and the improvement is marked by specific brain changes, according to a new Queen's University study.

22 Sep 2010

NIDA awards 5-year, $3.7M research grant for development of drug to treat cocaine addiction

The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy has received a prestigious $3.7 million grant to develop a drug to treat cocaine addiction based on an active ingredient found in some Chinese prescription medicines.

21 Sep 2010

Researchers discover new drug to control acute and chronic pain

American and Italian researchers have found that a novel drug allows anandamide a marijuana like chemical in the body to effectively control pain at the site of an injury.

21 Sep 2010

NIH awards grant to discover drug for alcoholism

With the ultimate goal to discover a drug that one day treats alcoholism, a University of Houston (UH) pharmacy professor is working on pinpointing the mechanisms in the brain that respond to alcohol.

21 Sep 2010

PNNL, 59th Medical Wing collaborate to improve drug tests for illicit usage

A new collaboration between the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Air Force's 59th Medical Wing hopes to improve on drug tests for illicit drug use and abuse. Not only are the researchers looking for a better indicator of current or past use, but they'd like to be able to identify people prone to abusing drugs in the first place.

18 Sep 2010

UCLA conference to provide information about latest developments to help enhance quality of life of seniors

While aging impacts everyday living in many ways, the latest technologies in the medical, consumer and lifestyle fields have the potential to help older adults live better for longer.

18 Sep 2010

Study examines effects of AEDs on nicotine metabolite levels in smokers

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School researchers have determined that carbamazepine and oxycarbamazepine, medications commonly used to treat neurologic and psychiatric conditions, increase nicotine metabolism in smokers. As nicotine metabolism increases, cravings for nicotine return more quickly which could lead to more frequent cigarette consumption among individuals who also take these medications.

18 Sep 2010

ACTION Ontario applauds Narcotics Safety and Awareness bill

ACTION Ontario, a non-profit group advocating on behalf of chronic pain sufferers, applauds the provincial government's Narcotics Safety and Awareness bill and encourages the government to take the next step and also address the underlying issue of pain with a comprehensive strategy.

17 Sep 2010

Shire to host panel discussion for ADHD

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, has partnered with the Entertainment Industries Council (EIC) , the Lab School of Washington and other organizations in support of National Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Awareness Week to host "Fact or Fiction ADHD in America, a Capitol Hill Forum."

17 Sep 2010

Opiate usage increases in workplace and ER

More American workers and job applicants are testing positive for prescription opiates, according to U.S. general workforce data in the 2009 annual Drug Testing Index™ (DTI) released today by Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the nation's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services. Results from more than 5.5 million urine drug tests reveal an 18 percent jump in opiate positives in the general U.S. workforce in a single year (2008 to 2009), and a more than 40 percent climb from 2005 to 2009.

17 Sep 2010

Illicit drug usage increases among Americans: SAMHSA survey

The use of illicit drugs among Americans increased between 2008 and 2009 according to a national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows the overall rate of current illicit drug use in the United States rose from 8.0 percent of the population aged 12 and older in 2008 to 8.7 percent in 2009. This rise in overall drug use was driven in large part by increases in marijuana use.

17 Sep 2010

Federal health care reform legislation can help removing financial barriers to treat Americans

New government data released today demonstrate the continued, urgent need for more Americans to have access to drug and alcohol addiction treatment, according to an analysis by the Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap (CATG) initiative. If implemented properly, federal health care reform legislation could help remove financial barriers to treatment for millions of Americans.

17 Sep 2010

Alcohol addiction drug may help opioid addicts: FDA panel considers reports

A U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) panel, this Thursday agreed that a new drug Vivitrol helps alcoholics and opioid addicts kick the habit. The panel voted 11 to 2 that there was sufficient evidence from a single clinical trial that Vivitrol is effective when it comes to helping people addicted to painkillers.

17 Sep 2010

Researchers target specific molecule in brain to prevent relapses in cocaine addicts

People who have used cocaine run a great risk of becoming addicted, even after long drug-free periods. Now researchers at Linköping University and their colleagues can point to a specific molecule in the brain as a possible target for treatment to prevent relapses.

16 Sep 2010

Researchers find clue behind ASD affecting males than females

New research from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), both in Toronto, Canada provides further clues as to why Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects four times more males than females. The scientists discovered that males who carry specific alterations of DNA on the sole X-chromosome they carry are at high risk of developing ASD. The research is published in the September 15 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

16 Sep 2010