Drugs News and Research

RSS

PDGFR gene rearrangements lead to aggressive form of glioblastoma: Study

4 Oct 2010

HHS consumer website adds new features; health law provisions affecting open season

HealthCare.Gov, the consumer health care insurance website run by the federal government, unveiled a slew of new features this morning. Consumers can find pricing information for 4,400 individual and family health plans offered by more than 225 insurance carriers, Plan information will be updated monthly, said Todd Park, HHS chief technology officer.

4 Oct 2010

Efforts against drug-resistant malaria along Thai-Cambodian border show progress, but more 'aggressive' approach needed, health officials say

Efforts to prevent the spread of drug-resistant malaria along the border between Cambodia and Thailand are showing signs of progress, but additional work is needed to contain the new strain, health officials said on Friday, Deutsche Presse-Agentur/M&C reports.

4 Oct 2010

Osteoporosis common but underestimated in old men: Study

According to the latest research osteoporosis a diseases common in women that makes bones brittle and easily breakable with age also affects men. The study suggests that this debilitating condition is often overlooked in elderly Australian men.

3 Oct 2010

Bloomberg analysis finds 'doughnut hole' deal to cost drugmakers less than 1% of profits

News outlets report how closing the Medicare 'Doughnut Hole' affects drugmakers and seniors.

1 Oct 2010

Merck to pay millions over Mass. allegations of inflated wholesale rate

Bloomberg Businessweek: A Massachusetts court ordered the drug maker Merck to pay $4.6 million in damages for inflating wholesale prices for generic asthma drugs. "Massachusetts claimed the companies reported inflated wholesale acquisition-cost prices for the generics, and that MassHealth, the state component of the Medicaid program, would rely on those prices for reimbursements" (McQuillen, 9/30).

1 Oct 2010

Activating rearrangements in receptor genes are more common than previously thought

A multi-institutional team led by investigators from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has published a study that provides new insight into genetic changes that make some forms of glioblastoma, the most common type of primary brain cancer, more aggressive than others and explains why they may not respond to certain therapies. The research was led by senior author Eric C. Holland, MD, PhD,--an MSKCC surgeon, researcher and the Director of the Brain Tumor Center--and was published in the October 1 issue of the journal Genes & Development.

1 Oct 2010

Increase in levels of P450 protein creates EET molecules that lower blood pressure

If you are one of the millions of Americans with high blood pressure, more help is on the way. That's because a new research study published in the October 2010 print issue of The FASEB Journal shows that a protein, called P450, metabolizes arachidonic acid in our blood vessel walls to create a tiny molecule with a big name-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET)-which in mice, turns off genes responsible for vascular inflammation and ultimately relaxes blood vessels to lower blood pressure. This protein and genes are also present in humans.

1 Oct 2010

GSA urges treatment of sepsis as a medical emergency

The Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA) is urging healthcare providers, patients and policymakers worldwide to treat sepsis as a medical emergency. "Tens of millions of people die from sepsis each year, making it the likely leading cause of death worldwide. Sepsis kills regardless of age, ethnicity, location and access to care," said Konrad Reinhart, M.D., Chairman of the GSA and director of the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of the Friedrich Schiller, University of Jena, Germany.

1 Oct 2010

FDA grants Emergent Fast Track Designation for AVP-21D9 anthrax monoclonal antibody development program

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced today that its anthrax monoclonal antibody development program investigating AVP-21D9 for the treatment of inhalational anthrax has been granted Fast Track Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Emergent recently commenced a Phase I clinical trial for AVP-21D9, which is a fully human monoclonal antibody product candidate being developed as a parenteral post-exposure therapeutic to treat symptoms of inhalational anthrax disease.

1 Oct 2010

New co-branded Medicare Part D prescription drug plan from Humana and Walmart

Today, Humana Inc. announced an innovative Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, co-branded with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., that can provide significant savings on monthly plan premiums and prescription medicine copayments and cost-shares for Medicare beneficiaries, including seniors and people with disabilities.

1 Oct 2010

First nationwide Safe Medication Disposal Program launched

Walgreens has launched the first ongoing, nationwide Safe Medication Disposal Program, a safe and environmentally responsible way to dispose of unused or expired medications.

1 Oct 2010

Study suggests balance between NF-kB and p53 signaling as a promising target for new cancer drugs

A new report published in the October 2010 print issue of The FASEB Journal offers a ray of hope in the search for new cancer drugs. By examining the seemingly conflicting roles of how oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes handle cellular stress, scientists from the Institute for Advanced Studies in New Jersey argue that each of these opposing systems could be potent drug targets in the effort to stop cancer. In addition, their hypothesis provides new insights into what contributes to immunological disorders such as chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases.

1 Oct 2010

Achillion initiates ACH-1625 Phase II dosing for HCV infection

Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the discovery and development of small molecule drugs to combat the most challenging infectious diseases, today announced that the Company has initiated patient dosing in a Phase II clinical trial of ACH-1625 for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. ACH-1625 is a potent small molecule inhibitor of HCV protease, an enzyme necessary for viral replication. The drug candidate was discovered and is being advanced by Achillion.

1 Oct 2010

FDA takes action against unapproved single-ingredient oral colchicine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration took action against companies that manufacture, distribute, and/or market unapproved single-ingredient oral colchicine, a medication commonly used for the daily prevention of gout, to treat acute gout flare-ups, and for the treatment of Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF).

1 Oct 2010

Researchers study gene interactions for personalized drug prescriptions

The University of Alaska Fairbanks will study how the genetics and diet of Yup'ik Eskimos affect the blood-thinning properties of a common drug used by heart and stroke patients.

1 Oct 2010

HHS announces $473 million grant to help people make effective healthcare decisions

HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality today announced the award of $473 million in grants and contracts to support projects that will help people make health care decisions based on the best evidence of effectiveness. The funding announced today covers all of AHRQ's allocation and $173 million administered for the HHS Secretary by AHRQ.

1 Oct 2010

Antiretroviral therapy does not reduce risk of HIV transmission

For married couples in which one partner is HIV-positive and the other is HIV-negative, antiretroviral therapy (ART) does not reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to the uninfected partner, according to a study from China in the October issue of JAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

1 Oct 2010

Researchers discover key leukemia defense mechanism

Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researcher Steven Grant, M.D., and a team of VCU Massey researchers have uncovered the mechanism by which leukemia cells trigger a protective response when exposed to a class of cancer-killing agents known as histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs).

1 Oct 2010

Study demonstrates rufinamide therapy is effective in reducing partial seizure frequency

Researchers from the Arkansas Epilepsy Program found treatment with rufinamide results in a significant reduction in seizure frequency compared with placebo, for patients with uncontrolled partial-onset seizures (POS).

1 Oct 2010

Drugs News and Research

PDGFR gene rearrangements lead to aggressive form of glioblastoma: Study

HHS consumer website adds new features; health law provisions affecting open season

Efforts against drug-resistant malaria along Thai-Cambodian border show progress, but more 'aggressive' approach needed, health officials say

Osteoporosis common but underestimated in old men: Study

Bloomberg analysis finds 'doughnut hole' deal to cost drugmakers less than 1% of profits

Merck to pay millions over Mass. allegations of inflated wholesale rate

Activating rearrangements in receptor genes are more common than previously thought

Increase in levels of P450 protein creates EET molecules that lower blood pressure

GSA urges treatment of sepsis as a medical emergency

FDA grants Emergent Fast Track Designation for AVP-21D9 anthrax monoclonal antibody development program

New co-branded Medicare Part D prescription drug plan from Humana and Walmart

First nationwide Safe Medication Disposal Program launched

Study suggests balance between NF-kB and p53 signaling as a promising target for new cancer drugs

Achillion initiates ACH-1625 Phase II dosing for HCV infection

FDA takes action against unapproved single-ingredient oral colchicine

Researchers study gene interactions for personalized drug prescriptions

HHS announces $473 million grant to help people make effective healthcare decisions

Antiretroviral therapy does not reduce risk of HIV transmission

Researchers discover key leukemia defense mechanism

Study demonstrates rufinamide therapy is effective in reducing partial seizure frequency

Drug Discovery - Second Edition eBook

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

Latest News