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Research could pave way for new generation of painkillers

An international group of scientists led by Dr Nikita Gamper of the University's Faculty of Biological Sciences has discovered how two proteins play a key role in the way we feel pain, offering new targets on which drug development can be focused.

25 Mar 2010

Cardiologist receives grant to study impact of erectile dysfunction drugs on muscular dystrophy patients

A Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute cardiologist has been awarded a three-year, nearly $1 million grant from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) to study whether drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction could also be used to improve muscle blood flow and reduce fatigue in muscular dystrophy patients.

25 Mar 2010

Changing drug therapy can help breast cancer patients get full benefit of Tamoxifen

Recently published research has shown that some breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen may not be getting the full benefit of their treatment because they have also been taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), prescribed drugs that inhibit the effect of an important enzyme. Now researchers have developed a strategy for overcoming this problem, the seventh European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC7) in Barcelona will hear today (Wednesday).

25 Mar 2010

Anesthesia can increase behavioral changes, risk of developing Alzheimer's disease

The use of repetitive anesthesia with isoflurane (one of the most common anesthetics by inhalation) increases the risk of developing changes similar to those observed in AD brains in mice with mutations of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). This is the main conclusion of Spanish researchers coordinated by Doctors Maria -ngeles Mena and Justo Garc-a de Y-benes, from CIBERNED (Centro de Investigaci-n Biom-dica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas).

25 Mar 2010

NIH grant for study on impact of gastric bypass surgery on Type II diabetes patients

Gastric bypass surgery, thought of by many as the last hope of morbidly obese people for losing weight, has many other benefits researchers are only beginning to understand.

25 Mar 2010

Health reform debate often misrepresents changes to Medicare

Seniors, as well as doctors who treat Medicare patients, "have been shaken up by news that health care reform efforts are largely funded by about $455 billion worth of projected savings in the government health insurance program for the elderly.

25 Mar 2010

China’s 3rd Annual Asia Scientific Congress programs feature latest updates on cancer

In an effort to curb the cancer rates, the country has adopted evidence-based treatment guidelines and continues to strengthen a number of strategic collaborations with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) as demonstrated by several NCCN programs scheduled throughout China this spring.

25 Mar 2010

Special medicated contact lenses can help treat common eye disorders

The popular dietary supplement vitamin E, loaded into special medicated contact lenses, can keep glaucoma medicine near the eye - where it can treat that common disease- almost 100 times longer than possible with current commercial lenses, scientists reported here today.

25 Mar 2010

DEA crackdown on nursing home drugs comes under Congressional scrutiny

The New York Times previews a Capitol Hill hearing Wednesday where nursing home operators and caregivers will criticize a narcotics crackdown by the Drug Enforcement Administration that they say "has left seriously ill patients crying for pain relief.

25 Mar 2010

DEA regulations will impact nursing home residents, says AAHSA

In written testimony to the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging as part of a hearing entitled, "The War on Drugs Meets the War on Pain: Nursing Home Residents Caught in the Crossfire," the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) urged the committee to support legislation designed to recognize "chart orders" and the functional role of nurses as the de facto agent of physicians whose patients reside in nursing facilities.

25 Mar 2010

New series of filters screen compounds for drug development

The identification of compounds that could be promising candidates for drug development has become easier following research by the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute's medicinal chemistry group.

25 Mar 2010

Study: MetAP inhibitors prevent TB growth in test tubes

Suspecting that a particular protein in tuberculosis was likely to be vital to the bacteria's survival, Johns Hopkins scientists screened 175,000 small chemical compounds and identified a potent class of compounds that selectively slows down this protein's activity and, in a test tube, blocks TB growth, demonstrating that the protein is indeed a vulnerable target.

25 Mar 2010

Democrats expect to end debate early on health reconciliation bill

Senate Democratic leaders are trying to end the debate on a bill that "fixes" the health overhaul law that President Barack Obama signed Tuesday. Once the debate ends, the Senate is expected to begin voting on a number of Republican amendments, The New York Times reports.

24 Mar 2010

Patients and doctors' views on important endpoints in incurable metastatic breast cancer

Many patients with metastatic breast cancer believe that the primary goal in survival with new treatment should be to prolong life by at least a year over the survival they might expect from using current best therapies, a researcher will tell the seventh European Breast Cancer Conference in Barcelona today. This finding contrasts with doctors' perception that an additional four to six months' survival is significant enough to consider a new treatment worthwhile.

24 Mar 2010

FHI, Duke University Medical Center pertner to improve TB treatment

Family Health International, a nonprofit global health and development organization working to improve the lives of the world's most vulnerable people, recently joined the Tuberculosis Trials Consortium, an international body that researches new TB drugs and treatment strategies. The consortium is funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As part of the consortium, FHI is partnering with Duke University Medical Center to conduct clinical trials that aim to reduce the duration of TB treatment and lessen the side effects of TB drugs.

24 Mar 2010

Vaccine deal signed - 47 developing countries to receive low priced vaccines by 2015

Pharmaceutical giants have signed a historical 10-year deal on Tuesday pledging the supply of 60 million doses a year of pneumococcal vaccines at cut-prices to developing nations.

24 Mar 2010

AHF to protest against Merck's pricing of Isentress

AIDS Healthcare Foundation will host a protest Wednesday morning, March 24th at 10:30am targeting Merck and Co. Pharmaceuticals over the pricing and policies for its key HIV/AIDS drug, Isentress, one of the most expensive first-line AIDS treatment in the US, during the Barclays Capital Global Healthcare Conference.

24 Mar 2010

MHPA commends Congress for improving state Medicaid programs

"Congress has made a historical commitment to providing access to health care for 16 million low-income Americans through expansion of the Medicaid program. The bills also maintain and strengthen health coverage for kids through the Children's Health Insurance Program."

24 Mar 2010

FDA recommends clinicians temporarily suspend use of Rotarix vaccine

The agency recently became aware that an independent U.S. academic research team, using a novel technique, has found DNA from porcine circovirus 1 (PCV1) in Rotarix, which is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. PCV1 is not known to cause illness in humans or other animals. In addition, Rotarix has been studied extensively, before and after approval, and found to have an excellent safety record.

24 Mar 2010

Analgesics can decrease risk of breast or ovarian cancer

Postmenopausal women who regularly use aspirin and other analgesics (known as painkillers) have lower estrogen levels, which could contribute to a decreased risk of breast or ovarian cancer.

24 Mar 2010