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Research explains why opioids are thought to be ineffective in people with fibromyalgia

People who have the common chronic pain condition fibromyalgia often report that they don't respond to the types of medication that relieve other people's pain.

27 Sep 2007

Vanda Pharmaceuticals submits iloperidone NDA

Vanda Pharmaceuticals has announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for iloperidone, an investigational atypical antipsychotic for the treatment of schizophrenia.

27 Sep 2007

Unmasked enzyme may lead to new drugs for type II diabetes

Scientists at the Medical Research Council have made a discovery that could pave the way for better treatments of type II diabetes.

27 Sep 2007

AKAP18 protein helps heart beat faster

A protein, known as AKAP18, could help the heart to beat faster in response to adrenaline or noradrenaline, according to a study published online this week in EMBO reports.

27 Sep 2007

Stealth learning fosters science education

Rochelle Schwartz-Bloom, a Duke University pharmacology professor who left the lab bench to focus on science education, has developed a tactic for keeping students hands in the air at the end of class.

27 Sep 2007

How H5N1 virus works

H5N1 influenza, also known as avian influenza, is considered a major global threat to human health, with high fatality rates.

27 Sep 2007

Greater access to medical information under new law

Following the President's signature of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Amendments Act, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt praised the bill as an important step forward in ensuring the safety of drugs and medical devices.

27 Sep 2007

London School of Hygiene to play key role in global collaboration on adverse drug reactions

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is to be a key player in the first global research collaboration aimed at identifying the genetic markers related to Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs).

27 Sep 2007

New guidelines for cardiac testing and treatments

People with heart disease should take special precautions before undergoing any kind of surgery, even noncardiac surgery, to reduce their risk of a cardiac event, according to new joint guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

27 Sep 2007

Genetic sequence of Giardia complete

Giardia lamblia, one of the most common human parasites in the United States, causes more than 20,000 intestinal infections a year, often through contact with contaminated drinking or swimming water.

27 Sep 2007

Genetic test announced for suicidal ideation in patients using antidepressant drugs

NeuroMark, a Boulder, Colorado company, announced today the immediate availability of a genetic test to identify people at risk of suicidal ideation - thoughts of committing suicide - when prescribed an antidepressant drug.

27 Sep 2007

Many patients with diabetes say burden of care rivals complications of disease

Many patients with diabetes say that the inconvenience and discomfort of constant therapeutic vigilance, particularly multiple daily insulin injections, has as much impact on their quality of life as the burden of intermediate complications, researchers from the University of Chicago report in the October 2007 issue of Diabetes Care.

27 Sep 2007

Experimental drug pertuzumab boosts survival in recurrent ovarian cancer

New clinical data showed an experimental drug called pertuzumab prolonged the survival time for women with recurrent ovarian cancer, a University of Alabama at Birmingham doctor said recently.

27 Sep 2007

Clinical trials for diabetes drugs should measure outcomes important to patients

Most clinical trials for new diabetes drugs do not consider the impact medication will have on a patient's quality of life or other outcomes that are important to patients, such as the risk of developing complications associated with diabetes, according to a Mayo Clinic commentary in the current issue of The Lancet.

27 Sep 2007

Clinical Trials Directive likely to turn Europe into the poor relation of clinical academic medicine

The Clinical Trials Directive, which came into force in May 2004 in order to create a harmonised framework for clinical drug research across Europe, is still hampering such research, according to new findings presented at the European Cancer Conference (ECCO 14).

27 Sep 2007

Evaluation of poly(glycerol adipate) nanoparticle uptake in an in vitro 3-D brain tumor co-culture model

A nanoparticle drug delivery system designed for brain tumor therapy has shown promising tumor cell selectivity in a novel cell culture model devised by University of Nottingham scientists.

27 Sep 2007

New molecular target in blood clot formation

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have identified a new molecular target in blood clot formation, which seems to reduce clotting without excessive bleeding, the common side-effect of anti-clotting agents.

27 Sep 2007

Potential new weight-loss wonder drug

More than 60 percent of American women are overweight, with nearly a third falling into the category of obese and at greater risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

27 Sep 2007

Caffeine and acetaminophen don't mix well

Consuming large amounts of caffeine while taking acetaminophen, one of the most widely used painkillers in the United States, could potentially cause liver damage, according to a preliminary laboratory study reported in the Oct. 15 print issue of ACS' Chemical Research in Toxicology, a monthly journal.

27 Sep 2007

Axitinib shows promise for patients with advanced kidney cancer

Barcelona, Spain: A new drug has shown promise in patients with advanced kidney cancer whose options run out after their tumour fails to respond to the cutting edge therapy.

27 Sep 2007