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Ecstasy use down among America's youth

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) just-released 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reports the number of current ecstasy users decreased between 2002 and 2003, from 676,000 (0.3 percent) to 470,000 (0.2 percent).

4 Nov 2004

Pfizer licenses drug from University of Rochester for treatment of hot flashes

The University of Rochester has signed a license agreement with Pfizer which will allow Pfizer to market a specific class of non-hormonal drugs for the treatment of hot flashes associated with menopause.

4 Nov 2004

Crystal structure of protein AIRs kinase uncovered

Cornell University researchers, who are trying to understand how proteins evolve and function by looking at their structural features, have uncovered the crystal structure of a protein involved in making the building blocks of DNA correctly.

4 Nov 2004

Cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors tested in both prevention and treatment clinical trials

Numerous compounds are examined by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for their potential to prevent or treat cancer. One class of compounds, cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors, is currently being tested in both prevention and treatment clinical trials.

4 Nov 2004

Need to belong influences adolescent workplace drug use

In the high-pressure atmosphere of the building and construction industry, adolescent workers are highly susceptible to indulging in work related drug and alcohol use.

4 Nov 2004

FDA fast tracks investigational anti-cancer drug, phenoxodiol

Marshall Edwards today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the investigational anti-cancer drug, phenoxodiol, Fast Track status for its intended use in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

4 Nov 2004

The Bush Medicare Prescription has changed the identity of medical oncology

Under previous law, Medicare covered chemotherapy as well as radiation treatment for cancer patients, but did not pay for oral-dose anti-cancer drugs, unless they were available in both oral and injectable form.

4 Nov 2004

Study reveals anti-arthritic effects of bee venom

Since ancient times, healers have practiced apitherapy, the use of honeybee products for curative purposes.

4 Nov 2004

Study indicates potential of alendronate and estrogen progression of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, a chronic inflammatory disease marked by cartilage degradation and bone abnormalities, is a leading cause of disability among elderly people in the United States.

4 Nov 2004

Cholesterol-lowering drugs can interact with grapefruit juice and increase the risk of the drugs' potential side-effects

Britain's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency recently issued prescribing advice reminding healthcare professionals that certain cholesterol-lowering drugs, namely Zocor (simvastatin) and Lipitor (atorvastatin), can interact with grapefruit juice and increase the risk of the drugs' potential side-effects.

4 Nov 2004

Generic drugs are still a good buy

A new AARP study found that manufacturers' prices for some generic drugs experienced a rapid rise over the past three years. However, these increases would have added only a few dollars per year to consumers' costs for any one of these products.

4 Nov 2004

FDA warns against use of Actra-Rx and Yilishen

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned consumers not to purchase or to consume Actra-Rx or Yilishen, two products promoted and offered for sale on Web sites as "dietary supplements" for treating erectile dysfunction and enhancing sexual performance for men.

4 Nov 2004

Guidance for generic drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that a Guidance for Industry entitled "Listed Drugs, 30-Month Stays, and Approval of ANDAs and 505(b)(2) Applications Under Hatch-Waxman, as Amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003

4 Nov 2004

Patent litigation the most commonly used generic defense strategy among pharmaceutical companies

Patent litigation remains the most commonly used generic defense strategy among pharmaceutical companies. 71% of drug companies have used legal battles to defend their patents in the past three years, according to research from pharmaceutical business intelligence firm Cutting Edge Information.

4 Nov 2004

The Royal Society of Medicine Press has published new Primary Care Guidelines for the Management of Females with Epilepsy

These guidelines were produced following a multidisciplinary consensus meeting of epilepsy experts and cover such topics as the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, preconception counselling and the management of epilepsy during and after pregnancy.

3 Nov 2004

Less risks for patients participating in early phase cancer drug trials

The risk of treatment-related (toxic) death for cancer patients enrolled in phase 1 clinical trials had decreased significantly over the past 12 years (from 1991 to 2002), according to an article in the November 3 issue of JAMA.

3 Nov 2004

High-dose statin therapy for aggressive cholesterol-lowering outperforms typical care

Patients treated with high doses of atorvastatin had about a one percent lower annual rate of heart attacks than similar patients receiving usual care, according to a new study in the Nov. 2, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Nov 2004

Smart stethoscope for monitoring the effectiveness of treatments to shatter kidney stones

Professor Tim Leighton from the University of Southampton's world-renowned Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) and Dr Andrew Coleman, of Guy's and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust are developing with industry a 'smart stethoscope' for monitoring the effectiveness of treatments to shatter kidney stones.

2 Nov 2004

Reproductive hormones have effects on all of these stages of brain growth and development

Scientists are now uncovering increasing evidence that the brain not only responds to hormones produced by the reproductive system, but that these hormones-the so-called "female hormones," estrogen and progestin, and the "male" androgens, such as testosterone-play an important role in the development of differences between male and female brains.

2 Nov 2004

Possible treatment for the fatal lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

They found that the anti-cancer drug imatinib mesylate — commercially known as Gleevec and produced by Novartis Pharmaceuticals — can target a gene critical to controlling the disease process. Previously, there had been no treatment and patients usually did not survive beyond three years of diagnosis. Now the treatment is undergoing clinical trials at Mayo Clinic.

2 Nov 2004

Drugs News and Research

Ecstasy use down among America's youth

Pfizer licenses drug from University of Rochester for treatment of hot flashes

Crystal structure of protein AIRs kinase uncovered

Cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors tested in both prevention and treatment clinical trials

Need to belong influences adolescent workplace drug use

FDA fast tracks investigational anti-cancer drug, phenoxodiol

The Bush Medicare Prescription has changed the identity of medical oncology

Study reveals anti-arthritic effects of bee venom

Study indicates potential of alendronate and estrogen progression of osteoarthritis

Cholesterol-lowering drugs can interact with grapefruit juice and increase the risk of the drugs' potential side-effects

Generic drugs are still a good buy

FDA warns against use of Actra-Rx and Yilishen

Guidance for generic drugs

Patent litigation the most commonly used generic defense strategy among pharmaceutical companies

The Royal Society of Medicine Press has published new Primary Care Guidelines for the Management of Females with Epilepsy

Less risks for patients participating in early phase cancer drug trials

High-dose statin therapy for aggressive cholesterol-lowering outperforms typical care

Smart stethoscope for monitoring the effectiveness of treatments to shatter kidney stones

Reproductive hormones have effects on all of these stages of brain growth and development

Possible treatment for the fatal lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

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