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New blood test may help detect breast cancer

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have developed a blood test that can detect amplification of a certain gene found in circulating cells associated with breast cancer.

9 Jun 2004

Higher generic drug use in 2003 slowed the rising cost per prescription to a 7.9% increase

Generic drug use increased to a record 48% among Express Scripts' 50 million members during 2003, spurred by the use of several prominent new generics, fluoxetine, omeprazole and lisinopril.

9 Jun 2004

FDA warns against use of domperidone to increase milk production

In response to reports that women may be using an unapproved drug, domperidone, to increase milk production (lactation), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning breastfeeding women not to use this product because of safety concerns. Today, FDA also issued six letters to pharmacies that compound products containing domperidone and firms that supply domperidone for use in compounding.

9 Jun 2004

Lovastatin and Simvastatin have a significantly reduced risk of prostate cancer

Men who take even small amounts of common cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Lovastatin and Simvastatin have a significantly reduced risk of prostate cancer, according to a new study by Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers.

9 Jun 2004

Researchers win Kaye prize for gastro-retentive sustained release drug delivery system

Despite advances made in "sustained delivery" drug delivery technologies in recent years, a problem still persists in trying to obtain controlled release of a wide variety of medications that have only a "narrow absorption window" in the upper part of the intestines. That is, these drugs are absorbed rather quickly after being swallowed, negating the beneficial effects of "once-a-day" medication.

9 Jun 2004

Discovery may help those susceptible to deep-vein thrombosis, strokes and recurrent miscarriages

Australian researchers at University of New South Wales have identified a mechanism than can cause blood clots - a discovery with implications for those susceptible to deep-vein thrombosis, strokes and recurrent miscarriages.

7 Jun 2004

Gene mutation found in some women may decrease effectiveness of tamoxifen breast cancer drug

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Indiana University and the University of Michigan have found that some women have a gene mutation that may decrease the effectiveness of tamoxifen, a commonly used breast cancer drug.

7 Jun 2004

Chemotherapy regimen more effective and more toxic in Japanese patients than in American patients

A chemotherapy regimen commonly used to treat non-small cell lung cancer is both more effective and more toxic in Japanese patients than in American patients, researchers reported Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists.

7 Jun 2004

Atrasentan reduces cancer risk by 20 percent in men with advanced hormone-resistant prostate cancer

Recent clinical studies led by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers have found that a drug called atrasentan reduces the risk by 20 percent that cancer will progress in men with advanced hormone-resistant prostate cancer.

7 Jun 2004

A biological agent used without chemotherapy appears to offer a disease-free future to patients with rare leukemia

A biological agent — a drug that wraps vitamin A inside bubbles of fat — used without chemotherapy appears to offer as many as one-third of patients with a rare form of leukemia an opportunity for a long-term, disease-free future, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

7 Jun 2004

Herceptin shows real promise in treatment of HER-2 positive breast disease

According to a study conducted at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, more than twice as many women with early stage, HER-2 positive breast disease who received Herceptin as part of their pre-surgery chemotherapy had their tumors completely disappear compared to like patients who received only chemotherapy.

7 Jun 2004

Serum estrogen receptor modulator's (SERM's) may help reduce postmenopausal breast cancer risk

Newest research findings were presented on the possible benefits they may provide for postmenopausal breast cancer risk reduction. SERMs are a class of drugs that can block the cell's ability to use estrogen to stimulate the development of breast cancer.

7 Jun 2004

Australian scientists have developed a tool that acts as a pregnancy test for the detection of anthrax

Once a deadly disease associated with animals, anthrax is now used as a bioterrorist weapon. While infection can be controlled with antibiotics, in a bioterrorism attack people will not know they have been infected until symptoms develop, at which stage drugs are useless.

7 Jun 2004

Australia's CSIRO to exhibit major display at the world's largest biotechnology conference

CSIRO is mounting a major display of technologies this week at BIO 2004, the world's largest biotechnology conference, being held in San Francisco, USA, from 6-9 June.

7 Jun 2004

Gemcitabine may help breast cancer patients with advanced disease live longer

Breast cancer patients with advanced disease live longer when treated with a new drug, gemcitabine, in combination with paclitaxel, a traditional drug, according to results of a landmark global phase III study presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting.

6 Jun 2004

Velcade major improvement over standard therapy for relapsed multiple myeloma

Early results from a major, international Phase III clinical trial decisively show that recurrent multiple myeloma is more effectively treated with the drug bortezomib (trade name: Velcade TM) than with dexamethasone, a drug that for decades has been the standard therapy for relapsed disease, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report.

6 Jun 2004

Exenatide shows significant improvements in glucose control for people With type 2 diabetes

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Eli Lilly and Company have presented detailed 30-week data from two of the three pivotal Phase 3 studies of exenatide during a late-breaking session at the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) 64th Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Florida.

5 Jun 2004

Five major prescription drug manufacturers make drugs available to Medicare discount cardholders

The Pharmacy Care Alliance (PCA) today announced that AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Merck and Novartis will make many prescription drugs available to qualifying PCA Medicare discount cardholders free of charges from the manufacturer plus a nominal amount to cover dispensing, processing and other costs.

5 Jun 2004

Democrats air their views on Medicare prescription drugs discount cards

On Tuesday the new Medicare prescription drugs discount cards went into effect. The enrollment process is so confusing, most seniors are not signing up for the cards. Those that have will quickly discover the cards don’t deliver the savings they were promised.

3 Jun 2004

China launches nationwide campaign to urge the public to take medicine in a safe way

China on Thursday launched a nationwide campaign to urge the public to take medicine in a safe way, in a bid to reduce increasing damages from excessive and inappropriate drug taking.

3 Jun 2004

Drugs News and Research

New blood test may help detect breast cancer

Higher generic drug use in 2003 slowed the rising cost per prescription to a 7.9% increase

FDA warns against use of domperidone to increase milk production

Lovastatin and Simvastatin have a significantly reduced risk of prostate cancer

Researchers win Kaye prize for gastro-retentive sustained release drug delivery system

Discovery may help those susceptible to deep-vein thrombosis, strokes and recurrent miscarriages

Gene mutation found in some women may decrease effectiveness of tamoxifen breast cancer drug

Chemotherapy regimen more effective and more toxic in Japanese patients than in American patients

Atrasentan reduces cancer risk by 20 percent in men with advanced hormone-resistant prostate cancer

A biological agent used without chemotherapy appears to offer a disease-free future to patients with rare leukemia

Herceptin shows real promise in treatment of HER-2 positive breast disease

Serum estrogen receptor modulator's (SERM's) may help reduce postmenopausal breast cancer risk

Australian scientists have developed a tool that acts as a pregnancy test for the detection of anthrax

Australia's CSIRO to exhibit major display at the world's largest biotechnology conference

Gemcitabine may help breast cancer patients with advanced disease live longer

Velcade major improvement over standard therapy for relapsed multiple myeloma

Exenatide shows significant improvements in glucose control for people With type 2 diabetes

Five major prescription drug manufacturers make drugs available to Medicare discount cardholders

Democrats air their views on Medicare prescription drugs discount cards

China launches nationwide campaign to urge the public to take medicine in a safe way

Drug Discovery - Second Edition eBook

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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