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Noninvasive ultrasound used to check health of carotid arteries

Specialists with the Strong Women's Heart Program are expanding a study that considers the effects of a statin drug on metabolic syndrome, a condition that increases women's risk for heart disease and stroke.

9 Jul 2007

Colesevelam HCl hits diabetes with one-two punch

Patients with type 2 diabetes may soon be able to control their glucose and their cholesterol levels with a single drug, according to a study led by Vivian A.

9 Jul 2007

Etravirine effective for HIV supression

Treatment with TMC125 (etravirine) leads to better virological suppression than placebo as part of antiretroviral therapy in patients with documented resistance to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), conclude two randomised trials in this week's issue of The Lancet.

8 Jul 2007

Lung cancer patients taking Tarceva who develop a rash fair better

The appearance of a rash in cancer patients treated with erlotinib (Tarceva) is strongly associated with longer survival, according to researchers from the drug's developer, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

4 Jul 2007

Targeted nalmefene with simple medical management in the treatment of heavy drinkers

Problem drinkers who took a craving-curbing drug whenever they felt the desire to imbibe reported fewer heavy drinking days each month than drinkers who took a look-alike placebo pill, but both groups reported marked reductions in heavy drinking days.

4 Jul 2007

Study to look at effect of using nicotine patches during pregnancy

1050 pregnant women are being recruited for the most extensive trial of its kind to establish the effect of using nicotine patches during pregnancy.

4 Jul 2007

Compound found in elderberry could give a natural boost to skin

Forget expensive moisturisers and cosmetic surgery, a compound found in the humble elderberry could give a natural boost to skin.

4 Jul 2007

Drug gets rid of those nasty memories

A team of scientists say they have found a way to dampen down the impact of bad memories in people's brains.

4 Jul 2007

Skin rash actually signifies better outcomes for pancreatic and lung cancer patients

The appearance of a rash in cancer patients treated with erlotinib (Tarceva) is strongly associated with longer survival, according to researchers from the drug's developer, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

3 Jul 2007

Stem cell therapy to prevent heart attacks

The use of stem cell therapy to prevent heart attacks is explored in a Comment published in this week's edition of The Lancet.

29 Jun 2007

Patient choice and treatment alternatives for arthritis

Patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) face different treatment options and determining which ones to try can be confusing.

29 Jun 2007

Bayer and Onyx submit supplemental NDA for Nexavar

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and Onyx Pharmaceuticals have announced that a Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer. Nexavar is currently approved in more than 50 countries for the treatment of advanced kidney cancer.

28 Jun 2007

Transplant of angina patients' purified stem cells provides symptom relief

The first U.S. study to transplant a potent form of purified adult stem cells into the heart muscle of patients with severe angina provided evidence that the procedure is safe and produced a reduction in angina pain as well as improved functioning in patients' daily lives, reports the lead researcher at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

27 Jun 2007

Alogliptin for type 2 diabetes shows promise in early trial

Alogliptin, a highly selective dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-4) inhibitor under investigation for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, demonstrated efficacy in reducing glucose levels throughout the day, in an early phase clinical study.

26 Jun 2007

SYMBICORT now available in the U.S. for asthma

AstraZeneca has announced today that SYMBICORT (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) pressurized metered dose inhaler (pMDI) is now available in the United States for the long-term maintenance treatment of asthma in patients 12 years of age and older.

26 Jun 2007

Stem cells to repair damaged heart muscle

In the first trial of its kind in the world, 60 patients who have recently suffered a major heart attack will be injected with selected stem cells from their own bone marrow during routine coronary bypass surgery.

23 Jun 2007

Gene therapy for Parkinson's disease is safe and some patients benefit

A novel gene therapy technique is safe and may be effective at staving off worsening symptoms of Parkinson's disease, according to the first scientific review of a dozen patients who have received the treatment over the last three years.

23 Jun 2007

Polyethylene laxative safe for patients suffering from chronic constipation

A clinical trial including 50 medical centers and 304 patients has confirmed that polyethylene (PEG) laxative is safe for patients suffering from chronic constipation.

23 Jun 2007

Omega-3 supplements can help reduce Alzheimer's symptoms in some cases

Omega-3 supplements can, in certain cases, help combat the depression and agitation symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to a clinical study conducted at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet.

23 Jun 2007

Truth on postmenopausal hormone therapy and coronary disease

With each new publication of coronary artery disease (CAD) data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study, the inevitable reaction is ,Why on earth did the WHI investigators claim in 2002-2004 that postmenopausal hormone therapy has deleterious effects on the risk for CAD, when, from the beginning, they were aware of the importance of the age factor in this clinical scenario".

23 Jun 2007