Thalidomide News and Research

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Thalidomide is a drug that is used to treat multiple myeloma in patients who have just been diagnosed, and a painful skin disease related to leprosy. It is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. Thalidomide belongs to the family of drugs called angiogenesis inhibitors. Also called Thalomid.

One-size-fits-all approach does not work for treating pregnant women with hypertension

Treatment guidelines for hypertension in pregnancy suggest that more women should be on medication to control their blood pressure.

11 May 2020

New method determines the atomic structure of natural products more rapidly, accurately

Many drugs are derived from natural products. But before natural products can be exploited, chemists must first determine their structure and stereochemistry.

21 Jan 2020

Researchers develop novel mouse model to study immunomodulatory therapies

Because mice do not respond to immunomodulatory drugs, preclinical therapeutic and safety studies of the effects of IMiDs have not been possible in existing types of mice.

19 Nov 2018

Merck presents MK-1454 Phase 1 data for treatment of advanced solid tumors or lymphomas

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced the first presentation of preliminary data from a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating MK-1454, an investigational STING (stimulator of interferon genes) agonist, as monotherapy and in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, in patients with advanced solid tumors or lymphomas.

22 Oct 2018

Merck presents KEYNOTE-057 trial results for patients with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced the first presentation of results from an interim analysis of KEYNOTE-057, a Phase 2 trial evaluating KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, for previously treated patients with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ or CIS plus papillary disease (Cohort A).

22 Oct 2018

Purdue researchers develop new chemical process to find better drug 'fits' for patients

When a medication doesn't "fit" the body quite right, the results can be devastating. Such is the case for thalidomide, which was prescribed in the 1950s and 1960s as a sedative or hypnotic, even for pregnant women.

16 Oct 2018

Scientists solve 60-year-old mystery of how thalidomide caused birth defects

More than 60 years after the drug thalidomide caused birth defects in thousands of children whose mothers took the drug while pregnant, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have solved a mystery that has lingered ever since the dangers of the drug first became apparent: how did the drug produce such severe fetal harm?

2 Aug 2018

CNDA approves KEYTRUDA for treatment of advanced melanoma

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, has been approved by the China National Drug Administration for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma following failure of one prior line of therapy.

26 Jul 2018

Phase 3 study of KEYTRUDA monotherapy meets primary endpoint

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the pivotal Phase 3 KEYNOTE-048 trial investigating KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, for first-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, met a primary endpoint of overall survival as monotherapy in patients whose tumors expressed PD-L1.

25 Jul 2018

Merck announces FDA acceptance of supplemental Biologics License Application for KEYTRUDA

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for standard review a new supplemental Biologics License Application for KEYTRUDA, Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, as adjuvant therapy in the treatment of patients with resected, high-risk stage III melanoma and granted a Prescription Drug User Fee Act, or target action, date of February 16, 2019.

25 Jun 2018

Drugmakers blamed for blocking generics have milked prices and cost U.S. billions

Makers of brand-name drugs called out by the Trump administration for potentially stalling generic competition have hiked their prices by double-digit percentages since 2012 and cost Medicare and Medicaid nearly $12 billion in 2016, a Kaiser Health News analysis has found.

23 May 2018

Celgene to share new and updated data around novel hematological therapies

Celgene Corporation today announced that data from a broad range of early and late stage studies evaluating Celgene investigational agents and investigational uses of marketed products will be presented at the 23rd European Hematology Association annual meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, from June 14-17, 2018.

22 May 2018

Legacy of social and political factors may be responsible for vaccine hesitancy

A legacy of social and political factors rather than bad parenting may be influencing people's decisions not to vaccinate their children, according to a study from the University of Waterloo.

9 Apr 2018

Desymmetrization paves way for new bioactive compounds

Many chemical molecules can exist in nature together with their mirror counterparts; like hands, two compounds can be made up of the same atoms in the same overall structure but in opposite orientations, i.e. left-handed and right-handed.

23 Feb 2018

Valproic acid exposure results in characteristics linked to autism, zebrafish study shows

Exposure to a compound used to treat migraines and seizures causes characteristics associated with autism, groundbreaking research with zebrafish has demonstrated.

24 Jan 2018

New tool developed to assess likely risk of drug turning into potentially harmful version

A new method to test the likelihood of a drug turning into a potentially harmful version of itself when it enters the body has been developed by researchers at Cardiff University.

5 Jan 2018

New study uncovers 13 previously-unknown genetic risk variants for restless legs syndrome

A new study into the genetics underlying restless legs syndrome has identified 13 previously-unknown genetic risk variants, while helping inform potential new treatment options for the condition.

13 Oct 2017

Childhood obesity starts in the womb?

There is incontrovertible evidence that some harmful drugs and toxins can affect lifelong health. For example, if women take certain drugs in pregnancy, such as thalidomide, there are well documented effects on lifelong health. These have obvious and dramatic effects on the child...

11 Jan 2017

Additions to standard therapy do not improve progression-free survival in patients with multiple myeloma

Trial results being presented today during the 58th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego suggest two therapies that are often added to standard therapy in patients with multiple myeloma do not improve rates of progression-free survival compared with the current standard course of treatment alone.

6 Dec 2016

Chemists find efficient way to convert organic molecules into new medicines

Opening a broad vista in the search for effective pharmaceuticals, a collaboration of Chinese and U.S. chemists has laid out a highly efficient new method to convert abundant organic molecules into new medicines.

2 Sep 2016