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Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trials move to stage 3 human trials

The technical name of the vaccine is ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222), as it is made from a virus called ChAdOx1, which is a weakened and non-replicating version of a common cold virus (adenovirus). The vaccine has been engineered to express the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

5 Jul 2020

Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine shows promise - virus neutralizing antibodies achieved

In a recent medRxiv* paper, a research group from the U.S. and Germany showed a robust immunogenic response and a promising safety profile of the novel BNT162b1 RNA-based vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) – actively encouraging its accelerated clinical development and potential rapid production.

2 Jul 2020

Ceftolozane/tazobactam combo broadens the range of antibiotic therapy, but shows no hint of added benefit

The combination of ceftolozane with tazobactam broadens the range of antibiotic therapy in adults with severe infections of the lungs, the urinary tract, the renal pelvis and the abdominal cavity.

2 Jul 2020

Researchers develop new electronic tool to prevent dangerous polypharmacy

We have an aging population. As the population ages, the prevalence of chronic disease increases. As a result, more and more drugs are prescribed.

2 Jul 2020

Researchers outline checklist for implementing COVID-19 communication strategies

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced unique challenges for public health practitioners and health communicators that warrant an expansion of existing health communication principles to take into consideration.

2 Jul 2020

ACTIV group assesses controlled human infection models for developing SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

In a Perspective for the New England Journal of Medicine, members of the National Institutes of Health's Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) Vaccines Working Group assess practical considerations and prerequisites for using controlled human infection models (CHIMs), which can be used for human challenge studies, to support SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development.

2 Jul 2020

Study explores the experiences of patients using hospital-based medicines helpline services

Leaving hospital can be a confusing and sometimes risky time for patients who take medication, with an estimated 44% experiencing medicine-related problems once they get home.

1 Jul 2020

Common asthma drug may offer potential as treatment for Alzheimer's disease

A new study reveals that the common asthma drug salbutamol may offer potential as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

1 Jul 2020

Pain relief drugs offer more choices for women during childbirth

Choice and control are important factors for ensuring a positive childbirth experience, yet until recently, little was known about the impact of alternative administrations of fentanyl – one of the pain relief drugs used during labour– on both mother and baby.

1 Jul 2020

Quality improvement initiative at Children's National Hospital reduces antibiotic use

A quality improvement initiative in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Children's National Hospital led to a significant reduction in treatment with intravenous vancomycin, an antibiotic used for resistant gram positive infections, which is often associated with acute kidney injury.

1 Jul 2020

Alternative antibiotics for unverified penicillin allergies likely unnecessary

Hospitalized patients who report an allergy to penicillin are often prescribed alternative antibiotics for infection that can be harmful, even though diagnostic testing or evaluations would show that the vast majority of these reported allergies could be disproven, according to researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital.

30 Jun 2020

Study shows women are more likely to be prescribed with opioid analgesics

Women are significantly more likely to receive prescriptions of opioid analgesics. Read the study, which was performed in a nationally representative sample of adults in the U.S., in Journal of Women's Health.

30 Jun 2020

HPV vaccine policies may lead to higher vaccination rates, reduce cancer rates

A UCLA-led study has found that in 2 of 3 states and jurisdictions with policies that require students entering school to receive the human papillomavirus vaccine, vaccination rates among 13-to-17-year-olds were significantly higher than in surrounding states without such policies.

30 Jun 2020

Public-sector basic research is the most efficient, leads to low drug prices

Is the basic research that goes into the development of new drugs more efficiently conducted by public-sector scientists, pharmaceutical firms, or independent private laboratories?

29 Jun 2020

Physician prescribing of muscle relaxants has tripled from 2005 to 2016, study shows

Office visits for ongoing prescribing of skeletal muscle relaxant drugs tripled from 2005 to 2016, according to a new study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

26 Jun 2020

Understanding dexamethasone’s role in treating COVID-19

While the steroid medicine dexamethasone may help people with serious COVID-19 illness, it should only be given to people very ill in hospital and shouldn’t be taken by anyone to try to prevent COVID-19 or for less severe cases.

26 Jun 2020

Study shows generic drug does not slow kidney disease

Historically, half or more of people with type 1 diabetes develop kidney disease, which frequently progresses to kidney failure, requiring dialysis treatment or kidney transplantation for survival, according to a study in Diabetes Care.

26 Jun 2020

Entos Pharmaceuticals selects two lead DNA vaccine candidates for COVID-19

Entos Pharmaceuticals, a healthcare biotechnology company developing nucleic acid medicines with its Fusogenix drug delivery platform, today announced the selection of two lead candidates for a pan-coronavirus Fusogenix DNA vaccine from its prototyping program launched at the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

25 Jun 2020

Biological therapy may decrease the risk of severe COVID-19

A recent observational study by Spanish researchers, currently available on the medRxiv preprint server, suggests that patients with immune-mediated diseases who receive biological therapy may have a lower risk for severe manifestations of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

25 Jun 2020

New approaches to manage Canada's national emergency stockpile system

To manage Canada's emergency stockpile of medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE), the government could consider several approaches, including a "prime-vendor" model selling directly to health care organizations to minimize financial and equipment waste, according to an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)

25 Jun 2020