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Finding treatments for rare diseases: an interview with Dr Richard Thompson

It is estimated that around 400 rare diseases have licenced treatments, and a large proportion of these are a consequence of orphan drug legislation, which has helped to incentivise the production of drugs for small patient populations.

4 May 2016

Study evaluates effects of corticosteroids along with anti-tuberculosis drugs in tuberculous meningitis

The Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group have carried out a review update to evaluate the effects of corticosteroids being used alongside anti-tuberculosis medication to treat people suffering from tuberculous meningitis.

4 May 2016

Researchers find gene variants that predict adverse effects of hyperthyroidism drugs

Researchers and doctors at Uppsala University, along with Swedish and international collaboration partners, have found gene variants that predict the risk of a serious adverse reaction to drugs used for the treatment of hyperthyroidism. The results are published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

4 May 2016

Study estimates 30% of outpatient oral antibiotic prescription in the U.S as inappropriate

An estimated 30 percent of outpatient oral antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S. in 2010-2011 may have been inappropriate, findings that support the need for establishing a goal for outpatient antibiotic stewardship, according to a study appearing in the May 3 issue of JAMA.

4 May 2016

Oral administration of Jakinibs reduces Parkinson's disease pathogenesis in rat model

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers report the first documentation that suppressing a key cell-signaling pathway in a rat model of Parkinson's disease reduces pathogenesis. Oral administration of AZD1480 — one of the JAK/STAT pathway inhibitors generally known as Jakinibs — lessened the destructive inflammation and nerve cell degradation in the area of the brain affected by Parkinson's.

4 May 2016

Scientists identify novel way of synthesising promising new antibiotic

A novel way of synthesising a promising new antibiotic has been identified by scientists at the University of Bristol. By expressing the genes involved in the production of pleuromutilin in a different type of fungus, the researchers were able to increase production by more than 2,000 per cent.

4 May 2016

Diabetes risk linked to increased dosage, duration and timing of steroids

Glucocorticoid (or steroid) therapy, prescribed to around half of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, is a known risk factor for developing diabetes. A study from The University of Manchester has found how the risk of diabetes increases in relation to the dosage, duration and timing of steroids.

4 May 2016

High doses of Imodium to self-treat opioid addictions could be extremely dangerous

The over-the-counter anti-diarrhea medication Imodium, or its key ingredient loperamide, is increasingly being abused by people attempting to self-treat their opioid addiction, with sometime fatal results.

4 May 2016

Study assesses effect of chemoradiotherapy on survival of locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients

In a study appearing in the May 3 issue of JAMA, Pascal Hammel, M.D., of Beaujon Hospital, Clichy, France and colleagues assessed whether chemoradiotherapy improves overall survival of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer controlled after 4 months of gemcitabine-based induction chemotherapy, and assessed the effect of erlotinib on survival. Gemcitabine and erlotinib are drugs used to treat cancer.

4 May 2016

Riluzole drug can reverse key genetic changes linked to Alzheimer's disease

Aging takes its toll on the brain, and the cells of the hippocampus--a brain region with circuitry crucial to learning and memory--are particularly vulnerable to changes that can lead to Alzheimer's disease or cognitive decline. With the hope of counteracting the changes that can lead to these two conditions, researchers at Rockefeller University and their colleagues have begun examining the effects of a drug known to affect this circuitry.

4 May 2016

Combination of existing chemotherapy drugs can reduce breast cancer stem cells, improve survival

Two existing chemotherapy drugs appear to be a powerful pair in targeting errant stem cells that are making breast cancer and enabling its spread and recurrence, scientists report.

3 May 2016

Study opens door for new opportunities in finding antidotes to nerve agent sarin

The nerve agent sarin causes a deadly overstimulation of the nervous system that can be stopped if treated with an antidote within minutes of poisoning. Today, a ground-breaking study has been published in PNAS, which in detail describes how such a drug works. Researchers at the Swedish Defence Research Agency, Umea University and in Germany are behind the study.

3 May 2016

Flu vaccinations for pregnant women reduce newborn’s influenza risk during first six months of life

Babies whose moms get flu vaccinations while pregnant have a significantly reduced risk of acquiring influenza during their first six months of life, a new study shows, leading the authors to declare that the need for getting more pregnant women immunized is a public health priority.

3 May 2016

New study shows women susceptible to pain-relieving placebo effect of vasopressin

A new study in the current issue of Biological Psychiatry suggests that women are particularly susceptible to the pain-relieving placebo effect of vasopressin.

3 May 2016

Study identifies shortfall in uptake of influenza, pneumococcal vaccination among RA patients

Research from The University of Manchester has found a shortfall in the uptake of influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations among those diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), potentially increasing their infection risk.

3 May 2016

Study shows impact of increasing number of opioid-related hospitalizations on health care costs

Infection is a serious complication of intravenous drug abuse and a major cause of illness and death among intravenous drug users. As the national problem of opioid abuse, including of heroin, continues to grow, new research by clinicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the VA Boston Healthcare System, published today in the May issue of the journal Health Affairs, offers new insights into the significant impact of the trend on opioid-related hospitalizations, infectious complications and health care costs.

3 May 2016

Healthy intake of vitamin D contributes to more muscle mass, less body fat in toddlers

A healthy intake of vitamin D in the first year of life appears to set children up to have more muscle mass and less body fat as toddlers, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatric Obesity.

3 May 2016

$Ibrutinib shows added benefit for refractory mantle cell lymphoma patients$

Ibrutinib shows added benefit for refractory mantle cell lymphoma patients

Ibrutinib is a drug for the treatment of rare diseases. It has been approved for the treatment of adults with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) or with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) since 2014, and since 2015 also for the treatment of adults with Waldenström macroglobulinaemia. Regarding the treatment of patients with CLL or MCL, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) already conducted a benefit assessment and made a decision in 2015.

3 May 2016

Mepolizumab has no hint of added benefit in eosinophilic asthma

The monoclonal antibody mepolizumab has been approved since the end of 2015 for the treatment of adults with severe refractory eosinophilic asthma. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care now examined in an early benefit assessment whether the drug offers an added benefit for patients in comparison with the appropriate comparator therapy.

3 May 2016

Study confirms under-utilization of medication in patients after bypass surgery

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University discovered that nearly half of coronary artery bypass patients are not taking statins and aspirin together when they are referred for diagnostic cardiac catheterization at least three years after their initial bypass. Their results are currently in press online in the American Journal of Cardiology.

3 May 2016

Pharmaceutical News

Finding treatments for rare diseases: an interview with Dr Richard Thompson

Study evaluates effects of corticosteroids along with anti-tuberculosis drugs in tuberculous meningitis

Researchers find gene variants that predict adverse effects of hyperthyroidism drugs

Study estimates 30% of outpatient oral antibiotic prescription in the U.S as inappropriate

Oral administration of Jakinibs reduces Parkinson's disease pathogenesis in rat model

Scientists identify novel way of synthesising promising new antibiotic

Diabetes risk linked to increased dosage, duration and timing of steroids

High doses of Imodium to self-treat opioid addictions could be extremely dangerous

Study assesses effect of chemoradiotherapy on survival of locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients

Riluzole drug can reverse key genetic changes linked to Alzheimer's disease

Combination of existing chemotherapy drugs can reduce breast cancer stem cells, improve survival

Study opens door for new opportunities in finding antidotes to nerve agent sarin

Flu vaccinations for pregnant women reduce newborn’s influenza risk during first six months of life

New study shows women susceptible to pain-relieving placebo effect of vasopressin

Study identifies shortfall in uptake of influenza, pneumococcal vaccination among RA patients

Study shows impact of increasing number of opioid-related hospitalizations on health care costs

Healthy intake of vitamin D contributes to more muscle mass, less body fat in toddlers

Ibrutinib shows added benefit for refractory mantle cell lymphoma patients

Mepolizumab has no hint of added benefit in eosinophilic asthma

Study confirms under-utilization of medication in patients after bypass surgery

Flow chemistry, AI, and NMR: A next-gen approach to scalable API production

Digital pathology and the PathoVerse: A conversation with Dr. Singh

Bioprocess Efficiency with Cell Density Monitoring

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