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Patients at high-risk for recurrent C. difficile with unnecessary antibiotic use

The impact of antibiotic misuse has far-reaching consequences in healthcare, including reduced efficacy of the drugs, increased prevalence of drug-resistant organisms, and increased risk of deadly infections. A new study featured in the February issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, found that many patients with Clostridium difficile infection (C. difficile) are prescribed unnecessary antibiotics, increasing their risk of recurrence of the deadly infection.

10 Jan 2013

LM11A-31 effective at improving limb movement after spinal cord injury in mice

An experimental oral drug given to mice after a spinal cord injury was effective at improving limb movement after the injury, a new study shows.

10 Jan 2013

Mutation that causes sickle cell anemia may offer new way to treat drug-resistant cancers

The genetic mutation that causes sickle cell anemia also turns red blood cells into potent tumor killers and may offer a new way to treat cancers that are resistant to existing treatments, according to research published January 9, 2013 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by David S. Terman of Jenomic Research Institute and colleagues from Duke University and other institutions.

10 Jan 2013

MSF, DNDi analysis shows increased investment in NTDs but low number of new therapy approvals

"Over the past decade, neglected diseases have attracted increased attention and larger investments in research," but "a new analysis by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) finds that the rate of approvals for new compounds over the past decade is roughly the same as it was during the previous two-and-a-half decades, when the diseases received little attention," Nature Medicine reports.

10 Jan 2013

Fingolimod could potentially eliminate or reduce progression of colitis-associated cancer

After uncovering a mechanism that promotes chronic intestinal inflammation and the development of colorectal cancer, scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have found that fingolimod, a drug currently approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, could potentially eliminate or reduce the progression of colitis-associated cancer (CAC).

10 Jan 2013

Minor mutations can lead to big improvements in antibiotic resistance

Rice University scientists have found that mutations of small effect can turn out to be game changers in the bacterial fight against antibiotic drugs.

10 Jan 2013

Improving access to medical abortion

"In many countries, government policies, and societal practices do not uphold women's right not to continue a pregnancy and women with unwanted pregnancies are forced into motherhood," but "[f]ortunately for women, ... abortion with pills, also known as medical abortion (MA), provides a safe, low-cost and easy to use method to terminate pregnancies," Leila Hessini and Alyson Hyman of Ipas write in an RH Reality Check post.

9 Jan 2013

Antibiotics produce changes in microbial and metabolic patterns of the gut

A study co-led by researchers at the Universitat de València reveals that antibiotics produce changes in the microbial and metabolic patterns of the gut.

9 Jan 2013

Researchers develop new materials to support stem cell growth

Stem cell manufacturing for drug screening and treatments for diseases such as Huntington's and Parkinson's could be boosted by a new method of generating stem cells, a study suggests.

9 Jan 2013

Public health school deans condemn CIA's use of fake vaccination campaign in letter to Obama

"The deans of the nation's top public health schools sent a letter to President Obama on Monday condemning the Central Intelligence Agency's use of a vaccination campaign ruse in the hunt for Osama bin Laden," the New York Times reports.

9 Jan 2013

Uganda government continuing focus on HIV prevention, treatment, amid calls from groups to do more

"Uganda continues to fall short of achieving its goal of ensuring that 80 percent of people living with HIV receive antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) by 2015, according to the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC)," PlusNews reports.

9 Jan 2013

EC approves Pfizer’s Prevenar 13 to prevent pneumococcal disease

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the European Commission has approved expanding the use of the company's pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Prevenar 13(pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine [13-valent, adsorbed]), to older children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years for active immunization for the prevention of invasive disease, pneumonia and acute otitis media caused by vaccine-type Streptococcus pneumoniae.

9 Jan 2013

Wockhardt receives final FDA approval for Lamotrigine to treat epilepsy

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology major Wockhardt has received final approval from the United States Food & Drug Administration (US FDA) for marketing 25mg, 50mg, 100mg, 200mg and 300mg extended release tablets of Lamotrigine, which is used in treatment of epilepsy.

9 Jan 2013

Patient requests, drug company ties likely to influence doctors' decision to prescribe name-brand drugs

When patients ask for a brand-name drug, many physicians give in rather than prescribe a generic, according to a nationwide survey, and in-office promotions to doctors increase the likelihood.

9 Jan 2013

Combination of pazopanib and paclitaxel shows promise in slowing anaplastic thyroid cancer

A combination of the drugs pazopanib and paclitaxel shows promise in slowing anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), according to a Mayo Clinic-led study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

9 Jan 2013

Dopamine-related drug exposure, Parkinson's increase risk of impulse control problems

Parkinson's disease itself does not increase the risk of impulse control problems such as compulsive gambling and shopping that have been seen in people taking certain drugs for Parkinson's disease, according to new research published in the January 8, 2013, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

9 Jan 2013

Mass. governor proposes new compounding pharmacy oversights

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is proposing the state exercise stricter control over compounding pharmacies by -- in part -- establishing new licensing requirements for the labs and letting the state assess fines against them if they break rules.

9 Jan 2013

Orexigen reports progress with FDA on faster path to Contrave NDA resubmission

Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity, today announced progress with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on a faster path to resubmission of the Contrave (naltrexone SR / bupropion SR) New Drug Application (NDA).

9 Jan 2013

New compound restores health of mice with MRSA infection

Researchers have discovered a new compound that restores the health of mice infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an otherwise dangerous bacterial infection. The new compound targets an enzyme not found in human cells but which is essential to bacterial survival.

8 Jan 2013

Study shows timely reminders increase immunization rates among preschool children

New research from the Children's Outcomes Research Program at Children's Hospital Colorado shows that timely reminders by state or local health departments are more effective at increasing immunization rates among preschool children than those from primary care practices.

8 Jan 2013

Pharmaceutical News

Patients at high-risk for recurrent C. difficile with unnecessary antibiotic use

LM11A-31 effective at improving limb movement after spinal cord injury in mice

Mutation that causes sickle cell anemia may offer new way to treat drug-resistant cancers

MSF, DNDi analysis shows increased investment in NTDs but low number of new therapy approvals

Fingolimod could potentially eliminate or reduce progression of colitis-associated cancer

Minor mutations can lead to big improvements in antibiotic resistance

Improving access to medical abortion

Antibiotics produce changes in microbial and metabolic patterns of the gut

Researchers develop new materials to support stem cell growth

Public health school deans condemn CIA's use of fake vaccination campaign in letter to Obama

Uganda government continuing focus on HIV prevention, treatment, amid calls from groups to do more

EC approves Pfizer’s Prevenar 13 to prevent pneumococcal disease

Wockhardt receives final FDA approval for Lamotrigine to treat epilepsy

Patient requests, drug company ties likely to influence doctors' decision to prescribe name-brand drugs

Combination of pazopanib and paclitaxel shows promise in slowing anaplastic thyroid cancer

Dopamine-related drug exposure, Parkinson's increase risk of impulse control problems

Mass. governor proposes new compounding pharmacy oversights

Orexigen reports progress with FDA on faster path to Contrave NDA resubmission

New compound restores health of mice with MRSA infection

Study shows timely reminders increase immunization rates among preschool children

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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