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Researchers discover molecular basis for potential cancer preventive effects of vitamin D

A team of researchers at McGill University have discovered a molecular basis for the potential cancer preventive effects of vitamin D. The team, led by McGill professors John White and David Goltzman, of the Faculty of Medicine's Department of Physiology, discovered that the active form of vitamin D acts by several mechanisms to inhibit both the production and function of the protein cMYC.

26 Nov 2012

Avermectin family of drugs shows promise against TB

A well-established family of drugs used to treat parasitic diseases is showing surprising potential as a therapy for tuberculosis (TB), according to new research from University of British Columbia microbiologists.

26 Nov 2012

AMITIZA for treatment of chronic constipation now available in Japan

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Abbott today announced the availability of AMITIZA (lubiprostone) in Japan, a prescription medicine for the treatment of chronic constipation not caused by organic diseases. AMITIZA was approved by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan in June.

26 Nov 2012

mRNA vaccines offer protection against influenza A virus infections in various animal models

CureVac GmbH, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of therapies and vaccines based on mRNA, and the German Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI), Germany, today announced that mRNA vaccines (RNActive) based on the company's RNA technology platform have the potential to provide effective protection against infectious diseases.

26 Nov 2012

Lymphopenia driven diseases and the orphan drug industry: an interview with Damian Marron, CEO of Cytheris

Lymphopenia is when you lack the T cells of your immune system. T cells are very important for controlling infection. Probably the most known cause of lymphopenia is HIV.

23 Nov 2012

Study to discover exactly how intravenous immune globulin treatments work

Immune globulin replacement began decades ago as a treatment for patients who could not make their own protective antibodies, but has proven to have much broader benefits than originally expected.

22 Nov 2012

Bowel cancer and GIST patients could benefit from novel oral drug

Two phase 3 trials, published in The Lancet, have shown that a novel oral drug called regorafenib could offer survival benefits to people with bowel (colorectal) cancer or gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) following failure of existing treatments.

22 Nov 2012

TGF-betaR inhibitors may counter drug resistance in cancer patients with MED12 mutations

Cancer therapies often have short-lived benefits due to the emergence of genetic mutations that cause drug resistance. A key gene that determines resistance to a range of cancer drugs has been reported in a study published by Cell Press November 21st in the journal Cell.

22 Nov 2012

Single dose of Medicago's vaccine could offer cross-protection against flu

Researchers recently found that a single dose of a vaccine being developed by Medicago, Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, could protect against not only the avian influenza (H5N1) strain it was designed for, but also another H5N1 strain and a strain of a different flu subtype, called H2N2.

22 Nov 2012

Tirofiban effectively prevents strokes in high risk patients

Scientists may have discovered a new way to prevent strokes in high risk patients, according to research from the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW).

22 Nov 2012

Microbiologists discover how the spread of antibiotic resistance works in pneumococcus

Antibiotic resistance results from bacteria's uncanny ability to morph and adapt, outwitting pharmaceuticals that are supposed to kill them. But exactly how the bacteria acquire and spread that resistance inside individuals carrying them is not well-established for most bacterial organisms.

22 Nov 2012

AMFm should continue, improvements should be explored

The "grand experiment" of the Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMFm) -- a pilot program that aims to get artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) into rural areas of several African nations -- "seems likely to end, its successes underrated and potential improvements not yet explored," a Nature editorial says.

22 Nov 2012

Iridoid synthase can make powerful chemicals from catnip to vinblastine

Scientists have discovered an enzyme used in nature to make powerful chemicals from catnip to a cancer drug, vinblastine. The discovery opens up the prospect of producing these chemicals cheaply and efficiently.

22 Nov 2012

OB-GYN group calls for over-the-counter birth control pills

In an attempt to reduce unintended pregnancies that cost the nation an estimated $11.1 billion a year, the nation's largest group of obstetricians and gynecologists said Tuesday that oral contraceptives should be available without a prescription.

22 Nov 2012

Study predicts shortage of primary care doctors will worsen

The United States will need about 52,000 new primary-care doctors as the population grows and ages, according to a new study. Research published in the Annals of Family Medicine estimated that most of the doctor shortage will be caused by the rising U.S. population.

22 Nov 2012

WHO member states must develop, adopt treaty to combat substandard, fake medicines

"This week delegates from about 100 member countries of the World Health Organization are meeting in Buenos Aires with the aim of strengthening defenses against substandard and fraudulent medicines," Amir Attaran of the University of Ottawa and Roger Bate, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, write in a New York Times opinion piece.

22 Nov 2012

Dropping of cold chain requirement for meningitis vaccine will improve access, IRIN reports

IRIN examines how the WHO's recent declaration that the MenAfriVac meningitis A vaccine can be transported or stored for up to four days without refrigeration will affect immunization campaigns in Africa's meningitis belt, which runs from Senegal to Ethiopia.

22 Nov 2012

Homing beacon drugs can kill cancer cells

A medical researcher with the University of Alberta and his team just published their findings about their work on developing 'homing beacon drugs' that kill only cancer cells, not healthy ones, thanks to nano-technology.

22 Nov 2012

Inhaled nitric oxide reduces adverse effects of stored blood transfusion in mice

Inhaled nitric oxide reduced the adverse effects of transfusing stored blood in mice, according to a study from the December issue of Anesthesiology. Researchers found that inhaled nitric oxide reduced tissue injury and improved short-term survival in mice that were resuscitated with a stored blood transfusion after hemorrhagic shock.

22 Nov 2012

FDA accepts MAP Pharmaceuticals’ resubmission of NDA for LEVADEX

MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its New Drug Application (NDA) resubmission for LEVADEX orally inhaled migraine drug for the potential acute treatment of migraine in adults has been accepted for filing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

22 Nov 2012

Pharmaceutical News

Researchers discover molecular basis for potential cancer preventive effects of vitamin D

Avermectin family of drugs shows promise against TB

AMITIZA for treatment of chronic constipation now available in Japan

mRNA vaccines offer protection against influenza A virus infections in various animal models

Lymphopenia driven diseases and the orphan drug industry: an interview with Damian Marron, CEO of Cytheris

Study to discover exactly how intravenous immune globulin treatments work

Bowel cancer and GIST patients could benefit from novel oral drug

TGF-betaR inhibitors may counter drug resistance in cancer patients with MED12 mutations

Single dose of Medicago's vaccine could offer cross-protection against flu

Tirofiban effectively prevents strokes in high risk patients

Microbiologists discover how the spread of antibiotic resistance works in pneumococcus

AMFm should continue, improvements should be explored

Iridoid synthase can make powerful chemicals from catnip to vinblastine

OB-GYN group calls for over-the-counter birth control pills

Study predicts shortage of primary care doctors will worsen

WHO member states must develop, adopt treaty to combat substandard, fake medicines

Dropping of cold chain requirement for meningitis vaccine will improve access, IRIN reports

Homing beacon drugs can kill cancer cells

Inhaled nitric oxide reduces adverse effects of stored blood transfusion in mice

FDA accepts MAP Pharmaceuticals’ resubmission of NDA for LEVADEX

Exploring the nanoscale: How AFM is transforming cosmetic science

Innovating Texture and Culture in Plant-Based Foods

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

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