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New compound reverses major symptoms associated with FXS

A recent study finds that a new compound reverses many of the major symptoms associated with Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common form of inherited intellectual disability and a leading cause of autism. The paper, published by Cell Press in the April 12 issue of the journal Neuron, describes the exciting observation that the FXS correction can occur in adult mice, after the symptoms of the condition have already been established.

12 Apr 2012

Two UM events examine timely issue of medicinal marijuana use

Two events this week at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law examine the timely issue of medicinal use of marijuana.

12 Apr 2012

PATH Blog examines organization's work in malaria through affiliate drug development program

This PATH Blog post examines PATH's work in malaria through OneWorld Health, a non-profit drug development program. Since 2004, "when OneWorld Health formed a partnership to develop an alternative source of the malaria drug artemisinin, ... OneWorld Health, which became an affiliate of PATH late last year, has quietly forged relationships with public and private partners, creating the Artemisinin Project to take the work from research to commercialization," the blog writes.

12 Apr 2012

KineMed receives NIH RAID grant to advance FX-5A for heart disease

KineMed Inc. today announced its successful award of a Rapid Access to Intervention Development (RAID) peer-reviewed grant by the National Institute of Health to advance an HDL mimetic, designated FX-5A, designed to reverse atherosclerosis and heart disease.

12 Apr 2012

Johns Hopkins cardiologists support use of statins for primary prevention of heart attack

Writing the first commentary for a new feature in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), called Viewpoint, Johns Hopkins cardiologists make the case for why a 55-year-old man with a 10 percent estimated risk of heart attack over the next 10 years should be offered statin medication. They were invited to debate a professor who argues against prescribing statins for "primary" prevention—for those who have not had a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack—even though they may be considered at "intermediate" risk because of elevated cholesterol or other factors.

12 Apr 2012

USPTO issues two Notices of Allowance to AcelRx for NanoTab formulations

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of acute and breakthrough pain, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued AcelRx two Notices of Allowance for the patent applications entitled "Small-Volume Oral Transmucosal Dosage Forms" and "Bioadhesive Drug Formulations for Oral Transmucosal Delivery."

12 Apr 2012

Scientists aim to develop new testing methods for drug-induced liver failure

Liver damage caused by medicinal drugs is one of the most common reasons for liver failure and liver transplants in the Western world. Nevertheless, it is difficult to predict which active ingredients will turn out to be toxic for the organ. Oftentimes the problems are not discovered until the drug is already on the market. Prof. Dr. Jens Timmer, Freiburg physicist and Director of the FRIAS School of Life Sciences - LifeNet, is a project partner in a consortium that wants to solve this problem.

12 Apr 2012

FDA takes three steps to protect public health and promote judicious antimicrobial use

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it is taking three steps to protect public health and promote the judicious use of medically important antibiotics in food-producing animals.

12 Apr 2012

GAVI Alliance secures deal to purchase rotavirus vaccines from GlaxoSmithKline, Merck

The GAVI Alliance "has struck a deal for bulk buying rotavirus shots from GlaxoSmithKline and Merck, which cuts the price by two-thirds and will allow poorer countries access to them at around $5 per course," Reuters reports.

12 Apr 2012

Biogen Idec launches FAMPYRA in Canada

Today, Biogen Idec Canada announces that FAMPYRA (fampridine sustained release tablets or fampridine SR) is now available for prescription for patients living with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Canada.

12 Apr 2012

In past campaign, Santorum played up support for Medicare drug plan

In 2006, Rick Santorum took a moderate stance on the prescription drug plan -- and cast a vote in the Senate that he has called a mistake in this presidential campaign. Meanwhile, in Maine, a Senate candidate who is running as an independent, is keeping "people guessing" about which political side he would pick.

12 Apr 2012

Participation of big pharma companies critical to success of drug patent pools

In this post in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog, David de Ferranti, president of the Results for Development Institute, and Robert Hecht, managing director at the Institute, examine whether patent pools could help increase access to AIDS drugs among the world's poor, writing, AIDS program managers and advocates must pursue all measures that can keep the cost of treatment low and affordable.

12 Apr 2012

Influenza vaccine recommended but select the appropriate vaccine

Further to advice issued by the RACGP and the Chief Medical Officer, NPS is encouraging health professionals to offer their patients influenza vaccination, especially for those at risk, but to be aware that the choice of influenza vaccine is important, especially for children.

11 Apr 2012

FDA ‘ups’ safety warnings for blood clots on birth control pill labels

According to federal health regulators more information needs to be added to labels on a popular class of birth control pills that includes Bayer AG's Yaz and Yasmin, to show they may raise the risk of blood clots. A clot in blood vessels can prove fatal if it breaks loose and travels to the lungs, heart or brain.

11 Apr 2012

WHO publishes 'Programmatic Update' on use of ARVs to treat pregnant women, prevent PMTCT

The WHO "recently published a 'Programmatic Update' on the use of antiretrovirals (ARVs) to treat pregnant women and prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT)," the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports.

11 Apr 2012

Inexpensive female genital schistosomiasis prevention could help reduce women's risk of HIV infection

In this Huffington Post "Global Motherhood" blog post, Peter Hotez, president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, describes female genital schistosomiasis (FGS), which affects more than 100 million women and girls in Africa and "causes horrific pain and bleeding in the uterus, cervix and lower genital tract, not to mention social stigma and depression."

11 Apr 2012

Losartan may not increase risk of all-cause mortality in heart failure patients

Although observational studies have suggested that losartan, a drug used primarily for the treatment of hypertension, may be associated with an increased risk of death among patients with heart failure compared with other medications in the same class of drugs (angiotensin II receptor blockers [ARBs]), an analysis that included nearly 6,500 patients found that overall, use of losartan was not associated with increased all-cause death or cardiovascular death compared with use of the ARB candesartan, according to a study in the April 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Apr 2012

Supplement intake predicts optimal RBC folate concentration in Canadian women

Researchers have gained new insight into why 22% of Canadian women of childbearing age are still not achieving a folate concentration considered optimal for reducing the risk of having babies with neural tube defects, despite a virtual absence of folate deficiency in the general Canadian population.

11 Apr 2012

Bayer announces updated labels for drospirenone-containing COCs in the U.S.

In agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that it has updated the labels for its drospirenone-containing combination oral contraceptives (COCs) in the United States.

11 Apr 2012

Botanical formula controls aggressive human prostate tumors in mice

A non-toxic, botanical formula controls aggressive human prostate tumors in mice, according to a peer-reviewed study in the The International Journal of Oncology. Researchers at Indiana University, Methodist Research Institute, showed the prostate formula significantly suppresses tumor growth in aggressive, hormone-refractory (androgen-independent) human prostate cancer cells.

11 Apr 2012