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Oral tenofovir discontinued in HIV clinical trial

A large-scale clinical trial evaluating whether daily use of an oral tablet or vaginal gel containing antiretroviral drugs can prevent HIV infection in women is being modified because an interim review found that the study cannot show that one of the study products, oral tenofovir, marketed under the trade name Viread, is effective.

29 Sep 2011

Public lecture on children's medicines to be launched on October 5

The University of Greenwich's School of Science launches its public lecture series for the new academic year with an event at the Medway Campus on Wednesday, October 5.

29 Sep 2011

SIS becomes an Industry Supporter of ASA

Surgical Information Systems (SIS) has become an Industry Supporter of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), as a part of a Corporate Supporter program available to pharmaceutical, medical device, anesthesia information management system and practice management companies.

29 Sep 2011

New report finds little evidence to support off-label use of atypical antipsychotics

There is little evidence to support the use of atypical antipsychotic drugs for some treatments other than their officially approved purposes, even though many clinicians continue to commonly prescribe these drugs for so-called "off label" uses, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

29 Sep 2011

AASLD publishes updated practice guidelines on hepatitis C

On Monday, September 26, 2011, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases published online at its journal Hepatology's website an update to its practice guidelines for hepatitis C – "An Update on Treatment of Genotype 1 Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection: 2011 Practice Guideline by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases."

29 Sep 2011

Prototype drug shows promise against chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Pre-clinical research has generated some very promising findings about a prototype drug for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

29 Sep 2011

Acetyl-L-carnitine likely to improve outcomes and recovery for individuals with SCI

A commonly used supplement is likely to improve outcomes and recovery for individuals who sustain a spinal cord injury (SCI), according to research conducted by University of Kentucky neuroscientists.

29 Sep 2011

Johns Hopkins researchers discover oxaliplatin-based nerve damage

Oxaliplatin, a platinum-based anticancer drug that's made enormous headway in recent years against colorectal cancer, appears to cause nerve damage that may be permanent and worsens even months after treatment ends.

29 Sep 2011

Valeant's colesevelam New Drug Submission for hypercholesterolemia receives Canadian approval

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Valeant International (Barbados) SRL, has received notice that the New Drug Submission for colesevelam hydrochloride (colesevelam), an oral bile acid sequestrant for hypercholesterolemia, has been approved by the Canadian regulatory authority Health Canada.

28 Sep 2011

FDA: Study suggests increased risk of blood clots from drospirenone-containing contraceptives

On Monday, the United States Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") said its primary results of an agency funded study suggest a 1.5 fold increase risk of blood clots for women who use drospirenone-containing birth control products, such as Yaz and Yasmin.

28 Sep 2011

'Urgent action' needed to prevent resistance to antiretroviral therapy

"The clear pattern of increasing antiretroviral resistance in lower-income settings must be considered in the context of the worldwide HIV-control agenda," especially because "the increasing rates of antiretroviral resistance in low-income settings represent a potential threat to the emerging treatment-as-prevention strategy," Evan Wood and Julio Montaner of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS write in a Lancet Infectious Diseases opinion piece.

28 Sep 2011

Americans cutting back on health spending by skipping prescriptions, procedures

A Consumer Reports survey revealed that more Americans are ignoring their doctor’s advice and skipping prescription drugs or medical procedures to save money in 2011 than a year earlier.

28 Sep 2011

Postmenopausal HRT linked with increased risk of asthma hospitalisations in women

Women taking postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may have an increased risk of severe asthma attacks requiring hospitalisation, scientists warn.

28 Sep 2011

UCI professor wins Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists & Engineers

Rommie Amaro, UC Irvine assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences and computer science, has been selected by President Obama for the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists & Engineers.

28 Sep 2011

Stimulant prescription use for ADHD has increased steadily from 1996-2008

The prescribed use of stimulant medications to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rose slowly but steadily from 1996 to 2008, according to a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The study was published online ahead of print September 28, 2011, in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

28 Sep 2011

Transcept announces resubmission of NDA for Intermezzo to FDA

Transcept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary products that address important therapeutic needs in the field of neuroscience, today announced that the company has resubmitted the New Drug Application for Intermezzo (zolpidem tartrate sublingual tablet) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

28 Sep 2011

Benefits and harms vary among atypical antipsychotics for off-label use

A review of previous studies suggests that even though atypical antipsychotic medications are commonly used for off-label conditions such as behavioral symptoms of dementia, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, these medications are effective for only a few off-label conditions, and that the benefits and harms of these medications for these uses vary, according to an article in the September 28 issue of JAMA.

28 Sep 2011

DMARDs appear to be more effective for children with arthritis

Medications known as disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, or DMARDs, appear to be more effective than other treatments for children with arthritis, but there is not enough evidence to support one kind of DMARD over another, according to a new report from HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

28 Sep 2011

Asians struggling with alcoholism may benefit from naltrexone

New UCLA psychology research indicates that Asians who are struggling with alcoholism may benefit especially from naltrexone, one of three medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of alcoholism.

28 Sep 2011

Study sheds light on when to start antiretroviral therapy

Findings from a study published in the current issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, when "taken together with other studies published over the last few years," show that beginning people living with HIV on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) when their CD4 cell count is between 350 and 500 "appears to be beneficial over the long term.

28 Sep 2011