Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Merck update on the status of telcagepant clinical development programs

Merck & Co., Inc. today updated the status of the clinical development programs for telcagepant (MK-0974) and MK-3207, the Company's investigational oral calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonists for the intermittent treatment of acute migraine.

11 Sep 2009

Phase 2b clinical trial results of TC-5214 to be presented at nAChR2009

Targacept, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of drugs known as NNR Therapeutics, today confirmed plans to present data from its completed Phase 2b clinical trial of TC-5214 as an augmentation treatment for major depressive disorder at the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors as Therapeutic Targets Symposium (nAChR2009) in Lincolnshire, Illinois on October 15, 2009.

10 Sep 2009

CytRx granted patent for molecular chaperone amplifier drug candidate

CytRx Corporation, a biopharmaceutical research and development company engaged in the development of high-value human therapeutics, today announced that it has been granted a key patent by the European Patent Office that covers through 2024 the use of its orally available molecular chaperone amplifier drug candidate arimoclomol for the treatment or prevention of neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system (CNS).

10 Sep 2009

Human neural stem cells to treat Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease

StemCells, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEM) announced today that it will soon initiate with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Children’s Hospital a Phase I clinical trial to evaluate the therapeutic potential of StemCells’ proprietary HuCNS-SC® product candidate (purified human neural stem cells) to treat Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease (PMD), a myelination disorder that primarily affects infants and young children.

10 Sep 2009

Acorda Therapeutics announces Phase 3 Fampridine-SR trial findings

Data from a long-term open-label extension study from the first Phase 3 Fampridine-SR trial, known as MS-F203, showed that 24.9% of extension study participants with multiple sclerosis (MS) met the criteria as Extension Timed Walk Responders (ETWRs) after one year of treatment and demonstrated improved walking speed over a two year period.

10 Sep 2009

METOZOLV drug approved for treating gastroesophageal reflux disease

Wilmington Pharmaceuticals announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval for METOZOLV ODT (metoclopramide HCl), an orally disintegrating formulation of metoclopramide for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and diabetic gastroparesis.

10 Sep 2009

Medical liability reforms will hold down defensive medicine costs

President Obama, in his address to a joint session of Congress tonight, stated that “defensive medicine” does contribute to unnecessary costs in healthcare and will now explore options for medical liability reform. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) applaud the President’s inclusion of this key element as lawmakers move forward with an overall healthcare reform plan.

10 Sep 2009

Heavy school bags can cause back and spine injuries

Function and comfort over fashion is the goal this year as the kids head back to school. Starting today, the British Columbia Chiropractic Association is again launching television information to educate parents and inform them about the potential health risks an overweight back pack can cause on the early development of their children's backs.

10 Sep 2009

Merck's GARDASIL receives approval from FDA Advisory Committee

Merck & Co., Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee agreed that efficacy, immunogenicity and safety data from clinical trials in males support the use of GARDASIL® [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16 and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant] in boys and men 9 through 26 years of age for the prevention of genital warts caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6 and 11.

10 Sep 2009

Three genes linked to Lou Gehrig's disease

Michigan Technological University researchers have linked three genes to the most common type of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), generally known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

10 Sep 2009

Neuralstem's patent on neural stem cell transplantation approved

Neuralstem, Inc. today announced that it has received notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its patent entitled “Transplantation of Human Neural Cells For Treatment Of Neurodegenerative Conditions,” number 11/281,640.

9 Sep 2009

International Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Technology established for a global research initiative

Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York, the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, and National Cheng Kung University in Tainan City, Taiwan, have announced the creation of the International Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Technology that will facilitate the collaboration of research across three continents and accelerate the development of novel bioengineering, diagnostic and biomedical products for the treatment and cure of disease, officials said today.

9 Sep 2009

Neuroprosthetics 2009 national conference to focus on artificial limbs

On September 16, leaders in research and development of implantable limb neuroprosthetics will gather at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to discuss the state of the field and to advance collaborations that will push next-generation artificial limbs and prosthetic devices closer to clinical application.

9 Sep 2009

Exposure to air pollution can cause heart attack

It's well known that measures such as exercise, a healthy diet and not smoking can help reduce high blood pressure, but researchers at the University of Michigan Health System have determined the very air we breathe can be an invisible catalyst to heart disease.

8 Sep 2009

Research to develop new techniques for studying wild and transgenic mice's nervous system

Researchers of the Pablo de Olavide University (Seville) have started different projects based on the study of phenotype techniques in mice and their applicability to the pharmaceutical industry and neurodegenerative medicine.

8 Sep 2009

Protalix receives orphan drug designation for prGCD

Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE-Amex:PLX), announced today that it has received notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the FDA’s Office of Orphan Products Development has granted orphan drug designation to prGCD, the Company’s proprietary plant cell expressed recombinant form of glucocerebrosidase (GCD) for the treatment of Gaucher disease.

8 Sep 2009

Opexa Therapeutics releases Phase IIb TERMS clinical study results

Opexa Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing Tovaxin, a personalized T-cell immunotherapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), today announced results from further analysis of the double-blind, placebo-controlled, 52-week Phase IIb TERMS clinical study of 150 patients with Relapsing Remitting MS (RRMS).

8 Sep 2009

RONA MS Bike Tour organized for the benefit of the Quebec Division of the MS Society a huge success

The 20th edition of the RONA MS Bike Tour, organized for the benefit of the Quebec Division of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, ended last weekend in a glow of unbelievable generosity. Together, the 1,500 cyclists raised $1,450,000, which will fund research and services for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their families. Participants got together in the Victoriaville area on August 22 and 23, and in the Levis region on August 29 and 30.

8 Sep 2009

Recruitment for the Phase IIa clinical trial to assess CNS 7056 sedative completed by PAION

The biopharmaceutical company PAION AG (ISIN DE000A0B65S3; Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Prime Standard: PA8) today announces the successful completion of the Recruitment for the Phase IIa clinical trial assessing the new short-acting intravenous anesthetic/sedative CNS 7056 in patients undergoing endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract.

8 Sep 2009

Cognitive abilities decline more for people with Alzheimer's disease due to infections

Getting a cold, stomach bug or other infection may lead to increased memory loss in people with Alzheimer's disease, according to research published in the September 8, 2009, print issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

8 Sep 2009