Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

FDA approves expanded uses for Gardasil for vaginal and vulvar cancer caused by HPV

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced the approval of the vaccine Gardasil for the prevention of vaginal and vulvar cancer caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 in girls and women ages 9 to 26.

14 Sep 2008

FDA approves Gamunex for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that it has approved an immune globulin product called Gamunex for the treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), a rare autoimmune disorder characterized by progressive weakness and impaired sensory function in the legs and arms.

14 Sep 2008

Untapped potential of antidepressants for cancer

A comprehensive review of current scientific literature, published in the peer-reviewed journal ecancer, has suggested that antidepressants can help the human body fight cancer by boosting its own immune response, amongst other mechanisms.

11 Sep 2008

Newly discovered molecule promises better treatments for heart attacks, heart surgery

Scientists have discovered a compound that could lead to new treatments for heart attacks as well as methods to protect hearts during open heart surgery and other situations in which blood flow to the heart is interrupted.

11 Sep 2008

Spine surgery through a straw

Performing minimally invasive surgery through narrow tubes has provided great benefit for patients suffering with worn and painful spinal disc degeneration. Additional findings also show that -- following a learning curve -- minimally invasive techniques take the same amount of time for surgeons to perform as more invasive "standard" procedures.

11 Sep 2008

Receptor activation protects retina from diabetes destruction

A drug known for it pain-relieving power and believed to stimulate memory appears to prevent this retinal damage that leads to vision loss, researchers say.

9 Sep 2008

Asian-Americans, blacks more skeptical of joint replacement surgery than whites, study finds

Blacks and Asian-Americans perceive joint replacement surgery as a riskier procedure than whites do, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of Rheumatology, Reuters Health reports.

9 Sep 2008

Orexo and Boehringer Ingelheim extend collaboration

Orexo AB, the Swedish pharmaceutical company and Boehringer Ingelheim, the international pharmaceutical company headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, have extended their existing three year research collaboration for a further 12 months from November 2008.

8 Sep 2008

Myalgic encephalomyelitis sufferers rely on aternative medicines

More than a third of patients with long-term fatigue conditions like Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) believe complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are more effective than traditional medicine in treating their illness, research launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester reveals.

7 Sep 2008

NIH tackles urologic chronic pelvic pain disorders

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces awards to eight academic research centers to conduct collaborative studies of urologic chronic pelvic pain disorders by looking for clues outside the bladder and prostate. The total research investment for the five-year project is estimated to be up to $37.5 million.

7 Sep 2008

Free drug samples may end up costing uninsured more

Free drug samples provided to physicians by pharmaceutical companies could actually be costing uninsured patients more in the long run, according to a study done by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues.

7 Sep 2008

FDA approves DNA test to measure hepatitis B viral load

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first nucleic acid test for hepatitis B virus (HBV) that measures the amount of viral DNA (viral load) in a patient's blood. Assessing a patient's viral load provides health care professionals with a highly sensitive method for gauging the progress of antiviral therapy in patients with chronic HBV infections.

5 Sep 2008

More training, improved tools needed for African health workers performing male circumcisions, study finds

African health workers performing male circumcision in an effort to curb the spread of HIV need better tools and more training to avoid high rates of complications, according to a World Health Organization study published Monday in the WHO Bulletin, Reuters Health reports.

4 Sep 2008

Teenager almost deaf after waiting too long for ear drum surgery

In the latest bungle involving an Australian hospital, a teenage boy in Tasmania has reportedly waited so long for surgery to repair his perforated ear drum that he is almost deaf.

4 Sep 2008

Diffusion Pharmaceuticals initiates phase I/II clinical trial in patients with peripheral arterial disease

Diffusion Pharmaceuticals LLC, a clinical-stage drug-development company commercializing new drugs for the treatment of unmet medical needs, announced today that it has begun to enroll patients in a Phase I/II clinical trial of its lead drug candidate trans sodium crocetinate (TSC).

3 Sep 2008

MRSA breast infections controllable in nursing mothers, researchers find

Many nursing mothers who have been hospitalized for breast abscesses are afflicted with the "superbug" methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, but according to new research by UT Southwestern Medical Center physicians, conservative treatment can deal with the problem.

3 Sep 2008

Researchers find genetic proof on how osteoarthritis destroys cartilage

A team of orthopaedic researchers has found definitive, genetic proof of how the most common form of arthritis destroys joint cartilage in nearly 21 million aging Americans, according to a study published online Sept. 2 in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. The findings serve as an important foundation for the design of new treatments for osteoarthritis (OA), researchers said.

2 Sep 2008

Spinifex secures major investment to develop pain drug

Spinifex Pharmaceuticals, an Australian pain drug development company, today announced it has secured venture capital investment of A$12 million from GBS Venture Partners Limited, Brandon Capital Partners and Uniseed to fund the development of its pain management drug, EMA401.

2 Sep 2008

Discovery of novel candidate gene for inflammatory bowel diseases

A study of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in children has identified a gene that influences whether children get these diseases early in life, and points to a potential new target for treatment.

2 Sep 2008