Analysis of more than 8,000 women who participated in the world’s largest study of two treatments for HER2-positive breast cancer reinforces other findings from the clinical trial showing that trastuzumab (Herceptin) should remain the standard of care for this cancer, says a Mayo Clinic researcher.
Over the past several decades, Michael Kinch of Washington University in St. Louis says, the pharmaceutical industry has managed to dismantle itself. “It’s done a really efficient job of it,” he said. In a provocative series of articles and interviews, Kinch, the director of the Center for Research Innovation in Business at the university, has been describing the history of this dismantling and its implications for the future of medicine. The inescapable conclusion is that “The process by which drugs are discovered and developed will be fundamentally different in the future,” he says.
An anticonvulsant drug called lamotrigine is the first chemical inhibitor of the assembly of ribosomes in bacteria.
Positive new data have been released on a drug candidate, RPC1063, for relapsing multiple sclerosis that was first discovered and synthesized at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI).
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey is one of several worldwide sites to offer a clinical trial examining the investigational vaccine-based treatment PROSTVAC in patients with prostate cancer that is no longer responsive to hormone therapy and has spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body. The goal of this immunotherapy study is to see if PROSTVAC improves survival when combined with a drug that helps boost the body’s ability to fight infection.
In an analysis of the results of nearly 50 randomized trials that examined treatments of venous thromboembolisms (blood clot in a vein), there were no significant differences in clinical and safety outcomes associated with most treatment strategies when compared with the low-molecular-weight heparin-vitamin K antagonist combination, according to a study in the September 17 issue of JAMA.
Magnesium sulfate given intravenously to pregnant women at risk of very preterm birth was not associated with benefit on neurological, behavioral, growth, or functional outcomes in their children at school age, according to a study in the September 17 issue of JAMA.
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have launched a phase 1 human clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of a new monoclonal antibody for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the most common form of blood cancer in adults.
A pharmacologist warns that if you are raising chickens in your backyard, don't consume their eggs if the animals have been taking medication.
A team from McGill University has discovered that people who take the most common antidepressants (such as Celexa, Paxil, Lexapro, Prozac, and Zoloft, the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRIs) are twice as likely to have dental implants fail as those who are not taking SSRIs.
Bacteria that normally live in and upon us have genetic blueprints that enable them to make thousands of molecules that act like drugs, and some of these molecules might serve as the basis for new human therapeutics, according to UC San Francisco researchers.
Using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), researchers at Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California, San Diego have discovered that neurons from patients with schizophrenia secrete higher amounts of three neurotransmitters broadly implicated in a range of psychiatric disorders.
It will soon be much easier for Americans to safely dispose of unwanted medications. The U.S. Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) just announced rules allowing participating pharmacies, certain hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities to collect medication for proper disposal. The rules go into effect next month.
A new immunotoxin works by getting shuttled into cancer cells, selectively destroying colon cancer, thanks to a quirk of biology
Results of a Phase I clinical trial showed that a new drug targeting mitochondrial function in human cancer cells was safe and showed some efficacy. The findings, reported by doctors at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, are published in the current online edition of the journal Clinical Cancer Research.
Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:KERX) (the "Company") today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Ferric Citrate (formerly known as Zerenex) for the control of serum phosphorus levels in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on dialysis.
Expert is available to comment on the impending likely approval of Merck & Co.’s immuno-oncology drug, pembrolizumab, as a treatment for melanoma. According to Dr. Robert H. Pierce of OncoSec Medical, it is believed that 60 to 70 percent of patients with metastatic melanoma exhibit no response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy that Merck is developing, so it could be useful to combine it with other forms of immunotherapy. One such alternate form is OncoSec’s ImmunoPulse, which delivers brief electrical pulses of DNA IL-12 and has shown in early studies to date to penetrate and destroy cancer cells.
A research team, led by Dr Kang Lifeng of the Department of Pharmacy at the NUS Faculty of Science, has successfully developed a simple technique to encapsulate lidocaine, a common painkiller, or collagen in the tiny needles attached to an adhesive patch. When applied to the skin, the microneedles deliver the drug or collagen rapidly into the skin without any discomfort to the user.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a new immunotherapy drug to treat advanced melanoma, signaling a paradigm shift in the way the deadly skin cancer is treated.
UNC researchers found that DPP-4 inhibitors--drugs to treat diabetes--do not increase the short-term risk of pancreatic cancer.
Accidents as minor as a slip of the knife while chopping onions can turn dangerous for patients with hemophilia, who lack the necessary proteins in their blood to stem the flow from a wound.
Researchers at Penn State have demonstrated an acoustofluidic pump powered by a piezoelectric transducer about the size of a quarter. This reliable, inexpensive, programmable pump is a crucial feature for lab-on-a-chip devices that could make the diagnosis of many global life-threatening diseases easy and affordable.
Administering synthetic marijuana (cannabinoids) soon after a traumatic event can prevent PTSD-like (post-traumatic stress disorder) symptoms in rats, caused by the trauma and by trauma reminders
Prescribing both a stimulant and an antipsychotic drug to children with physical aggression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), along with teaching parents to use behavior management techniques, reduces aggressive and serious behavioral problems in children, according to a study conducted by researchers in the Department of Psychiatry at Stony Brook University School of Medicine. The findings are published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
The discovery and subsequent introduction of dantrolene in 1979 was a major breakthrough in the treatment of malignant hyperthermia (MH) that is responsible for saving hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. However, one of the major challenges in the successful treatment of MH is the need for rapid mixing, suspension, and administration of dantrolene during a crisis.
Many African-Americans may not be getting effective doses of the HIV drug maraviroc because they are more likely than European-Americans to inherit functional copies of a protein that speeds the removal of the drug from the body.
A Penn Medicine-developed drug has received orphan status in Europe this week for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, a rare, life-threatening disease that causes anemia due to destruction of red blood cells and thrombosis.
Researchers have discovered that three commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, alter the activity of enzymes within cell membranes. Their finding suggests that, if taken at higher-than-approved doses and/or for long periods of time, these prescription-level NSAIDs and other drugs that affect the membrane may produce wide-ranging and unwanted side effects.
As brain surgeons test new procedures and drugs to treat conditions ranging from psychiatric disorders to brain cancer, accuracy is becoming an ever-greater issue. In treating the brain, the state of the art today starts with images from a magnetic resonance (MR) scanner, usually made a few days before surgery. To bring the full promise of MR into the operating room, UW-Madison professor Walter Block has formed a company called InseRT MRI to develop software that allows surgeons to observe the brain in real time on an MR machine during surgery.
An analysis of patented university inventions licensed to biotechnology firms has revealed early bottlenecks on the path to commercialization. To open these roadblocks, the researchers suggest that better communication of basic research results during the discovery stage could lead to faster commercialization down the road.
In a new paper, published this week in the online early edition of PNAS, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine conclude that aspirin has a second effect: Not only does it kill cyclooxygenase, thus preventing production of the prostaglandins that cause inflammation and pain, it also prompts the enzyme to generate another compound that hastens the end of inflammation, returning the affected cells to homeostatic health.
Osteoporosis drugs known as bisphosphonates may not protect women from breast cancer as had been thought, according to a new study led by researchers at UC San Francisco (UCSF).
Researchers at UC Davis, City of Hope, Taipai Medical University and National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan have discovered how a drug that deprives the cells of a key amino acid specifically kills cancer cells.
Scientists who developed products that improve health, as well as materials for plastics and electronics, will be inducted into a scientific “Hall of Fame” today, becoming the newest Heroes of Chemistry, an honor bestowed by the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society.
As the Food and Drug Administration mulls over whether to rein in the use of common antibacterial compounds that are causing growing concern among environmental health experts, scientists are reporting today that many pregnant women and their fetuses are being exposed to these substances. They will present their work at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.
Wrapping wound dressings around fingers and toes can be tricky, but for burn victims, guarding them against infection is critical. Today, scientists are reporting the development of novel, ultrathin coatings called nanosheets that can cling to the body’s most difficult-to-protect contours and keep bacteria at bay. They’re speaking about their materials, which they’ve tested on mice, at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.
Today the journal Science published results of a preclinical study demonstrating that treatment with orally available RNA splicing modifiers of the SMN2 gene starting early after birth is preventing deficits in a mouse model of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).
A new approach for formulating the active chemical ingredients of common drugs and agricultural products has been developed by researchers in Italy, and it holds broad potential to make such products more durable, safer, cheaper, easier to manufacture and less harmful to the environment.
A team of researchers is developing new approaches to chemical synthesis and mineral processing based on solid-state chemistry -- and inspired by examples from nature. At the 23rd Congress and General Assembly of the International Union of Crystallography, Tomislav Friščić will describe some of his unconventional approaches and how they promise better, safer and far less expensive methods for extracting metals from mineral ores as well as for the scalable synthesis of pharmaceutical drugs.
Experts sit down to discuss recent findings in crystallography with a Nobel laureate. Reporters are invited to attend the event and ask questions.
A University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy professor has developed a method for needle-free, intranasal administration of the anti-opioid drug naloxone. The product is in its final round of clinical trials and has retrieved Fast Track status from the FDA.
An outline of Marilyn Monroe's iconic face appeared on the clear, plastic film when a researcher fogs it with her breath.
Researchers have identified genetic variants that are associated with severe adverse skin reactions to the antiepileptic drug phenytoin, according to a study in the August 6 issue of JAMA.
Nanoscale, biodegradable drug-delivery method could provide a year or more of steady doses.
Parkinson's disease (PD) patients may confront a common but largely unrecognized challenge: the occurrence of impulse control disorders (ICDs) such as compulsive gambling, sexual behavior, eating, or spending. A team of investigators from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Parkinson's Disease Research, Education and Clinical Center (PADRECC) at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center conducted a pilot study and found that the opioid antagonist naltrexone may be an effective treatment for diminishing ICD symptoms in PD patients. The results were published in the journal Neurology.
Parenting skills of adults with ADHD improve when their ADHD is treated with medication, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. At least 25 percent of clinic-referred children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder have a parent with ADHD.
In creating an adhesive patterned after glue produced by the lowly underwater sandcastle worm, researchers are reporting today that they may have solved the problem of premature births that sometimes result from fetal surgery. It also could open up numerous opportunities to safely perform more complex fetal surgeries in the future. Their report will be presented at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.
Injuries, birth defects or surgery to remove a tumor can create large gaps in bone. And when they occur in the head, face or jaw, these defects can dramatically alter a person’s appearance. Researchers will report at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society that they have developed a “self-fitting” material that expands with warm salt water to precisely fill bone defects, and also acts as a scaffold for bone growth.
Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the publication of results from the long-term, randomized, active control Phase 3 study of Zerenex (ferric citrate), the Company's investigational oral ferric iron-based phosphate binder, for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on dialysis. The PERFECTED study (PhosphatE binding and iRon delivery with FErric CiTrate in EsrD) was published online today in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).
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