Pharmacology

Plant compounds from a South African daffodil may be used to treat depression, according to a University of Copenhagen study, where they tested those substance in a laboratory model of the blood-brain barrier. Substances from the South African plant species Crinum and Cyrtanthus – akin to snowdrops and daffodils, respectively – have characteristics that enable them to negotiate the defensive blood-brain barrier, a key challenge in all new drug development. Obviously you should not run out and start eating daffodils just yet.  The lab test does not show which compounds can be used in drug…

Looking at the latest statistics, it’s hard to miss one compelling trend: The over-prescription of painkillers is slowly but surely eclipsing the problem of illegal drugs. There are, of course, the usual culprits in this disturbing trend - from HMOs and their dependence on pills to keep patients out of doctors’ offices to our culture of quick-fixes and slick marketing by drug companies. But the history of opioids’ medico-socio evolution also tells us the opioid has older sources as well. Consider the story of hydrocodone, the chemical name of Vicodin's primary ingredient (along with…

GBI Research, a business intelligence provider, has released its latest research, 'Bone Metabolism Therapeutics Market to 2018 - Hyperparathyroidism Sector to Decline in the Absence of New Product Launches and Increased Generic Erosion for Zemplar, Hectorol and Sensipar', which provides insights into bone metabolic disease therapeutics until 2018.    The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research and in-house analysis by GBI Researchs team. The report provides an analysis of the major bone metabolic diseases,…

Society is in a tough spot. Drug companies are culturally vilified and routinely sued when things go bad - all in return for only a few years of profitability before anyone can make the new drugs they develop - the FDA is constantly under pressure to expedite new drugs to respond to patient needs and governments are increasing pressure and regulation.  Small wonder there are fewer early stage drug companies and drug shortages.  The situation is even worse in Europe, both in their cultural resistance to modern science and anti-business climate.  The European Hematology…

Results Presented at the 17th Congress of the European Hematology Association by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Europe Ltd., said six-year follow-up results from a Phase 3 randomized, open-label, dose-optimisation study of SPRYCEL(R) (dasatinib) in Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukaemia (CP-CML) adult patients resistant or intolerant to Glivec(R) (imatinib).  The six-year data shows progression-free survival of 49.3% and an overall survival of 71% for patients randomized to dasatinib 100 mg once daily (n=167), with 6% of…

ArQule, Inc. and Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. announced final results from a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase 2 clinical trial with the selective MET inhibitor tivantinib  as a single-agent, investigational, second-line treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The data was presented at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (abstract number 4006). The 107 patients in the trial had unresectable HCC and had disease progression after first-line therapy or were unable to tolerate the first-line therapy. Patients were randomized to…

Parents of children with neurological conditions and disorders and mental health issues are often faced with the frightening and difficult decision of whether to medicate for specific issues and behaviors. Parents are already stressed, worried, and expecting the worst when they walk into a psychiatrist's office, and it doesn't help when they've already been through the gamut of pediatricians, psychologists and other health professionals who have an opinion on the diagnosis of mental health issues in children and the role medication should play in the treatment. A new book by an experienced…

A specific antioxidant supplement containing N-Acetylcysteine, or NAC may be an effective therapy for some features of autism, according to a pilot trial from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital that involved 31 children with the disorder.N-Acetylcysteine lowered irritability in children with autism as well as reducing the children's repetitive behaviors. Irritability affects 60 to 70 percent of children with autism. "We're not talking about mild things: This is throwing, kicking, hitting, the child needing to be restrained," said Antonio…

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of sildenafil, brand name Viagra, showed improvement in echocardiogram measures of myocardial performance in children and young adults after Fontan surgery - basically, kids with congenital heart defects were helped by a drug commonly associated with sexual dysfunction in older men. Fontan surgery, also called the Fontan/Kreutzer procedure, was developed in 1968 and first performed by Francis Fontan, where he connected the right atrium directly to the pulmonary artery, basically meaning he got a defective heart to work without the right…

PITTSBURGH and LYON, France, May 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mylan Inc. today announced that it has launched Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets, 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg and 80 mg in France, Belgium, the UK, the Netherlands and Ireland. Mylan has received marketing authorization from each country's respective health authority to begin selling its product immediately. Atorvastatin Calcium is the generic version of Pfizer's Lipitor® Tablets. This product is indicated for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and hypercholesterolemia. Mylan CEO Heather Bresch said: "We are pleased to provide access to…