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No need to rush to take epilepsy drugs

A new study from the UK says that it is not neccessary to rush to put people on drugs if they have only infrequent seizures.

12 Jun 2005

Ibruprofen and other commonly used painkillers for treating inflammation may increase the risk of heart attack

Patients should not stop taking the drugs involved - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) - but further investigation into these treatments is needed, say the authors.

10 Jun 2005

Survey highlights need for primary care guidance on NSAID use

New guidance on NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) use is urgently needed to ensure the best patient care, European experts said today. The news coincides with the results from a European survey of 626 arthritis patients which found that many are confused and worried about the potential side-effects of their medication.

10 Jun 2005

Ibuprofen may cause heart attacks - full disclosure of all data - including industry safety data - is essential

Speaking at the annual European conference of rheumatology, EULAR 2005, in Vienna, Austria, today (Friday 10 June 2005), Dr. Gurkirpal Singh, from Stanford University, USA, said:

10 Jun 2005

Pharmacists support generic drug substitution, but need more information to advise customers

Pharmacists and their customers could benefit from having more information to help them understand and compare the costs of prescription drugs, according to a new AARP study that looks at attitudes and practices regarding the use of generic drugs.

10 Jun 2005

Claritin's switch to OTC status meant fewer prescriptions

After the allergy drug Claritin became available without a prescription in 2002, insurance plans and consumers spent less on the prescription form of its main ingredient, loratadine, and all similar allergy drugs, according to a new report published in this month’s The American Journal of Managed Care.

10 Jun 2005

No significant long-term benefit in administering immediate treatment to those with early epilepsy

Around 500,000 people in the UK suffer from epilepsy, making it the most common serious neurological condition. Many of those who develop epilepsy start having seizures during childhood, but it can develop at any age.

10 Jun 2005

South Africa still debating how to tackle HIV/AIDS when 5 million are infected

A national conference in South Africa was dominated this week by the continuing debate over HIV/AIDS drugs.

10 Jun 2005

Digital mammography no better than traditional film X-rays in the ability to detect cases of breast cancer

Digital mammography provides no clear-cut improvements over traditional film X-rays in the ability to detect cases of breast cancer, says a new technology assessment report. The technology does, however, offer other benefits, including slightly lower radiation doses for patients, that may prompt its increasing use despite its much higher costs.

10 Jun 2005

Exercise helps recovery after chemotherapy for breast cancer

Exercise after chemotherapy for breast cancer boosted the activity of infection-fighting T cells in women who worked out regularly, according to data from a study conducted at Penn State University under the direction of Andrea Mastro, professor of microbiology and cell biology.

10 Jun 2005

Giving individuals with single or infrequent seizures immediate treatment does not reduce their risk of seizure recurrence in the long-term

Between 1993 and 2000, David Chadwick (University of Liverpool, UK) and colleagues, recruited around 1400 patients with single or infrequent seizures from centres in the UK and around the world.

9 Jun 2005

Scientists produce for the first time an infectious form of the hepatitis C virus in laboratory cultures of human cells

The finding, reported in the June 9 issue of Science Express, will allow scientists to study every stage of the HCV life cycle and develop drugs to treat this life-threatening disease that affects more than 170 million people around the world.

9 Jun 2005

Experimental drug works best in combination with older remedy for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias

An experimental drug combined with an already-popular memory-enhancing compound may further delay memory loss in patients with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, Johns Hopkins University scientists, in collaboration with researchers from University of North Carolina, have found.

9 Jun 2005

Similarities in antiretroviral therapy efficacy in poorer countries to that in industrial nations

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs for treating HIV in developing countries are about as effective as ART programs in developed countries, according to an article in the July 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

9 Jun 2005

Commonly used painkillers for treating inflammation may increase the risk of heart attack

Patients should not stop taking the drugs involved - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) - but further investigation into these treatments is needed, say the authors.

9 Jun 2005

Exposing SMA-affected cells to aminoglycoside drugs can increase SMN

MDA grantee Christian Lorson at the University of Missouri was on a team that found that exposing cells carrying a mutation that causes spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) to drugs in the aminoglycoside family helps them produce more of the needed SMN protein, a lack of which leads to SMA.

9 Jun 2005

Designed drug for combined hormone and chemotherapy treatment

The search for new drugs to fight cancer remains at the top of the to do list for pharmaceutical researchers. A recent variation is polymer chemotherapy agents, drugs that have been attached to a "backbone" of long chain molecules.

9 Jun 2005

Lorus Therapeutics receives patent allowance to protect novel anticancer drug

Lorus Therapeutics today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, GeneSense Technologies Inc. (GeneSense), has received notice from the European Patent Office of its intention to grant GeneSense's application for a patent of its novel antisense drug, GTI-2501.

9 Jun 2005

International efforts to build a prosperous Africa are doomed unless malaria is tackled

In advance of the G8 Ministerial meetings, the first report of the All-Party Parliamentary Malaria Group concludes that unless malaria is tackled as a global crisis with increased and sustained resources, UK’s plans for Africa will fail.

9 Jun 2005

MabThera highly effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis

Results from the DANCER study presented today revealed that MabThera significantly improves symptoms in heavily treated patients who are affected by moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a painful and debilitating disease of the joints.

9 Jun 2005

Drugs News and Research

No need to rush to take epilepsy drugs

Ibruprofen and other commonly used painkillers for treating inflammation may increase the risk of heart attack

Survey highlights need for primary care guidance on NSAID use

Ibuprofen may cause heart attacks - full disclosure of all data - including industry safety data - is essential

Pharmacists support generic drug substitution, but need more information to advise customers

Claritin's switch to OTC status meant fewer prescriptions

No significant long-term benefit in administering immediate treatment to those with early epilepsy

South Africa still debating how to tackle HIV/AIDS when 5 million are infected

Digital mammography no better than traditional film X-rays in the ability to detect cases of breast cancer

Exercise helps recovery after chemotherapy for breast cancer

Giving individuals with single or infrequent seizures immediate treatment does not reduce their risk of seizure recurrence in the long-term

Scientists produce for the first time an infectious form of the hepatitis C virus in laboratory cultures of human cells

Experimental drug works best in combination with older remedy for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias

Similarities in antiretroviral therapy efficacy in poorer countries to that in industrial nations

Commonly used painkillers for treating inflammation may increase the risk of heart attack

Exposing SMA-affected cells to aminoglycoside drugs can increase SMN

Designed drug for combined hormone and chemotherapy treatment

Lorus Therapeutics receives patent allowance to protect novel anticancer drug

International efforts to build a prosperous Africa are doomed unless malaria is tackled

MabThera highly effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis

Drug Discovery - Second Edition eBook

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Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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