Pharmacology News and Research

Latest Pharmacology News and Research

UMMS, RXi receive MLSC grant to develop RNAi therapeutics for ALS

RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing innovative therapies addressing major unmet medical needs using RNA-targeted and immunotherapy technologies, today announced that the company's proposed research collaboration with the University of Massachusetts Medical School has been selected for Cooperative Research Matching Grant funding by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.

29 Apr 2011

Special-focus on postoperative cognitive dysfunction in older adults

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) refers to a "mild but possibly long-lasting cognitive fogginess" occurring after surgery and anesthesia. The May issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS), presents a special-focus section on POCD in older adults—including the possible causes and preoperative evaluation of POCD risk.

28 Apr 2011

Softgels as effective as tablets in delivering folic acid

Folic acid, an essential vitamin formulated to be part of a multivitamin + DHA liquid softgel capsule, is absorbed and available within the body in amounts similar to folic acid formulated for solid tablets, according to a study presented in a late breaking session at the Experimental Biology (EB) 2011 annual meeting.

28 Apr 2011

Researchers begin approved drugs screening for clinical use against rare diseases

Researchers have begun screening the first definitive collection of thousands of approved drugs for clinical use against rare and neglected diseases. They are hunting for additional uses of the drugs hoping to find off-label therapies, for some of the 6,000 rare diseases that afflict 25 million Americans.

28 Apr 2011

Study clarifies ginkgo's pain-reducing effects

Experiments in rats show that a standardized ginkgo extract—injected either into the spinal canal or directly into the injured area—effectively reduces inflammation and some types of pain, according to a report in the May issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

28 Apr 2011

Nationwide researchers to launch Oncotype DX test phase III trial in breast cancer

Cancer researchers at hundreds of sites nationwide are about to launch a SWOG-led clinical trial that could keep thousands of breast cancer patients from getting chemotherapy that is unlikely to do them any good.

27 Apr 2011

ISC-4 topical compound may prevent skin cancer lesion formation

While incidents of melanoma continue to increase despite the use of sunscreen and skin screenings, a topical compound called ISC-4 may prevent melanoma lesion formation, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

27 Apr 2011

A.P. Pharma targets resubmission of APF530 NDA in 2012

A.P. Pharma, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, today provided an update on its lead product candidate, APF530, for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV).

25 Apr 2011

Rwanda, QIAGEN and Merck launch comprehensive national cervical cancer prevention program

The Government of Rwanda, together with QIAGEN N.V. and Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced the launch, in Kigali, Rwanda, of a comprehensive national cervical cancer prevention program that includes vaccination with GARDASIL [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16 and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant] for appropriate girls 12 to 15 years of age and modern molecular diagnostic screening for women between the ages of 35 and 45.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 25 Apr 2011

XenoPort files SPA with FDA for arbaclofen placarbil Phase 3 trial in multiple sclerosis

XenoPort, Inc. announced today that it had reached agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on a Special Protocol Assessment for a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of arbaclofen placarbil, previously known as XP19986, as a potential treatment of spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients.

25 Apr 2011

Research sheds light on molecular movements of neural transporters

A team of scientists from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medical College has shed light on the molecular workings of transporter proteins, molecular machines embedded in the cell membranes of neurons that modulate the transfer of signals between cells and recycle neurotransmitters.

25 Apr 2011

Daiichi Sankyo's LIXIANA receives Japanese marketing approval

Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited, announced today that the company has received its first marketing approval for LIXIANA 15 mg and 30 mg tablets, by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan.

22 Apr 2011

Researchers discover new compound to fight against shingles

Researchers at the University of Georgia and Yale University have discovered a compound with the potential to be more effective than existing agents in treating the very painful blisters known as shingles-a condition that affects up to 30 percent of Americans, mostly elderly, and for which no specific treatment exists.

22 Apr 2011

Convergence initiates CNV2197944 Phase I study in chronic pain

Convergence Pharmaceuticals Limited, the company focused on the development of novel and high value analgesic medicines, today announced that the first-time-in-man Phase I study of the novel, first in class calcium channel blocker CNV2197944, for the treatment of chronic pain has been initiated and dosing has begun.

22 Apr 2011

Scientists discover critical pathway in the brain linked to stress response

A team of neuroscientists at the University of Leicester, UK, in collaboration with researchers from Poland and Japan, has announced a breakthrough in the understanding of the 'brain chemistry' that triggers our response to highly stressful and traumatic events.

21 Apr 2011

Stealth Peptides launches mitochondrion targeting compound Bendavia at Experimental Biology 2011

Stealth Peptides Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing innovative mitochondrial therapies, introduced its lead clinical candidate, Bendavia™, a novel compound that targets the mitochondrion, during multiple scientific sessions of the Experimental Biology 2011 meeting.

20 Apr 2011

IBD patients at greater risk of death if infected with Clostridium difficile

Patients admitted to hospital with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) face a sixfold greater risk of death if they become infected with Clostridium difficile, a new study has found. The researchers say IBD patients should be screened on admission to protect them from serious illness.

20 Apr 2011

Breakdown products of thalidomide cause birth defects: New study

Thalidomide may have been withdrawn in the early 1960s for use by pregnant women, but its dramatic effects remain memorable half a century later. Now, researchers have taken a major step toward understanding exactly how thalidomide causes the birth defects.

20 Apr 2011

Cumberland acquires Vanderbilt's ifetroban rights

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on hospital acute care and gastroenterology markets, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the rights to ifetroban, a new Phase II development product.

19 Apr 2011

New study finds treatment-resistant epilepsy common in idiopathic autism

A new study found that treatment-resistant epilepsy (TRE) is common in idiopathic autism. Early age at the onset of seizures and delayed global development were associated with a higher frequency of resistance to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Full findings appear online in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE).

19 Apr 2011