Serotonin News and Research

Latest Serotonin News and Research

EMA accepts Arena's lorcaserin MAA for weight control

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted the filing of a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for lorcaserin, an investigational drug candidate intended for weight control, including weight loss and maintenance of weight loss, in patients who are obese (BMI >30) or patients who are overweight (BMI >27) and have at least one weight-related co-morbid condition.

26 Mar 2012

Rifaximin and lubiprostone offer best options for patients with IBS

Cedars-Sinai researchers have determined that two prevalent drug therapies - rifaximin and lubiprostone - offer some of the best options for treating irritable bowel syndrome, a widespread disorder that affects up to one in five Americans.

26 Mar 2012

Early disruptions in serotonin signaling may contribute to ASD

Early disruptions in serotonin signaling in the brain may contribute to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and other "enduring effects on behavior," Vanderbilt University researchers report.

21 Mar 2012

Lexicon receives FDA Orphan Drug designation for telotristat etiprate to treat carcinoid syndrome

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted its request for Orphan Drug designation for telotristat etiprate (LX1032) for the treatment of carcinoid syndrome.

21 Mar 2012

AstraZeneca, Targacept announce top-line results from remaining TC-5214 Phase 3 studies on MDD

AstraZeneca and Targacept, Inc. today announced top-line results from the remaining Phase 3 studies investigating efficacy, tolerability and safety of TC-5214 as an adjunct therapy to an antidepressant in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who did not respond adequately to initial antidepressant treatment.

20 Mar 2012

SK Biopharmaceuticals initiates YKP10811 phase 2 trial in chronic constipation

SK Biopharmaceuticals, a South Korean pharmaceutical company, announced today that the first patient was dosed in a phase 2 clinical trial in the US for patients suffering with chronic constipation using their new chemical entity YKP10811.

17 Mar 2012

Scientists report about a brain circuit that mediates loss of appetite

The meal is pushed way, untouched. Loss of appetite can be a fleeting queasiness or continue to the point of emaciation. While it's felt in the gut, more is going on inside the head. New findings are emerging about brain and body messaging pathways that lead to loss of appetite, and the systems in place to avoid starvation.

15 Mar 2012

Reviva to initiate enrollment in RP503 phase 2 study for schizophrenia

Reviva Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held drug discovery and development company, today announced enrollment of patients in its phase 2 clinical study of RP503 for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

13 Mar 2012

Gastrointestinal progenitor cells could be coaxed into making insulin

A study by Columbia researchers suggests that cells in the patient's intestine could be coaxed into making insulin, circumventing the need for a stem cell transplant. Until now, stem cell transplants have been seen by many researchers as the ideal way to replace cells lost in type I diabetes and to free patients from insulin injections.

12 Mar 2012

LSD for alcohol addiction: Study

Hallucinogenic drug LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) could help alcoholics give up drinking, according to an analysis of studies performed in the 1960s. A study, presented in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, looked at data from six trials and more than 500 patients. It said there was a “significant beneficial effect” on alcohol abuse, which lasted several months after the drug was taken.

12 Mar 2012

Women exposed to SSRIs during pregnancy are less likely to initiate breastfeeding

Researchers at the California Teratogen Information Service (CTIS) Pregnancy Health Information Line, a statewide non-profit organization based at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, have found women exposed to certain antidepressants during pregnancy were significantly less likely to breastfeed their babies compared to unexposed women.

9 Mar 2012

Single dose of LSD shows promise against alcoholism

Forty years ago, LSD was used in the treatment of alcoholics - with good results. Perhaps it's time to look at it again? In the 1950s, '60s and '70s, researchers in many places in the world experimented with LSD in the treatment of various disorders, including alcoholism. Not all experiments were scientifically tenable by today's standards, but some were.

9 Mar 2012

SSRIs appear to reduce depressive symptoms, fetal head growth during pregnancy

Treating pregnant women with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) appears to be associated with fewer depressive symptoms, reduced fetal head growth and a higher risk for preterm birth, but not with a delay in fetal body growth, according to a report published Online First by Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

6 Mar 2012

Antidepressants in pregnancy: weighing benefits and risks

There has been a debate on the use of antidepressant medication in pregnant women. Depression during pregnancy is, of course, difficult for the woman. In addition, depression that continues in the postpartum period may interfere with caretaking and bonding with the newborn.

5 Mar 2012

Inhibitory effect of serotonin 1A receptor is extremely small in people with depression

Researchers at the MedUni Vienna have, for the first time, investigated the influence of the serotonin system on the default mode network (DMN) in the human brain and discovered that, in people with depression, the inhibitory effect of the serotonin 1A receptor is extremely small. This means, says Siegfried Kasper, Head of the University Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, that affected patients "are virtually never able to be mentally calm".

1 Mar 2012

First study to show effects of ecstasy drug on fetal and infant development

A study led by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, in collaboration with the University of East London UK, and Swansea University UK, is the first to show the effects of the drug ecstasy on fetal and infant development.

29 Feb 2012

People with depression have increased connections among most brain areas

Most of us know what it means when it's said that someone is depressed. But commonly, true clinical depression brings with it a number of other symptoms. These can include anxiety, poor attention and concentration, memory issues, and sleep disturbances.

27 Feb 2012

Impact of maternal mental health and antidepressant exposure on mechanics of early language acquisition

While babies are born ready to learn any of the world's languages, the crucial developmental period when they attune to their native languages can change due to environmental influences such as maternal depression or a bilingual upbringing, according to new University of British Columbia research.

18 Feb 2012

SSRIs may minimize risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy

A groundbreaking study published in Elsevier's Epilepsy & Behavior provides evidence in mouse model that drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs; one category of antidepressants) may reduce the risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).

9 Feb 2012

FDA EMDAC to discuss Arena's lorcaserin NDA resubmission in second quarter

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eisai Inc. announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified Arena that an Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee meeting to discuss the lorcaserin New Drug Application (NDA) resubmission will be held in the second quarter of 2012. Confirmation and details of the meeting will be published in the Federal Register.

2 Feb 2012