Serotonin News and Research

Latest Serotonin News and Research

Arena reduces workforce by 25% and provides update on lorcaserin

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today a reduction of its US workforce of approximately 25%, or 66 employees. As a result of the workforce reduction, which Arena plans to complete around March 28, 2011, the company expects to incur restructuring charges, primarily in the first quarter of 2011, of approximately $3.8 million in connection with one-time employee termination costs.

28 Jan 2011

FDA approves Clinical Data's Viibryd for major depressive disorder

Clinical Data, Inc., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved vilazodone HCl tablets, to be marketed under the brand name Viibryd™, for the treatment of adults with major depressive disorder (MDD).

24 Jan 2011

Anti-depressants are passing into waterways and affecting fish

Around one in four Montrealers take some kind of anti-depressant, and according to new research, the drugs are passing into the waterways and affecting fish. The findings are internationally significant as the city's sewage treatment system is similar to that in use in other major cities, and moreover, it is reputed to be the third largest treatment system in the world.

21 Jan 2011

Major breakthrough: Genome-based medicine for treatment of alcoholism

For the first time in alcohol addiction research, UVA investigators have successfully treated alcohol-dependent individuals with medication that is tailored specifically to match their genetic profile.

21 Jan 2011

Health Canada approves Labopharm's OLEPTRO for treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

Labopharm Inc. today announced that Health Canada's Therapeutic Products Directorate (TPD) has approved OLEPTRO, a novel once-daily formulation of the antidepressant trazodone, for the symptomatic relief of Major Depressive Disorder in adults.

21 Jan 2011

Scientists find ADAR1 enzyme protect against measles virus

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that a known enzyme in cells protects against measles virus, likely by altering the virus's genetic material, RNA. Cells lacking the enzyme become highly vulnerable to the virus's destructive effects. The enzyme also protects against several other respiratory viruses, including influenza A.

21 Jan 2011

Preliminary top-line results from levomilnacipran Phase III study for MDD

Forest Laboratories, and Pierre Fabre Medicament today announced preliminary top-line results from a Phase III study of levomilnacipran for the treatment of major depressive disorder.

20 Jan 2011

Antidepressant medication reduces frequency and severity of menopausal hot flashes

Women who were either in the transition to menopause or postmenopausal experienced a reduction in the frequency and severity of menopausal hot flashes with the use of the antidepressant medication escitalopram, compared to women who received placebo, according to a study in the January 19 issue of JAMA.

19 Jan 2011

Study elaborates relationship between obesity and MDD-R, long-term use of ADs

This study demonstrates that patients using antidepressants continuously, mostly serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitors, show significantly more overweight and obesity than those using them intermittently or not at all.

18 Jan 2011

Forest Laboratories third quarter net sales increase 6.7% to $1,063.9 million

Forest Laboratories, Inc., an international pharmaceutical manufacturer and marketer, announced that reported earnings per share equaled $1.11 in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 after taking a charge for a new product licensing fee of $66.1 million or $0.23 per share, net of tax.

18 Jan 2011

Stigma remains over Major Depressive Disorder

Despite there being 39.1 million people suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) across the seven major markets, only one third of patients will seek help from a physician, finds latest research from independent analyst Datamonitor.

11 Jan 2011

Bright light therapy for the aged depressed: Study

A new study shows that exposure to bright light may ease symptoms of depression in elderly people. The researchers tried three weeks of bright light therapy using specially designed light boxes and saw that it improved symptoms of depression by as much as 54% in older adults with depression. The light therapy also improved sleep and optimized levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and often targeted by antidepressant drugs. This is the first study of its kind to show a beneficial effect of bright light therapy on treating depression in the elderly with non-seasonal major depressive disorder.

5 Jan 2011

Genes determine susceptibility to depression

University of Michigan Health System researchers have found new evidence that our genes help determine our susceptibility to depression.

4 Jan 2011

Ventrus closes public offering of common stock

Ventrus Biosciences Inc., a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing gastrointestinal products, today announced that it closed its previously announced public offering of 2,900,000 shares of common stock.

23 Dec 2010

Genetic variant of brain receptor molecule may contribute to impulsive behavior

A multinational research team led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health has found that a genetic variant of a brain receptor molecule may contribute to violently impulsive behavior when people who carry it are under the influence of alcohol.

23 Dec 2010

Arena, Eisai complete lorcaserin NDA end-of-review meeting with FDA

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eisai Inc. announced today the completion of an end-of-review meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the lorcaserin New Drug Application (NDA).

22 Dec 2010

Clue to the blues that come with the flu

Vanderbilt University researchers may have found a clue to the blues that can come with the flu - depression may be triggered by the same mechanisms that enable the immune system to respond to infection.

21 Dec 2010

FDA approves Neuralstem's IND to initiate NSI-189 Phase Ia safety trial in major depression

Neuralstem, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate a Phase Ia safety trial to test NSI-189, its first small molecule compound, in major depression. NSI-189 is a proprietary new chemical entity discovered by Neuralstem that stimulates new neuron growth in the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is believed to be involved in depression and other diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.

17 Dec 2010

Ventrus prices initial public offering at $6.00 per share

Ventrus Biosciences Inc., a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing gastrointestinal products, today announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 2,900,000 shares at $6.00 per share. The shares are expected to begin trading tomorrow, December 17, 2010 on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol "VTUS". In addition, Ventrus has granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 435,000 shares to cover over-allotments, if any.

17 Dec 2010

Lexicon reports top-line results from LX2931 Phase 2a study in rheumatoid arthritis

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering breakthrough treatments for human disease, announced top-line results from a recently completed Phase 2a study of LX2931 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). LX2931 is an orally-delivered, small molecule drug candidate that inhibits sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) lyase, an enzyme important for modulating the immune system by controlling S1P levels in lymphoid tissues.

14 Dec 2010