Toxicology News and Research

Latest Toxicology News and Research

Springer signs agreement with The Endocrine Society to co-publish a new journal

Springer, one of the leading publishers in the fields of science, technology and medicine, has signed an agreement with The Endocrine Society to co-publish a new journal, Hormones & Cancer, starting in January 2010.

28 Aug 2009

Study confirms inappropriate use of pain medication among the chronic pain population

A study published in the August issue of the peer-reviewed journal Population Health Management revealed that the majority of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain were unlikely to be taking their medicine in a manner consistent with their prescribed regimen. In the study, titled "Inappropriate Drug Use in the Chronic Pain Population," 938,586 urine toxicology tests conducted on over 500,000 patients prescribed chronic opioid therapy were analyzed using proprietary and state of the art screening methods offered by Ameritox(R).

27 Aug 2009

QRxPharma completes its pilot evaluation study investigating the efficacy of MoxDuo capsules

QRxPharma Limited and announced today successful completion of its pilot study to evaluate the analgesic efficacy and safety profile of MoxDuo(TM) IR (immediate release) capsules in patients with moderate to severe pain following total knee replacement surgery.

27 Aug 2009

Study finds that some people eliminate more than 90 percent of the arsenic consumed in the diet

Large variations exist in peoples' ability to eliminate arsenic from the body, according to a new study that questions existing standards for evaluating the human health risks from the potentially toxic substance.

27 Aug 2009

FDA establishes TPSAC to proceed further on the tobacco law

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced an action regarding the implementation of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The Agency has officially established the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC).

26 Aug 2009

NIAID funds Nanotherapeutic for developing an inhaled version of the injectable antiviral drug

Nanotherapeutics, Inc., today announced that it has been awarded a $30.9 Million, 5-year contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to develop an inhaled version of the injectable antiviral drug, cidofovir, for non-invasive, post-exposure prophylaxis and treatment of the Category A bioterrorism agent smallpox (Variola major).

25 Aug 2009

Sigma-Aldrich scientists to leverage proprietary gene editing technology to develop genetically-engineered rodent research models

Sigma-Aldrich(R) (Nasdaq: SIAL) announced today that scientists at its new Sigma Advanced Genetic Engineering (SAGE(TM)) Labs in St. Louis will leverage its exclusive CompoZr(TM) Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN) gene editing technology (www.compozrzfn.com) to define, develop and offer a new generation of genetically-engineered rodent research models. Such models are commonly used to study disease states in humans and play a key role in the drug discovery process.

24 Aug 2009

Syntagon to deliver presentation on controlling genotoxic impurities

Leading contract research organisation, Syntagon, is to deliver a presentation on controlling genotoxic impurities at one of the Pharma industry’s highest profile events, CPhI Worldwide, being held this October in Madrid, Spain.

21 Aug 2009

InterMune receives $20 million event payment from Roche for initiating the Phase 2b trial of RG7227/ ITMN-191

Roche (SIX: ROG.VX; RO.S, OTCQX: RHHBY) and InterMune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITMN) today announced that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 2b study evaluating the hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor, RG7227/ ITMN-191, in combination with PEGASYS(R) (pegylated interferon alfa-2a) and COPEGUS(R) (ribavirin). The study, to be conducted at 45 sites globally, will further define the safety and efficacy profile of RG7227/ ITMN-191, for a treatment duration of up to 24 weeks. Approximately 300 treatment-naive patients chronically infected with HCV genotype 1 - the most difficult to treat form of the virus - will participate.

20 Aug 2009

Researchers find connection between eye disease and arginase

Elevated levels of the enzyme arginase contribute to vascular eye damage and Medical College of Georgia researchers say therapies to normalize its levels could halt progression of potentially blinding diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.

19 Aug 2009

Cyanide toxicity in smoke inhalation victims

"If commercial flying had as many civilian fatalities as those relating to smoke and fire, there would be a public revolt," said Rob Schnepp, CPTC president and assistant chief of special operations for the Alameda County Fire Department in California. "The numbers aren't going down, and this tells me that we aren't addressing the problem adequately.

18 Aug 2009

When cell death goes wrong - scientists gain new insights

Medical Research Council (MRC) scientists have made an important advance in understanding the biological processes involved when cells are prompted to die. The work may help scientists to eventually develop new treatments for the many common diseases and conditions which occur when cell death goes wrong.

13 Aug 2009

$3.2M grant to explore how chemicals affect human health

Most people would agree that arsenic, lead, mercury, benzene and carbon monoxide pose dangers to humans. Not many, though, realize that the average person is exposed to about 10,000 different chemicals per day.

12 Aug 2009

Metabolon awarded patent for metabolomics software

Metabolon, Inc. has announced that it has been awarded a patent for its metabolomics software, Ion Tracker™, which provides a mechanism for creating new chemical library entries.

11 Aug 2009

French DEET research has little relevance and is irresponsible

“Reports of a French study to examine the effects of DEET on the nervous system of insects has little relevance for the widely-used repellent ingredient’s effects on humans, according to independent scientific experts, including those at the U.S. National Pesticide Information Center,” said Susan Little, director of the DEET Education Program, Washington, D.C.

10 Aug 2009

Innexus Biotechnology announces business development initiative on lead preclinical candidate

InNexus Biotechnology Inc. announced today that the Company will embark on a business development initiative for DXL625™ (CD20), the Company’s lead preclinical candidate for the prospective treatment of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and/or Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

6 Aug 2009

SAGE to publish Veterinary Pathology

SAGE is pleased to announce that it will begin publishing Veterinary Pathology, a key international journal of natural and experimental disease, beginning in 2010.

6 Aug 2009

Smoking marijuana has toxic effects on cells

In a finding that challenges the increasingly popular belief that smoking marijuana is less harmful to health than smoking tobacco, researchers in Canada are reporting that smoking marijuana, like smoking tobacco, has toxic effects on cells.

6 Aug 2009

Accidental childhood poisonings mostly due to medicines

More than two-thirds of all emergency department visits for childhood poisoning involve prescription and over-the-counter medications, more than twice the rate of poisonings from consumer products, reports a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

4 Aug 2009