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Tag: "dru" at medical news

New Drug in Diabetic Neuropathy

Diabetic Neuropathy can be a painful condition which is a very agonizing nighttime pain seen in diabetics. However, new hope lies with experimental drug, memantine, which blocks NMDA receptors, which are believed to mediate pain effects in diabetic neuropathy being researched by Central Arkansas Research, Arkansas. This drug showed a definite reduction of pain compared to placebo... Wh...

New Drug for Bronchial Asthma

Well, we thought that we had antibodies for just about everything well, we have an anti-IgE antibody now for bronchial asthma. This is particularly useful in bronchial asthma where an attack can be brought by a number of noxious and non-noxious stimuli. This has also been proven to induce symptomatic relief.....How does that apply to the Indian context? Well, first we can try by ridding ourselves...

Lean Protein Could Be Key to Obesity Drugs

A protein that lets mice eat more but weigh less could prove the magic ingredient for diet drugs of the future.British scientists from drug giant SmithKline Beecham and the University of Cambridge have created mice with a human protein known as Uncoupling Protein 3 (UCP3) that increases their metabolism.In what is every dieter's dream, the mice were able to eat more than normal mice but still wei...

Drug May Make Breathing Easier for Millions

An experimental drug could make millions of people suffering from smoker’s lung breathe much easier... ..Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or smoker’s lung, is an irreversible progressive illness caused by narrowing of the airways. It encompasses emphysema and chronic bronchitis. In tests involving 500 people who had suffered from COPD for more than a decade, the drug appeared to be s...

Life Saving Cancer Drugs – From Chicken! Possible Says 'Dolly’ Creatos

In what can be a watershed in cancer research, Scottish scientists along with US Biotech Company Viragen Inc., have used nuclear transfer technology to harvest life saving drugs to treat many serious diseases including cancer. The same team had earlier cornered world wide fame and glory (and a lot of criticism!) for creating Dolly – the world’s first cloned mammal: Using the same nuclear transfe...

New drug to treat Heart Attack and damaged tissue

If a blood vessel in blocked the related tissue experiences ischemia, a state of low oxygen supply that slowly kills the tissue. They are referred as Ichemia / Reperfusion (IR) injury occurs during heart attacks. ..Understanding Ischemia / Reperfusion leads to the development of new drugs to save the damaged tissue and treat heart attack. During Ischemia / Reperfusion, Early growth response gene...

Nasal Spray Could Take Drugs Direct to Brain.

..Based on early studies in rats, researchers from the Stroke Lab and Alzheimer's Research Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, reported that “a direct path from the nose to the brain” could breach the blood-brain barrier, which protects the brain from foreign substances, including drugs. Senior investigator Dr. William H. Frey II said that his team used a nasal spray to deliver insulin-like growth fa...

Cancer drugs in development nearly doubled since 1995

The number of drugs being developed for the treatment of cancer has nearly..doubled during the past six years, according to a new survey of pharmaceutical..companies.....Currently, 170 pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms various Cancer..Institutes are investigating 402 compounds for the treatment of various..cancers, up from 215 in 1995. Many of the drugs are alternatives to standard..radiatio...

Drug saves heroin addicts

The drug naloxone saves heroin addicts from overdose and it is advisable for these addicts to have naloxone with them for life saving emergencies, according to doctors at the National Addiction center at London. ....Naloxone, is routinely given by doctors, during emergency resuscitation following narcotic overdose. ....After giving 124 drug users in Berlin, Germany, training in emergency resuscit...

Cipla holds talks with mining giant to supply AIDS drugs for South African workers

Indian pharmaceutical giant Cipla is holding talks with London based mining giant, Anglo American for supplying AIDS drugs to South African workers. About 11% of South African population is HIV positive, totaling around 4.7 million people, giving it the dubious distinction of being the country with the maximum number of HIV positive people in the world. ..The HIV scourge is sure to have a devasta...

New drug helps boost cancer treatment

Researchers at the Sloane Kettering Cancer Center, New York have achieved a breakthrough of sorts in cancer treatment, by designing a new drug, which attaches itself to a key position on cancer cells and gives new potency to failing chemotherapy drugs thereby extending survival of advanced colorectal cancer patients. ..IMC-C225, the new drug which is actually a monoclonal antibody, is designed to...

African HIV strains more resistant to anti HIV drugs

Genetic variations in the HIV strains in Africa make it more difficult for the anti AIDS drugs to act on them according to researchers. This however does not mean that these drugs will be powerless against the virus but these drugs find it difficult to latch on to the protease, which is an enzyme useful in the replication of the virus inside the body. ..If the drug attaches itself to the protease...

Pharmaceutical giant offers AIDS related antifungal drug free to 50 countries

Diflucan Partnership seems to be the latest mantra of Pfizer. The pharmaceutical giant has announced that it will supply free antifungal drug to 50 countries hardest hit by the AIDS virus. The decision by the Pfizer comes close on the heels of the South African Government winning a landmark case against pharmaceutical companies. In an announcement on Wednesday Pfizer said AIDS related antifunga...

Pharmaceutical giant offers AIDS related antifungal drug free to 50 countries

Diflucan Partnership seems to be the latest mantra of Pfizer. The pharmaceutical giant has announced that it will supply free antifungal drug to 50 countries hardest hit by the AIDS virus. The decision by the Pfizer comes close on the heels of the South African Government winning a landmark case against pharmaceutical companies. In an announcement on Wednesday Pfizer said AIDS related antifunga...

Hypertensive Drug Improves Sexual Dysfunction in Hypertensive Men

Losartan, a new anti hypertensive drug appears to improve sexual function among the hypertensive men with erectile dysfunction. As the cause of impotence, really it is the disease process itself, probably from reduced vascular compliance. ..According to American Journal of Medical sciences, a study evaluated hypertensive men with erectile dysfunction and found that their overall sexual satisfacti...

Emphasis to ban Drugs ads by Doctors

An increase in the number of advertisements by the drug companies has prompted the doctors to urge the government to ban prescription drug ads from television, news papers and magazines. American Medical Association's New Jersey delegate Dr. Angelo agro said that such ads can undermine doctor's credibility especially if physician thinks an advertised drug isn't the best choice for a patient who d...

ZYBAN, The smoking cessation drug marked for its adverse reactions

GlaxoSmithKline's smoking cessation drug Zyban, which is being taken by over 5 million people world wide, is held responsilble for a raise in the suspected adverse reactions due to drug intake in UK. ..Pharmacovigilance statistics of MCA has shown a raise of about 37% more adverse reactions so called "yellow cards" during the period of January to April 2001 compared to that of last years. MCA sp...

TELITHROMYCIN - the proven effective new drug for cap

Community acquired pneumonia other wise known as CAP has been a therapeutic challenge to most of the practising physicians. This is mainly due to the growing resistance of the bacteria causing them to the available antibiotics. ..Telithromycin (Ketek), a new ketolide antibiotic, is highly effective in treating patients with pneumococcal bacteraemia associated with community-acquired pneumonia (CA...

India's anti-AIDS drug market engaged in price war

The Indian pharmaceutical companies hope to strike a pot of gold by making cheap anti-AIDS drugs. This has triggered a price war that is likely to escalate in coming days. ..The large number of AIDS cases has lured many companies to develop anti-AIDS drugs and market it in India and abroad by adapting innovative approaches to pricing. ..The anti-AIDS drug market, currently dominated by Mumbai-bas...

Antifever drug betters stroke outcome

Over-the-counter pain reliever and fever reducer Paracetamol, whose active ingredient is Acetaminophen is found effective in the prognosis of the stroke. The fever-reducer acetaminophen lowers body temperature in people who have had a stroke, according to a new study conducted in The Netherlands. ..Rise in the body temperature during the first few days, though small enough that they hardly manife...

New FDA Approved Drug To Treat Migraine

Axert has been approved by the FDA for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults. ....This drug targets serotonin receptors and act against migraine headaches by inducing the constriction of blood vessels surrounding the brain. ....Nausea, sleepiness, numbness, dry mouth and headache are the side effects associated with the use of Axert. In controlled trials, Axert showed a...

Lose Weight With New Wonder Slimming FDA approved Prescription Drug

There is a new wonder slimming FDA approved drug which can actually works. Not only that - it even lets you eat normally, all while you are slimming. This wonder slimming drug is XENICAL. ....Xenical allows about 30% of the fat eaten in a meal // to pass through the gut undigested. Your body cannot convert these excess calories to fatty tissue or use them as a source of energy. This will therfor...

B Vitamin protects and lowers toxicity of Arthritis Drug

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that most often affects women in their 30s and 40s, especially women.The illness causes the immune system to attack the joints, which can cause pain, inflammation and joint destruction. .... Methotrexate is the standard drug used to treat the condition, but one third of the patients discontinue treatment early due to toxicity.// .. .. Patient...

New FDA Approved Drug NATRECOR For Heart Failure Patients

The US government has approved a genetically engineered drug called NATRECOR to ease the breathing of hospitalized congestive heart failure patients. .. Congestive heart failure is a condition // in which the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body's other organs. Most of the patients with congestive heart failure suffer flare-ups in which they gasp for breath and need hospita...

Bayer Voluntarily Withdraws BAYCOL - A Drug Associated With 50 Deaths

Baycol is a prescription drug manufactured by Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Baycol, which was initially approved by the FDA, belongs to a statin group of drugs that lowers cholesterol by blocking enzymes that are essential in the synthesis of cholesterol in the body. ....Bayer Pharmaceuticals has voluntarily recalled its cholesterol drug Baycol( cerivastatin ) because // it has been linked to approximat...

Right drugs drastically cut stroke risk

In the biggest breakthrough, the incidence of the disease was found to have been cut to half by a combination of drugs that keeps blood pressure in check. The study involving about 6,000 patients over six years in many countries showed that strokes were cut by at least a quarter among patients given the drugs. // .... The drugs are inexpensive and easily available. Use of the drugs cut both str...

A new drug for cancer

The Cancer Research Centre in the UK has been funding researchers who have pioneered a new drug, known as DMXAA. A drug that attacks a tumour's blood supply directly. ....It represents a new approach to cancer, for it constricts the tiny blood vessels that feed a tumour, as well as activating the immune system to release chemicals such as interferon and tumor necrosis factor. This will open up a...

Prescription Drug - Helps People Stop Smoking

The Mumbai-based Sun Pharmaceutical Industries entered the antismoking segment with its "Smoquit" (buproprion 150mg tabs) recently. The medication in Smoquit has been used for over a decade as an antidepressant, albeit at a different dose. The Rs. 13.50-per tablet priced Smoquit, the first pharmacotherapy ever available for the treatment of smoking problem, is a prescription drug and is required...

Doctors not to accept gifts from drug companies

The American Medical Association(AMA) is spending a lot of drug-company money to tell doctors not to accept large gifts from drug companies. The AMA says it makes sense to involve the industry in a campaign that's also designed to inform drug makers about what is considered unethical behavior. // ....At issue are the myriad freebies, ranging from pens and notepads to free dinners and trips, tha...

Osteoporosis Drugs: right time to take-off

Millions of Indians are at risk of developing osteoporosis. While women are more likely to develop the disease, men are equal sufferers from it. It is estimated that at the age of 50, a woman has a 40 per cent chance of developing an osteoporotic fracture during her remaining lifetime. Drugs, which are used to treat osteoporosis, can be grouped into two classes. The first category comprises agent...

Wonder drug - could end in disaster

Prozac and drugs like it could be making healthy people with no history of mental illness feel suicidal. Prozac is prescribed to more than 38 million people world-wide, and has been one of the pharmaceutical industries biggest success stories of recent years. Prozac and Lustral belong to a group of drugs known as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). This class of drugs of which Prozac...

Drugs disrupt formation of blood vessels

Scientists have made a signficant step forward in their attempt to starve cancer tumours by stopping the growth of the blood vessels that feed them nutrients. Four drugs that disrupt angiogenesis - blood vessel formation - have been shown for the first time to be effective. It also provides the first indication that the drugs, known as angiogenesis inhibitors, vary in effectiveness depending on t...

Drug abuse leads to long standing changes in the brain

Methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant drug, whose abuse has reached epidemic proportions in many parts of the world, causes long-term changes in the human brain that are associated with impaired memory and motor coordination, according to a study published in theAmerican Journal of Psychiatry. Researchers found that these effects are seen even in methamphetamine addicts who have been off...

New Drug ALT-711 decreases blood vessel stiffness

A novel drug that breaks down collagen bonds in the body's blood vessels significantly decreases the stiffness of vessels in older people, according to a study conducted by National Institute on Aging (NIA) scientists and others. The finding suggests the medication could be a new treatment for high blood pressure, heart failure, and certain complications of diabetes. The drug, ALT-711, snips bond...

NPIL withdraws Parkinson’s dru

It has been reportedly said that Nicholas Piramal India Ltd which imports the raw material and manufactures Madopar, Parkinson’s drug, locally has ceased its production in both vial and tablet form following price control. ....The company had approached the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to reconsider its price revision. However, according to NPPA sources the cased was already ‘...

Relating heart protection and antihypertensive drugs

Maintaining a normal blood pressure is essential in the prevention of heart disease and is controlled by antihypertensive drugs, say researchers. Dr Jan Staessen and colleagues from Leuven, in Belgium, set out to determine whether it is the pharmacological properties of antihypertensive drugs or the reduction of blood pressure that accounts for the cardiovascular outcome in hypertensive patients....

Pharma majors gear to supply anti-anthrax drug

The panic that has gripped the U.S with anthrax bacterial infections coming to light has led to an increased demand for the drug used in its treatment - Ciprofloxacin. Already there is news that the German pharma major Bayer is tripling its production of Ciprofloxacin to cater to the burgeoning demand and will supply 200 million tablets in the next three months. In fact, Bayer holds the U.S. pate...

Misleading anti-malarial drug

Promotional claims about the preventive efficacy of a malaria drug are being questioned by experts, who say the statements are misleading and should be withdrawn. Manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline markets the anti-malarial drug Malarone (atovaquone and proguanil) as being 97 per cent effective at preventing the aggressive falciparum strain of malaria, but the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB) – pub...

Generic drug costs remain shackled

Price controls for generic drugs in primary care are likely to remain unchanged for the next year as the european government considers how best to supply the NHS. In 1999, a severe shortage of non-brand name medicines resulted in a 12.5 per cent increase in the cost of prescription drugs for the NHS, significantly higher than the 8 per cent average increase in previous years. // ....Pharmaceutic...

Blood Pressure Drug may slow wasting in burn victims

A widely used blood pressure drug shows strong potential for slowing the metabolic overdrive that makes patients waste away after severe burns and other major injuries. In a study, researchers at Shriners Hospital for Children in Galveston, Texas, tried propranolol on 13 children with bad burns and left 12 untreated to compare. The drug, one of a class known as beta blockers, checks the stimulati...