http://www.medindia.net/healthnews/Drug-toxicity-news.asp Medindia largest health website in india. en-us Copyright 2012. All Rights Reserved. Fri, 25 May 2012 05:30:14 GMT http://www.medindia.net/news/study-finds-iuds-implants-more-effective-than-the-pill-101700-1.htm Women using birth control pills, the patch or vaginal ring are more at risk of unintended pregnancy than those using IUDs and implants, finds a study. Among young women under 21 who chose the pill, the patch or vaginal ring, the risk of unplanned pregnancy is almost twice as high as that for older women, according to researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The study, carried out on 7,500 participants between the ages of 14 and 45, appears in the May 24 New England Journal of Medicine....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/study-finds-iuds-implants-more-effective-than-the-pill-101700-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/scientists-map-gene-sequence-of-drug-resistant-vrsa-101698-1.htm American scientists have mapped the gene sequence of all the known strains of drug resistant MRSA leading to hopes that new drugs can be developed to treat the infection caused by the bacteria. Antibiotic-resistant superbugs, including methicillin resistant Staph. aureus (MRSA), have become household words. Antibiotic resistance threatens health and lives. Since 2005, MRSA have killed over 18,000 people a year in the United States alone. To make matters worse, in 2002 a new MRSA ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/scientists-map-gene-sequence-of-drug-resistant-vrsa-101698-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/drug-to-destroy-parasite-causing-death-globally-discovered-101648-1.htm An existing drug powerful against Entamoeba histolytica, the parasite, which causes amebic dysentery, and liver abscesses and results in the death of more than 70,000 people worldwide per year, identified by scientists. Using ahigh-throughput screen for drugs developed by them, a collaborative group of scientists from UC San Diego School of Medicine, UC San Francisco and Wake Forest School of Medicine discovered that auranofin - a drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration 25 years ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/drug-to-destroy-parasite-causing-death-globally-discovered-101648-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/new-tool-developed-to-help-decide-what-drugs-to-include-in-health-care-formularies-101626-1.htm Experts have come up with a new tool that could provide a useful framework for deciding what medicines to include in drug formularies impacting prescriber, pharmacist, and patient. The new tool that could provide a useful framework for deciding what medicines to include in drug formularies is presented in this week's iPLoS Medicine/i by the experts from Harvard Medical School and the University of Illinois at Chicago who developed it. The experts, led by Gordon Schiff, say: "Formularies ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/new-tool-developed-to-help-decide-what-drugs-to-include-in-health-care-formularies-101626-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/study-links-asthma-medication-with-heart-arrhythmias-in-children-young-adults-101625-1.htm Use of inhaled anticholinergics (IACs) is linked with an increased risk of potentially dangerous heart arrhythmias among young asthma patients, revealed a study conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The medications are commonly used to help control asthma flare-ups, and recent studies have shown them be an effective treatment option for routine asthma management. The study will be presented at the ATS 2012 International Conference in San Francisco. "In our study, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/study-links-asthma-medication-with-heart-arrhythmias-in-children-young-adults-101625-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-discover-target-for-diabetes-drug-101590-1.htm Apolipoprotein A-IV could be used as a potential target for diabetes, suggest researchers. Patrick Tso, PhD, professor in the UC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, has revealed that apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV) is secreted by the small intestine in response to fat absorption. It has been found that ApoA-IV has the ability to reduce blood sugar levels and enhance insulin secretion. Previous studies have found ApoA-IV to be elevated in humans following gastric bypass-coinciding ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-discover-target-for-diabetes-drug-101590-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/orphan-sleep-drug-may-fight-cancer-101585-1.htm An 'orphan drug' used to treat sleep disorders may be potent cancer-fighting agent, say researchers. Their novel approach, using groundbreaking technology that allows rapid analysis of the genome, has broad implications for the development of safer, more-effective cancer therapies. The findings are published in the May 21 issue of the iProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences/i. A research team led by corresponding author Carla Grandori, M.D., Ph.D., an investigator in the Hutchinson ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/orphan-sleep-drug-may-fight-cancer-101585-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/new-drugs-for-fox-tapeworm-infection-101583-1.htm Scientists are testing a series of novel drugs that could inhibit fox tapeworm infections in humans. The report, which appears in ACS' IJournal of Medicinal Chemistry, /Ishows that specific organometallic substances that help combat cancer are also the surprising best new hope for a treatment against tapeworm infection. Carsten Vock, Andrew Hemphill and colleagues explain that alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a parasitic disease caused by the fox tapeworm IEchinococcus multilocularis/I....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/new-drugs-for-fox-tapeworm-infection-101583-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/poor-quality-antimalarial-drugs-pose-threat-101582-1.htm Poor quality malaria drugs lead to drug resistance that pose an urgent threat to vulnerable populations, shows study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal. "Poor quality antimalarial drugs are very likely to jeopardize the unprecedented progress and investments in control and elimination of malaria made in the past decade," according to Dr. Joel Breman, a co-author on the paper. Breman is senior scientist emeritus at NIH's Fogarty International Center, which funded the study....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/poor-quality-antimalarial-drugs-pose-threat-101582-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/clinical-trials-into-new-drug-targeting-abnormal-genes-responsible-for-cancer-provides-encouraging-results-in-phase-i-trial-101572-1.htm Clinical trials testing out a new drug, which targets abnormal genes that are responsible for specific cancers, have given encouraging signs to researchers who are testing the drugs in children suffering from a rare and aggressive type of lymphoma and neuroblastoma. A phase 1 clinical trial of the drug crizotinib achieved remissions, with minimal side effects, for 10 of the children participating in a clinical study carried out by the multicenter Children's Oncology Group (COG). The results ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/clinical-trials-into-new-drug-targeting-abnormal-genes-responsible-for-cancer-provides-encouraging-results-in-phase-i-trial-101572-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/method-to-flag-drugs-in-baby-food-discovered-101558-1.htm A fast, accurate method flags tiny amounts of drugs present in milk powder and baby food. Antibiotics, such as tilmicosine, or antiparasitic drugs, such as levamisole, are given to livestock in order to avoid illness, but they can remain later in food. "The concentrations detected have been generally very low. On one hand, this suggests they are not worrying amounts, on the other hand, it shows the need to control these products to guarantee food safety," Antonia Garrido, professor ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/method-to-flag-drugs-in-baby-food-discovered-101558-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/new-drug-shows-promise-against-localized-high-risk-prostate-tumors-101554-1.htm A novel hormone-depleting drug helps eliminate tumors in patients with aggressive cancers that have yet to spread beyond the prostate, shows clinical study. The phase II clinical trial, led by investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and other research centers, examined the use of the drug abiraterone acetate (Zytiga(R)) in combination with prednisone and surgery in 58 men with high-risk prostate cancer isolated to the prostate gland. Participants received either three or six months ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/new-drug-shows-promise-against-localized-high-risk-prostate-tumors-101554-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/arthritis-drug-effective-against-amoebic-parasites-101537-1.htm A common drug that is used for arthritis proves as an effective weapon against parasitic organisms, reveals study. Researchers in California found that auranofin, an oral therapy for arthritis that has been around since 1985, is highly effective against the parasite Entamoeba histolytica. Carried in water and food, the parasite is a major but often neglected hazard in poor countries, causing amoebic dysentery and liver abscesses. Auranofin was found thanks to a hi-tech programme to screen potential drugs for "orphan" diseases....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/arthritis-drug-effective-against-amoebic-parasites-101537-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/new-drug-candidates-offer-route-to-controlling-inflammation-101536-1.htm New set of molecules have the potential to treat inflammatory diseases such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, stroke and sepsis, say researchers. The team started by creating a three-dimensional map of a protein structure called the C3a receptor, which sits on the surface of human cells and plays a critical role in regulating a branch of the immune system called the complement system. They then used computational techniques to design short portions of protein molecules, known as peptides, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/new-drug-candidates-offer-route-to-controlling-inflammation-101536-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-develop-new-method-to-detect-traces-of-veterinary-drugs-in-baby-food-101519-1.htm The increasing cases of the detection of veterinary drugs in infant foods are a cause for concern, but that may now change as researchers have developed a new method to find the same. The "precise, simple and fast" methodology has been validated by analyzing twelve meat products (cow, pig or poultry) and nine milk powder samples. Data indicate that concentrations of veterinary drugs vary from 0.5 to 25.2 g/kg in the former and 1.2 to 26.2 g/kg in the latter "although with more samples, more conclusive results would be obtained"....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/researchers-develop-new-method-to-detect-traces-of-veterinary-drugs-in-baby-food-101519-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/esc-issues-new-heart-failure-guidelines-on-devices-drugs-and-diagnosis-101497-1.htm The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has issued new recommendations on devices, drugs and diagnosis in heart failure which was launched at the Heart Failure Congress 2012. The Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute and Chronic Heart Failure 2012 were developed by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in collaboration with the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the ESC. The Congress is the HFA's main annual meeting. An analysis of the most up to date clinical evidence ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/esc-issues-new-heart-failure-guidelines-on-devices-drugs-and-diagnosis-101497-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/medication-errors-put-diabetics-lives-at-risk-report-101467-1.htm Thousands of hospital patients suffering from diabetes are at risk of potentially fatal low blood-sugar levels after medication blunders by doctors. According to the report, hospitals in England and Wales made 3,700 medication errors in a week. If this one-in-three level of mistakes - which can lead to dangerously high blood-glucose levels - continued for a year, it could affect 208,000 patients, the Daily Express reported. During a seven-day period, patients with blunders suffered ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/medication-errors-put-diabetics-lives-at-risk-report-101467-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/misuse-of-erection-drug-may-put-mens-sex-lives-at-risk-101465-1.htm Intake of erection pills just for fun may put young men's sex lives into risk, warns a new study. Nearly 6 percent of the sexually active college men involved in the study reported taking drugs for erectile dysfunction (ED) without a prescription. Yet an analysis of these students' sex lives unveiled a paradox: The more ED drugs men took, the worse they felt. "Using ED drugs recreationally has the potential to negatively influence one's confidence," said Christopher Harte, lead author of the study....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/misuse-of-erection-drug-may-put-mens-sex-lives-at-risk-101465-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/drug-for-melanoma-shows-promise-in-early-trial-101463-1.htm An experimental drug for melanoma has successfully shrank tumors that spread to the brain in nine out of 10 patients in part of an international phase I clinical trial. The drug dabrafenib, which targets the Val600 BRAF mutation that is active in half of melanoma cases, also cut the size of tumors in 25 of 36 patients with late-stage melanoma that had not spread to the brain. The drug also showed activity in other cancer types with the BRAF mutation. "Nine out of 10 responses among patients with brain metastases is really exciting....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/drug-for-melanoma-shows-promise-in-early-trial-101463-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/research-says-reducing-off-label-use-of-antipsychotic-medications-may-save-money-101441-1.htm A Penn State College of Medicine study has suggested that reducing the non-FDA-approved use of antipsychotic drugs may be a way to save money while having little effect on patient care. Researchers say that 57.6 percent of patients prescribed antipsychotic medications in data from 2003 did not have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, the conditions for which the drugs were approved for use. Use of medication for treatments that is not FDA-approved is called off-label use. "Given healthcare ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/research-says-reducing-off-label-use-of-antipsychotic-medications-may-save-money-101441-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/guidance-is-non-specific-but-drugs-reduce-bone-cancer-damage-101413-1.htm A new review finds that bone cancer-related fractures and pain can be reduced by drug treatment, but no one drug is superior. The review is published in The iCochrane Library/i. Researchers undertook a systematic review of the current evidence on bisphosphonate drugs, which are used to prevent bone damage in multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that grows in and on bones, and can cause fractures in long bones and the spine. Severe back pain is a common symptom. Bisphosphonate ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/guidance-is-non-specific-but-drugs-reduce-bone-cancer-damage-101413-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/commonly-used-chemo-drug-could-aid-the-spread-of-cancer-cells-into-bones-by-fertilizing-bone-marrow-101405-1.htm A new study conducted by researchers at University of Michigan School of Dentistry has found that instead of preventing the spread of cancer, a commonly used chemotherapy drug fertilizes the bone marrow, allowing cancer cells to multiply and spread easily, if it is administered before bone tumors took root. The findings provide valuable insight as to why some cancers metastasize to bone, and could eventually result in new metastasis-prevention drugs, said Laurie McCauley, professor in the Department ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/commonly-used-chemo-drug-could-aid-the-spread-of-cancer-cells-into-bones-by-fertilizing-bone-marrow-101405-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/new-drug-kills-off-cancer-cells-by-restoring-mutated-tumor-suppressor-protein-101403-1.htm Researchers from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey have identified a new compound that can restore the structure and function of a commonly mutated protein, p53, in human cancer which can then selectively kill off the cancer cells. The research, published by Cell Press in the May 15th issue of the journal iCancer Cell/i, uses a novel, computer based strategy to identify potential anti-cancer drugs, including one that targets the third most common p53 mutation in human cancer, p53-R175H. ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/new-drug-kills-off-cancer-cells-by-restoring-mutated-tumor-suppressor-protein-101403-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/experimental-drug-may-help-older-chronic-leukemia-patients-101383-1.htm The experimental drug ibrutinib can be used as a first-line therapy for older people with chronic leukemia, reveal clinical trials. Ibrutinib (PCI-32765) shows great promise for the treatment of elderly patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to interim findings from a clinical trial. The phase I/II trial, co-led by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/experimental-drug-may-help-older-chronic-leukemia-patients-101383-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/colombia-forests-nurture-powerful-drug-transforming-folks-to-zombies-101362-1.htm A dangerous drug extracted from a specific kind of tree quite common in Colombia can do away with free will and can erase the memory of its victims. The drug, which is currently being dealt on the streets of the country, is called scopolamine, but is colloquially known as 'The Devil's Breath,' and is often blown into faces of victims or added to drinks. Within minutes, victims are like 'zombies' - coherent, but with no free will. Some victims report being raped, forced to empty their ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/colombia-forests-nurture-powerful-drug-transforming-folks-to-zombies-101362-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/study-shows-anti-hiv-drug-tenofovir-is-safe-to-take-during-pregnancy-101354-1.htm A study by a team of international researchers published in this week's iPLoS Medicine/i shows pre-birth exposure to the anti-HIV drug tenofovir does not adversely affect pregnancy outcomes and does not increase birth defects, growth abnormalities, or kidney problems in infants born to African women who are HIV positive, supporting the use of this drug during pregnancy. The researchers led by Diana Gibb from the MRC Clinical Trials Unit in London, UK, analyzed data collected on pregnancy ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/study-shows-anti-hiv-drug-tenofovir-is-safe-to-take-during-pregnancy-101354-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/monster-drug-reduces-food-carvings-101353-1.htm A drug from Gila monster saliva effectively reduces cravings for food, say researchers. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, found that rats treated with the drug ceased their cravings for both food and chocolate. An increasing number of patients suffering from type 2 diabetes are offered a pharmaceutical preparation called Exenatide, which helps them to control their blood sugar. The drug is a synthetic version of a natural substance called exendin-4, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/monster-drug-reduces-food-carvings-101353-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/new-drug-destroys-cancer-cells-by-blocking-its-recycling-mechanism-101331-1.htm Researchers from Perelman School of Medicine, the Abramson Cancer Center and University of Pennsylvania have developed a new drug that blocks the recycling mechanism of cancer cells and destroys the tumors by disabling the ability of repairing themselves from the damage caused by chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. Ravi K. Amaravadi, MD, assistant professor of Medicine, and colleagues showed previously that an old malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, reduces autophagy in cancer cells and ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/new-drug-destroys-cancer-cells-by-blocking-its-recycling-mechanism-101331-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/expert-says-alternative-medicines-potentially-unsafe-101298-1.htm A leading expert says that alternative medicines are potentially unsafe. Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, UK, says trials into treatments such as chiropractic manipulation, acupuncture and herbal remedies too often fail to record incidents when patients suffer adverse effects. According to Ernst, the main chiropractic treatment technique involves manual therapy, including manipulation of the spine, other joints, and soft tissues; ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/expert-says-alternative-medicines-potentially-unsafe-101298-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/potential-new-drug-targets-via-a-closer-look-at-parp-1-101286-1.htm The molecular details of PARP-1 have been elaborated in a new study published in iScience/i on May 11. The former is a DNA damage-detecting enzyme that when inhibited has been shown to be effective in fighting cancer and other diseases. The investigation led by a href="http:www.jefferson.edu/biochemistry/faculty_profile.cfm?key=jmp007"John M. Pascal, Ph.D./a, an assistant professor in the a href="http:www.jefferson.edu/biochemistry/"Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology/a ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/potential-new-drug-targets-via-a-closer-look-at-parp-1-101286-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/medicine-may-be-improved-by-new-twist-on-ancient-math-problem-101285-1.htm Nanotechnology researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of Connecticut have unearthed a hidden facet of a math problem that goes back to Sanskrit scrolls. It turns out we've been missing a version of the famous "packing problem," and its new guise could have implications for cancer treatment, secure wireless networks, microelectronics and demolitions, the researchers say. Called the "filling problem," it seeks the best way to cover the inside of an object with a particular ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/medicine-may-be-improved-by-new-twist-on-ancient-math-problem-101285-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/antipsychotic-drugs-and-relapsing-schizophrenia-101271-1.htm A recent research conducted by Stefan et al and published in The Lancet, systematically reviewed the efficacy of antipsychotic drugs in preventing relapses in patients with schizophrenia, when compared to placebo. The review included 116 reports from about 65 clinical trials published over the past 50 years. Only those trials were taken into account where schizophrenic patients became stabilized after seeking treatment. Reports from the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group's specialized register, Embase, PubMed and ClinicalTrials....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/antipsychotic-drugs-and-relapsing-schizophrenia-101271-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/effect-of-blood-pressure-drugs-on-colon-cancer-risk-101264-1.htm Blood pressure drugs don't protect against colorectal cancer, reveals study published in CANCER. In recent years, researchers have thought that beta blockers, which are prescribed to many older adults for high blood pressure and heart conditions, might be linked with a decreased risk of cancer. This theory stems from animal and laboratory studies that found that the stress hormone norepinephrine can promote the growth and spread of cancer cells. Beta blockers inhibit norepinephrine's action, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/effect-of-blood-pressure-drugs-on-colon-cancer-risk-101264-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/brain-structure-and-psychiatric-medications-101240-1.htm Chronic psychotropic drug treatment may lead to structural remodeling of the brain, extensive research has shown. Indeed, clinical studies in humans present an intriguing picture: antipsychotics, used for the treatment of schizophrenia and psychosis, may contribute to cortical gray matter loss in patients, whereas lithium, used for the treatment of bipolar disorder and mania, may preserve gray matter in patients. However, the clinical significance of these structural changes is not yet clear....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/brain-structure-and-psychiatric-medications-101240-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/ranbaxy-launches-new-malaria-drug-in-africa-101190-1.htm Synriam, a new anti-malaria drug developed by the leading Indian drug manufacturer Ranbaxy Laboratories was launched in Africa. The launching may help Ranbaxy to boost its presence in the emerging market of Africa and setting up manufacturing facilities in Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. The arrival of the Synriam drug has come as a boon for many in a continent plagued by malaria. The drug provides quick relief from most malaria-related symptoms, including fever, and has a high cure rate of over 95 per cent....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/ranbaxy-launches-new-malaria-drug-in-africa-101190-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/recession-made-brits-to-spend-50-million-on-sleeping-pills-101189-1.htm Britishers spent around 50 million pounds on sleeping pills last year, as economic crunch made people more anxious which led to a rise in sleeping problems, a report said. Data released by the National Health Service (NHS) Business Services Authority showed that 152 primary care trusts spent 49.2 million pounds on sleeping pills in 2010-11, the Telegraph reported. NHS official Mandeep Mudhar said the recession was likely to have made people more anxious. "Sleep patterns can be affected ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/recession-made-brits-to-spend-50-million-on-sleeping-pills-101189-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/use-of-anti-epilepsy-drugs-in-newborns-questioned-101188-1.htm Researchers have raised concerns regarding use of the anti-epilepsy drug phenobarbital in human newborns, after a brain study in infant rats have been found to stunt neuronal growth. In iAnnals of Neurology/i EarlyView posted online May 11, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) report that the anti-epilepsy drug phenobarbital given to rat pups about a week old changed the way the animals' brains were wired, causing cognitive abnormalities later in life. The researchers ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/use-of-anti-epilepsy-drugs-in-newborns-questioned-101188-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/emergency-contraception-coils-more-effective-than-morning-after-pill-101173-1.htm Researchers have urged that girls as young as 11 and 12 years old should be fitted with coils after unprotected sex instead of being given the morning after pill. They have calculated that it is almost 100 per cent effective at preventing pregnancies compared to the emergency pill which has failure rates of up to 3 percent. Academics also say that the coils can prevent pregnancy for up to five days after sex, the Daily Mail reported. An intrauterine device is a small, T-shaped contraceptive ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/emergency-contraception-coils-more-effective-than-morning-after-pill-101173-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/future-seizures-in-people-with-epilepsy-predicted-by-response-to-first-drug-treatment-101169-1.htm A new study has revealed that response to first drug treatment in people with newly-diagnosed epilepsy may signal the likelihood that they will continue to have more seizures. The study is published in the May 9, 2012, online issue of iNeurology/iA (Regd) , the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "Our research shows a pattern based on how a person responds to initial treatment and specifically, to their first two courses of drug treatment," said study author Patrick Kwan, ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/future-seizures-in-people-with-epilepsy-predicted-by-response-to-first-drug-treatment-101169-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/fda-panel-approves-new-drug-for-weight-loss-101162-1.htm The US Food and Drug Administration has been urged by a panel of experts to approve Lorcaserin, a new weight loss drug, developed by Arena Pharmaceuticals. The committee voted 18-4 in favor of the drug, which works to control the appetite through receptors in the brain, after trial data showed it helped nearly half of patients studied lose up to five percent of their body weight. The drug was rejected in 2010 by the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee, which advises the ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/fda-panel-approves-new-drug-for-weight-loss-101162-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/collusive-nexus-between-drug-regulator-pharmaceutical-firms-101151-1.htm Government's top drug regulatory had colluded with pharmaceutical firms to approve drugs without proper clinical trials, say sources. The accusations were levelled in a parliamentary panel report that said officials in the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) were operating in wilful violation of regulatory practices. The report, which named a number of international drug majors, said the CDSCO had approved a number of medicines without mandatory final trials, including ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/collusive-nexus-between-drug-regulator-pharmaceutical-firms-101151-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/experimental-drug-delays-relapses-in-multiple-myeloma-101111-1.htm Lenalidomide administration improves progression time and survival rate in multiple myeloma patients, reveal clinical trial studies. Dr. McCarthy, who is also Director of RPCI''s Blood (and) Marrow Transplant Program, was the Principal Investigator of the study, Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) 100104, a phase III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial that opened in April 2005 and enrolled patients from 47 U.S. transplant centers. Among 460 patients aged 18 ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/experimental-drug-delays-relapses-in-multiple-myeloma-101111-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/adverse-drug-reactions-that-cause-skin-disorders-101081-1.htm The adverse reactions of drugs might lead to common problems such as skin eruptions or may cause a serious health concern in patients on systemic medications. However, most drug-induced skin disorders are mild and disappear when the causative drug is withdrawn. Valeire Clinard, Assistant Professor Pharmacy Assistant Professor, Practice Campbell University College of Pharmacy (and) Health Sciences, along with other experts highlighted the various types of drug-induced skin reactions. Skin ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/adverse-drug-reactions-that-cause-skin-disorders-101081-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/range-of-brain-diseases-may-be-treated-by-single-drug-101054-1.htm The prospect of treating a range of brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, with the same drug has been proposed by UK researchers. In a study, they prevented brain cells dying in mice with prion disease. And it is hoped the same method for preventing brain cell death could apply in other diseases. The findings are at an early stage, but have been heralded as "fascinating". Many neuro-degenerative diseases result in the build-up of proteins, which are not put together correctly - known as misfolded proteins....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/range-of-brain-diseases-may-be-treated-by-single-drug-101054-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/drug-marketing-abbott-labs-fined-16-billion-101050-1.htm US authorities have announced that Abbott Laboratories has been fined (Dollor) 1.6 billion for marketing its anti-seizure medication Depakote for unauthorized uses. The Department of Justice said Abbott pleaded guilty and would pay a criminal fine and forfeiture of (Dollor) 700 million, and pay another (Dollor) 800 million to settle civil suits with authorities in the case. Abbott said it also will pay states authorities another (Dollor) 100 million "to resolve consumer protection matters." Abbott pleaded guilty to ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/drug-marketing-abbott-labs-fined-16-billion-101050-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/diabetes-drug-could-treat-blindness-101026-1.htm Diabetes drug metformin could help reduce the effects of uveitis, an inflammation of the tissues just below the outer surface of the eyeball. Uveitis causes 10 to 15 percent of all cases of blindness in the United States, and is responsible for an even higher proportion of blindness globally. The only treatment now available for the disorder is steroid therapy, which has serious side effects and cannot be used long-term. "Uveitis has various causes - the most common are infectious diseases ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/diabetes-drug-could-treat-blindness-101026-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/new-pill-help-ward-off-heart-attack-risk-101011-1.htm Blood pressure superpill may help cut the risk of heart attack, suggest researchers. Many patients currently with high blood pressure have to take several tablets, often at various times of the day, to prevent a potentially fatal heart attack or stroke. Recent figures revealed that two million people in the UK take three or more pills each day for their hypertension, or high blood pressure. But up to 80 per cent are believed not to take their medication as directed, which means their condition is not being properly controlled....]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/new-pill-help-ward-off-heart-attack-risk-101011-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/shortly-binge-eating-remedy-will-be-a-pill-101010-1.htm Medication meant for attention hyperactivity disorder in kids, holds promise to treat binge eating too. Binge Eating Disorder, which affects 1.5million people, isnormally treated using psychological therapy. However, till date there has been no licensed drug for the 30 per cent who fail to respond to counselling. Last week trials showed a type of amphetamine called Vyvanse could help treating Binge Eating Disorder. "Patients showed a significant change in eating habits," the Daily ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/shortly-binge-eating-remedy-will-be-a-pill-101010-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/india-cancer-drug-ruling-contested-by-bayer-100981-1.htm A ground-breaking Indian ruling is being contested by German pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG that approved a local firm to make a hugely cheaper replica of its patented drug for kidney and liver cancer. India's patents chief ruled in March the price Bayer charged for the drug, Nexavar, was "exorbitant" and ordered the firm to give a so-called "compulsory licence" to make the medicine to Indian company Natco Pharma. "We will rigorously continue to defend our intellectual property rights which ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/india-cancer-drug-ruling-contested-by-bayer-100981-1.htm http://www.medindia.net/news/use-of-antipsychotic-drugs-among-children-under-foster-care-increased-in-the-last-decade-100954-1.htm A nationwide study conducted by researchers from PolicyLab at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has revealed that the number of children currently under foster care and taking antipsychotic drugs has increased over the last decade though there has been a slight decline in the use of other psychoactive medications. As public scrutiny has increased about the use of psychoactive medication by children over the past decade, children in foster care continue to be prescribed these drugs at exceptionally ...]]> http://www.medindia.net/news/use-of-antipsychotic-drugs-among-children-under-foster-care-increased-in-the-last-decade-100954-1.htm