Drug Archives - Page 2 of 3

Brazil issues first license for sale of a cannabis-based drug

January 21, 2017 Srijita'First, a, Brazil, cannabis-based, Drug, for, Issues, License, of, Sale:

Brazilian healthcare regulator Anvisa on Monday said it had issued the country’s first license for sale of a cannabis-based drug in the country after years of legal wrangling with patients. The multiple sclerosistreatment, an oral spray derived from marijuana and developed by Britain’s GW Pharmaceuticals PLC, is known as Sativex internationally and will be sold in Brazil under the brand name Mevatyl. The legal status of cannabis-based drugs has been a thorny issue in Brazil for years, with several patients fighting in the courts to circumvent prohibition. Anvisa has loosened…

New drug shows promise in repairing failing hearts

December 30, 2016 SrijitaDrug, failing, hearts, In, New, Promise, repairing, Shows

New drug shows promise in repairing failing hearts A new experimental drug has shown promise in restoring cardiac function after heart failure, according to results of an early human trial. The researchers found that an infusion of the drug cimaglermin was generally tolerated except for transient nausea and headache. “These findings support continued clinical development of the investigational drug cimaglermin, including further safety evaluations and detailing the potential improvement on clinical heart failure outcome measures,” said lead author of the study Daniel Lenihan from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, US.…

Laser therapy with deep-sea drug kills prostate cancer cells

December 22, 2016 SrijitaCancer, cells, deep-sea, Drug, Kills, Laser, Prostate, Therapy, With

A non-surgical treatment for lowrisk prostate cancer, in which doctors inject a light-sensitive drug derived from deep-sea bacteria into a patient’s bloodstream, was shown in a trial to kill cancer cells without destroying healthy tissue. Results of a trial in 413 patients showed that the drug, which is activated with a laser to destroy tumour tissue in the prostate, was so effective that half the patients went into remission, compared with 13.5% in a control group.”These results are excellent news for men with early localised prostate cancer, offering a treatment…

Breakthrough malaria drug likely by ’18

November 6, 2016 Srijita18, breakthrough, by, Drug, Likely, malaria

Breakthrough malaria drug likely by ’18 (Getty Images) Contrary to the perception that drug research is mostly focused around the diseases of the elite, the antimalarial drug pipeline has increased nearly three-fold since 2008, with at least three new medicines expected to be launched in two to five years. India, where a lot of clinical trials have already begun, is likely to get a breakthrough anti-malarial drug Tafenoquine by 2018. The drug, a one-day-two-dose treatment, has already entered phase-three trials and once approved will replace the current 14-day treatment for…

Wilson’s disease drug goes off the shelves

October 4, 2016 SrijitaDisease, Drug, goes, Off, shelves, The, Wilson's

Wilson’s disease drug goes off the shelves A life-saving medicine D-Penicillamine, used in treatment of Wilson’s disease, is unavailable across the country, jeopardising lives of many patients. The shortage, primarily caused because of short supply of raw material used in the drug, prompted the drug regulator to call for an urgent meeting on Friday with five manufacturers of the drug. Wilson’s disease is a rare genetic disorder that prevents the body from getting rid of extra copper. The accumulation of copper may damage liver, brain, kidneys and eyes. D-Penicillamine is…

Common Diabetes Drug May Cut Weight in Autistic Kids

August 30, 2016 SrijitaAutistic, common, Cut, Diabetes, Drug, In, Kids, May, Weight

A drug commonly used as the front-line treatment for Type-2 diabetes may also be effective in reducing weight in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), finds a study. ASD is a serious developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact. Individuals suffering from autism spectrum disorder take atypical antipsychotics drugs to treat symptoms of irritability and agitation. These drugs often increases their appetite as well as weight, thus raising a long-term risk of diabetes. The study explored the effectiveness of metformin drug in counteracting weight gain…