Category Archives: Drugs

Jul 9, 2012 9:38pm Image credit: Nancy Goodman/Kids v. Cancer President Obama signed a bill today that will provide incentives to drug companies to research and develop drugs for rare diseases. The Creating Hope Act grants pharmaceutical companies that create drugs for diseases like childhood cancers a voucher giving speedier review of any other drug they submit for approval. The Oval Office signature was a hard-fought victory for children like Mollie Ward, 11, who survived a rare form of pancreatic cancer thanks to an experimental drug, and for other families who have fought childhood cancers. Nancy Goodman, founder of Kids v. Cancer, which is devoted to pediatric cancer research, lost her son Jacob Froman, 10, to a rare form of brain cancer nearly four years ago. Hed been diagnosed at the age of 8. She was instrumental in getting the bill passed. She and others said that drug companies had little financial incentive to develop new treatments because childhood cancers are so rare. The reason I started working on the Creating Hope Act was that I found very early on that there are just very few drugs to treat kids with cancer, she told ABC News. We created a big, … Continue reading →

THREE-QUARTERS of depressed adolescents are prescribed drugs before psychotherapy has been given a proper chance to work, and their progress on antidepressant medication is inadequately monitored, according to a study of 150 clients referred to a youth mental health service. The University of Melbourne audit of treatment records from the Orygen Youth Health Clinic revealed doctors systematically recorded the severity of the depression they diagnosed in only half of cases - even though this is considered essential for determining what type of therapy is likely to work best, and for assessing later how well the person is responding to it. The study, of patients aged 15 to 25, found that among those who were given antidepressant treatment and were not already taking the drugs when they were first seen by the specialist youth service, 75 per cent were prescribed the drugs within 42 days. The study leader, Sarah Hetrick, said this suggested they were likely to have been given their first script before completing the four to six sessions of psychological therapy recommended as initial treatment in guidelines issued in Australia by the National Depression Initiative, beyondblue, and by international authorities. Advertisement Previous research had shown doctors were concerned some … Continue reading →

Drugs courier Amanda Watling locked away 7:59am Monday 9th July 2012 in News By Megi Rychlikova, megi.rychlikova@thepress.co.uk A COCAINE courier who was caught red-handed with drugs worth more than 1,300 has been jailed for almost two years. Amanda Watling was spotted by CCTV operators stumbling near a car in Toft Green, York, who raised the alarm, suspecting she was about to try and drive the car. Paul Nicholson, prosecuting, told York Crown Court that Watling became aggressive when she saw the police officers and struggled with them. Police searched the car and found 43.2g of cocaine inside, worth between 1,260 and 1,680, and 15 worth of amphetamine. They also found 57 Ecstasy tablets on her, worth 140 to 171, and amphetamine worth 120 to 140 in her house. It was the second time she had been caught passing on Class A drugs. In 2007, she was jailed for 30 months at Nottingham Crown Court for supplying a prisoner with heroin. She had been persuaded to take the cocaine from one part of York to another by her dealer, said her barrister Taryn Turner. The Recorder of York, Judge Stephen Ashurst, told Watling: You did go in to this with open … Continue reading →

Free drugs for all is the beginning of health reforms: S Selvaraj Interview with Advisor, High-Level Expert Group on Universal Health Care Sreelatha Menon / New Delhi Jul 08, 2012, 00:29 IST Health economist and advisor to the High-Level Expert Group on Universal Health Care, S Selvaraj, tells Sreelatha Menon that tackling lack of doctors in India will take time to sort out, but providing free drugs can be done immediately What will be the most important component of the universal health care (UHC) package that the 12th Plan is likely to unfold? Of all the components of UHC, strengthening public health system in the country is the most significant. The pacing and phasing of reforms are critical and, therefore, free distribution of drugs is likely to be taken up immediately. This is expected to provide significant financial risk protection to households. Has the health ministry identified a strategy for procurement and distribution of generic drugs? The health ministry, as I believe, is putting in place a mechanism that would tie in financial allocation to a host of reforms, expected to improve governance and accountability in the medicine supply system in the country. The proposed system is on the lines … Continue reading →

An assortment of drugs has been discovered inside DVD cases sent in mail packages from the Netherlands. CUSTOMS foiled the novel attempt to smuggle nine packages of drugs into Australia at the Sydney Gateway Facility. The drugs were detected when the packages were X-rayed on June 27, and officials noticed anomalies in the images of the parcels. When they examined the contents of the DVD cases, officials discovered an assortment of drugs, including 50 grams of MDMA (ecstasy), 21g of cocaine and 60 tabs of LSD. The goods were in plain packaging marked with the logo of a well-known company, customs said in a statement. Customs and Border Protection national manager of cargo operations, Jagtej Singh, said criminals were working hard at finding ways of circumventing Australia's borders. "This is an example of where the packaging was used as an attempt to camouflage criminal activity," he said in a statement. "The detection should serve as a warning to anyone who thinks they can get around our stringent checks on goods coming into Australia." The maximum penalty for an offence of this type is a fine of $250,000 and/or 10 years' jail, he added. View original post here: Drugs found by … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON - When all else failed, the promise of corporate profits for pediatric cancer drugs did what cajoling to save children could not. Legislation by Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, soon to be signed by President Barack Obama, will offer drug companies multimillion-dollar incentives to pioneer medications for rare childhood diseases that afflict too few kids to make a profit. The legislation is meant to remedy a chronic mismatch in which the FDA has approved dozens of new drugs to combat adult cancers since 1980 - and only one for the treatment of childhood cancer. "We're giving companies incentives to make money because the free market has failed to develop these medications," says McCaul, a five-term Austin Republican and father of five who founded the 94-member Congressional Childhood Cancer Caucus. The measure "fundamentally transforms the way drug companies look at rare pediatric diseases and compensates for market failures that have prevented any new treatment for pediatric cancer from being developed in a generation," he added. Dr. Eugenie Kleinerman, head of pediatrics at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, said clinicians have been frustrated for years by the absence of state-of-the-art anti-cancer medications tailored to children. M.D. Anderson treats 2,000 … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, July 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Global Kidney Cancer Drugs Industry http://www.reportlinker.com/p0611069/Global-Kidney-Cancer-Drugs-Industry.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Drug_and_ This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Kidney Cancer Drugs in US$ Million. This report on 'Kidney Cancer Drugs' provides market analytics specifically for the "Renal Cell Carcinoma" (RCC) market, owing to its predominance among the various types of kidney cancers. The market for Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) drugs is analyzed by the two major drug classes, which include: Multikinase Inhibitors, and Other RCC drug Classes (including Immunomodulators; mTOR inhibitors; and other emerging drug classes). The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2008 through 2017. The report profiles 19 companies including many key and niche players such as AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Bayer AG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Merck-Serono, Novartis AG, Pfizer, Inc., and WILEX AG. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based upon search engine sources in the public domain. I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & PRODUCT DEFINITIONS Study Reliability and … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, July 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Global Pediatric Drugs and Vaccines Industry http://www.reportlinker.com/p0552789/Global-Pediatric-Drugs-and-Vaccines-Industry.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Drug_and_ This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Pediatric Drugs and Vaccines in US$ Million by the following Product Segments: Pediatric Vaccines, Pediatric Hormones, Allergy & Respiratory Drugs, Anti-infective Drugs, CNS Drugs, and Other Pediatric Drugs. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2009 through 2017. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. The report profiles 156 companies including many key and niche players such as Abbott Laboratories, Allergan, Inc., Amgen, Inc., AstraZeneca Plc, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Eli Lilly and Company, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Genentech, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Merck & Co., Inc., Merck Serono, Novartis AG, Novo Nordisk A/S, Pfizer, Inc., Sanofi S.A, Shionogi, Inc., Shire Plc, and UCB Pharma. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based upon search engine sources in the public domain. I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & PRODUCT DEFINITIONS Study Reliability and Reporting Limitations I-1 Disclaimers I-2 … Continue reading →

3 July 2012 Last updated at 21:51 ET By Oleg Boldyrev BBC Russian Russian anti-narcotic officials say that more than 40,000 convictions for drug-related crimes in 2011 show their success in the war on drugs. But human rights activists accuse the police of mass fabrications. Elena Kuznetsova witnessed the last minutes of her son Roman's liberty. He went from their flat downstairs to meet someone who owed him money for a recently sold scooter. From a window of their flat, Mrs Kuznetsova saw her son suddenly being manhandled into an unmarked car parked nearby. She managed to run downstairs and followed the car. It took her son to a branch of the Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN) in Khimki, a suburb just outside Moscow. There, Roman Kuznetsov's bag was taken away from him. An hour later, during the official search, inside the bag were found 18 small packets of hashish hidden in a cigarette pack. I'd say up to 80% of cases relating to the possession of lighter drugs like cannabis are not real An investigation followed. It did not find her son's fingerprints on the drugs. Experts failed to establish whether separate packets of hash were part of the … Continue reading →

Rep. Blake Farenthold (Official photo) The Corpus Christi Police Department raided the home of Sue Farenthold, Rep. Blake Farentholds sister, on Monday, and found drugs and weapons inside. I am saddened to learn the terrible news of the situation unfolding around my sister. Tragedy has occurred in my family in the past, and I am saddened it has happened again, Farenthold said in a statement. I trust that law enforcement officials are doing their job and I support them carrying out their duty, regardless of where it takes them. I love my sister and ask for your prayers for her and the rest of my family as we work through this very difficult time. The police department found methamphetamine, heroin and two weapons, Politico reported, after acting on information that there was gang activity and drugs in the home. A rifle and a shotgun were uncovered in the search. Sue Farenthold was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, Politico reported, along with three men who were arrested, including one that a member of law enforcement told Politico was a known gang member. Farenthold is a freshman Republican congressman from Corpus Christi. He defeated incumbent Democrat Solomon Ortiz … Continue reading →