Category Archives: Drugs

guy dixon From Thursday's Globe and Mail Published Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 5:50PM EST Last updated Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 6:11PM EST Even in at the height of the drugs, sex and rock ’n’ roll era, when the heady 1960s slurred into the excessive 1970s, Burton Cummings had a limit. Sure, he had a reputation for partying on tour with the Guess Who. But he also knew he couldn’t stay up all night, every night, as some other musicians and hangers-on could. It’s the gospel that singers – if they want their careers to survive – try to abide by: The voice has to have rest, or it will be destroyed. More related to this story The vulnerabilities of musicians to substance abuse is a subject on the mind of the Canadian rock ’n’ roller after the sudden death of singer Whitney Houston, 48, on Feb. 11. While there has yet to be an official announcement of the cause of her death, it was widely known that Houston’s career had been largely destroyed by drug use despite her having sought treatment several times in the past decade. And just six months ago, superstar singer Amy Winehouse, only 27, died of … Continue reading →

22 February 2012 Last updated at 07:25 ET Detectives have described a thwarted plan to bring five tonnes of cocaine to the UK from Colombia as being like a movie plot. Coded messages, trips to South America and drugs hidden in crates of fruit all featured in a plan masterminded from inside a Nottinghamshire prison. Had it worked, the men stood to make millions of pounds. Instead, three men are facing jail after being found guilty of conspiring to import cocaine at Birmingham Crown Court. Ringleader Russell Knaggs, 38, devised the elaborate scheme while serving a 16-year sentence for drugs offences at Lowdham Grange Prison in Nottinghamshire in 2009. Phillip Hadley, 52, of Conisbrough, Doncaster, and Robert Rich, 40, from Barnsley, were working on the outside. Cassim Koubari, 38, of HMP Rye Hill, David Phillips, 56, of HMP Doncaster, and Melvin Smit, 34, of Roermond, Holland, were found not guilty of conspiring to import cocaine. Anthony Perger, 51, from Sheffield, pleaded guilty to the charge at the start of the trial. Meetings with cartels The court heard Knaggs had obtained contact details for drug dealers in Colombia and had set about organising a deal for five tonnes of cocaine to … Continue reading →

A haul of suspected counterfeit sex drugs worth an estimated £140,000 has been found in police raids. Around 28,000 suspected counterfeit erectile dysfunction tablets were seized by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) enforcement team following co-ordinated raids at three homes. The raids took place as part of Operation Fitzroy, with the assistance of Leicestershire Police, at homes in Albert Street and Moor Lane in Loughborough, along with the Metropolitan Police in Frazier Street, south east London. Two men have been arrested and drugs with an estimated value of £140,000 were seized. It is suspected that the haul included around 6,000 counterfeit Cialis tablets, used to treat erectile dysfunction, although this needs to be confirmed by testing, the MHRA said. Danny Lee-Frost, head of operations at the MHRA, said: "These raids demonstrate the MHRA's commitment to finding those attempting to deal with falsified medicines and send a very clear message that those responsible will not benefit from their criminality. "It is the role of the MHRA to ensure the public have access to acceptably safe medicines and this action has prevented potentially unsafe medicines from reaching the public." See the original post here: £140,000 sex drugs seized in … Continue reading →

Drugs that improve connections between nerve cells in the brain may be able to improve people's memory and help understand disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, scientists have revealed. A new study, published in the journal PLoS Biology, found that when a protein used to strengthen synapses in the brain was given to rats, it improved their ability to learn and retain information. The study, led by doctors Jose A Esteban, Shira Knafo and Cesar Venero, is the result of collaboration between researchers at The Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa at the Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED) in Spain; the Brain Mind Institute at the Ecole polytechnique federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland; and the Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology at the Faculty of Health Sciences in Denmark. They looked at the connections, or synapses, which control cognitive function, and the way they change in strength and properties - known as synaptic plasticity. Alterations in synaptic plasticity, suggested to be the cellular basis for learning and memory, are thought to be responsible for multiple cognitive deficits such as autism and Alzheimer's disease. The new study looked at how synaptic plasticity can be manipulated to improve cognitive performance. Scientists … Continue reading →

The Food and Drug Administration, along with private manufacturers, announced efforts on Tuesday that they say will stave off shortages for two cancer drugs. The FDA sped up approval of a new formulation of methotrexate, a drug used to treat children’s cancer, made by  APP Pharmaceutical. It said another company that makes the drug, Hospira, had pushed out extra doses to address the ongoing shortage. The FDA also said it would temporarily allow imports of an Indian-made drug called Lipodox, which is not yet approved in the United States but can be used as a substitute to cover shortages of the cancer drug Doxil. “Temporary importation of unapproved foreign drugs is considered in rare cases when there is a shortage of an approved drug that is critical to patients and the shortage cannot be resolved in a timely fashion with FDA-approved drugs,” the FDA said in a statement. “We must aggressively address the often life-threatening challenge of drug shortages,” FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said at a news conference. “The FDA has been actively and aggressively working with industry … to ensure treatment and therapies get into the hand of those who need them, when they need them.” In an unusually coordinated … Continue reading →

TRENTON, N.J. -- Federal regulators have approved new suppliers for two crucial cancer drugs, easing critical shortages that had been ratcheting up fears that patients, particularly children with leukemia, would miss lifesaving treatments. But there are currently 283 separate prescription drugs in short supply or unavailable nationwide, and regulators and manufacturers say shortages are a long-term problem that will continue to give patients and doctors nightmares. On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration said it will temporarily allow importation of a replacement drug for Doxil, a drug for recurrent ovarian or bone marrow cancer. The Johnson & Johnson drug hasn't been available for new patients for months because J&J's contract manufacturer had to shut down production over serious quality lapses. The FDA also has approved a new supplier for a preservative-free version of methotrexate, a crucial drug for children with a type of leukemia called ALL, for lymphomas and for the bone cancer osteosarcoma. The version with preservatives, the one that's been scarce, can be toxic or cause paralysis in children and other patients getting the drug either by injections into spinal cord fluid or at very high doses. The FDA also has approved the release of a batch manufactured … Continue reading →

VANCOUVER – A class of drugs being investigated to treat Alzheimer's disease may actually have the opposite effect of the original intent — they may impair memory, a new study in animals suggests. The drugs, known as BACE1 inhibitors, are designed to prevent the formation of the protein plaques in the brain that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. However, the new study suggests these drugs interfere with the brain's wiring, potentially affecting the formation of new memories. While the drugs aren't approved by the Food and Drug Administration, several companies are pursuing their development, and some have been tested in human trials. The new findings are not a red light for BACE1 inhibitor development, study researcher Robert Vassar, a professor of cell and molecular biology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said here today at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual meeting. But researchers should proceed with caution, Vassar said. "It's something the drug makers need to keep their eyes out for," Vassar told MyHealthNewsDaily. The enzyme BACE1 is involved in forming amyloid beta proteins, which aggregate to form plaques. The drugs are based on the idea that blocking the enzyme could slow the disease, … Continue reading →

The FDA is importing two drugs, including Doxil, to ease a shortage of these critical treatments. (Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times) Reuters 9:30 a.m. CST, February 21, 2012 The Food and Drug Administration is addressing the U.S. shortage of critical cancer medications by importing one drug from abroad and rushing the approval of another. The move announced Tuesday is the latest government effort to stem the shortages of drugs in the United States, which doctors and patient advocates say have forced providers to postpone care or use second-best or costlier alternatives. The FDA said it would allow cancer drug Doxil to get shipped from abroad and also approve a new manufacturer of methotrexate, a drug used to treat childhood leukemia. Doxil, a cancer drug from Johnson & Johnson, has been in persistent short supply since manufacturing problems surfaced at a plant of Ben Venue, a unit of German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim. The injectable drug, which has annual global sales of about $500 million, is used to treat ovarian cancer and multiple myeloma. The plant's problems also have contributed to a shortage of methotrexate, leading U.S. lawmakers to call for action last week from the FDA and the manufacturers. President Barack Obama … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/324666/targeted_cancer_dr) has announced the addition of the "Targeted Cancer Drugs The Launch Landscape to 2018" report to their offering. As the cancer therapy market evolves, interest is growing in novel approaches which may supersede the current portfolio. In the short term, the market will be dominated by established therapeutic approaches, but the question is - What next? A Sign of Things to Come? The end of 2011 saw the US approval of two new molecularly-targeted cancer drugs, alongside companion diagnostic tests that identify the patients most likely to benefit from treatment. Pfizer's Xalkori (crizotinib) and Roche's Zelboraf (vemurafenib) were both approved following a priority review, highlighting the importance that the FDA has placed on hastening the passage of these therapies to market. These approvals reflect the trend of treating cancers based on their molecular and genetic characteristics, rather than their location within the body. Such developments have long been heralded as marking the future of cancer therapies and the benefits to patients, clinicians and health payers is clear -but are these approvals the benchmark for future developments? With sales of many blockbuster drugs being cannibalised by generic competitors, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are populating their … Continue reading →

(Reuters) - The Food and Drug Administration plans to address a potentially life-threatening shortage of two leading cancer drugs by allowing one of them to be imported from abroad and rushing approval for a new manufacturer to make the second. The move announced on Tuesday is the latest government effort to stem the shortages of drugs in the United States, which doctors and patient advocates say have forced providers to postpone care or use second-best or costlier alternatives. The FDA will allow imports of a version of the cancer drug Doxil, which, in the next few weeks, should meet patient needs, the agency said. The drug version is called Lipodox and has the same active ingredient as Doxil, doxorubicin. The FDA will also approve a new company, APP Pharmaceuticals, to make methotrexate, a drug used to treat childhood leukemia. APP is a unit of German healthcare group Fresenius SE. Doxil, a cancer drug from Johnson & Johnson, has been in persistent short supply since manufacturing problems surfaced at a plant of Ben Venue, a unit of German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim. The injectable drug, which has annual global sales of about $500 million, is used to treat ovarian cancer and multiple … Continue reading →