Category Archives: Drugs

It's personal now: Alexis Borisy (left) and Michael Pellini lead an effort to make DNA data available to help cancer patients. Credit: Christopher Harting Michael Pellini fires up his computer and opens a report on a patient with a tumor of the salivary gland. The patient had surgery, but the cancer recurred. That's when a biopsy was sent to Foundation Medicine, the company that Pellini runs, for a detailed DNA study. Foundation deciphered some 200 genes with a known link to cancer and found what he calls "actionable" mutations in three of them. That is, each genetic defect is the target of anticancer drugs undergoing testing—though not for salivary tumors. Should the patient take one of them? "Without the DNA, no one would have thought to try these drugs," says Pellini.  Starting this spring, for about $5,000, any oncologist will be able to ship a sliver of tumor in a bar-coded package to Foundation's lab. Foundation will extract the DNA, sequence scores of cancer genes, and prepare a report to steer doctors and patients toward drugs, most still in early testing, that are known to target the cellular defects caused by the DNA errors the analysis turns up. Pellini says … Continue reading →

TUESDAY, Feb. 21 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday what it called a series of steps to ensure the continued availability of vital cancer drugs that have been in dangerously short supply. One of the drugs, methotrexate, is used in combination with other drugs to combat -- and in many cases cure -- acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common type of cancer in children. It typically strikes kids aged 2 to 5. And another drug, Lipodox, will be temporarily imported from a pharmaceutical company in India to ease a shortage of the chemotherapy drug Doxil (doxorubicin), which is used to treat ovarian cancer, multiple myeloma and AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma. Lipodox is similar in chemical makeup to Doxil; there are no generic versions of Doxil. "Through the collaborative work of [the] FDA, industry and other stakeholders, patients and families waiting for these products or anxious about their availability should now be able to get the medication they need," FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg said in a news release. The FDA also said it was issuing guidelines to the drug industry that spell out detailed requirements for "both mandatory and voluntary notifications" to the agency … Continue reading →

09-02-2012 09:16 In the US, when the economy needs a fix, so do the people. The country is now the world's largest consumer of coffee. And this addiction to caffeine is being exploited by some unscrupulous producers who're looking to boost their profit. RT's Marina Portnaya reports. RT on Twitter twitter.com RT on Facebook http://www.facebook.com Read more: Drug of Choice: 400 million daily dose for coffee nation - Video … Continue reading →

10-02-2012 19:45 Dov Davidoff (@dovdavidoff) focuses the pain of being in a relationship at the Laugh Factory comedy club in Hollywood, CA, home of the best stand up comedians. Have you subscribed to the Laugh Factory's channel yet? Click here: youtube.com Tell us what you thought in the comments and don't forget to like and add this video to your favorites if you LOL'd! LIVE SHOW SCHEDULE and TICKETS: bit.ly FOLLOW @thelaughfactory on Twitter: twitter.com LIKE the Laugh Factory on Facebook: facebook.com VISIT the Laugh Factory's website: laughfactory.com FOLLOW @DovDavidoff on Twitter twitter.com LIKE Dov Davidoff's Facebook fan page: facebook.com VISIT Dov Davidoff's website: dovlive.com SUBSCRIBE to Dov Davidoff's YouTube channel youtube.com Read more from the original source: Dov Davidoff - Love Drug - Video … Continue reading →

A Pittsburgh police officer already charged with offering to spare women legal trouble in exchange for sexual favors might face drug possession charges after crack cocaine, marijuana and other narcotics were found in his car this weekend, police sources and the officer's attorney said. Officer Adam Skweres, 34, a five-year veteran working out of the Zone 3 station in Allentown, was charged last week with crimes including bribery, coercion, indecent assault and official oppression stemming from three cases in which women told police he offered them legal aid in exchange for sex acts and a fourth in which a woman said he tried to rape her. Detectives searched Officer Skweres' Lincoln Place home on Friday night looking for his uniforms as well as more evidence, and they searched his vehicle on Saturday, according to police sources who would not say what else was recovered at either location. The officer's attorney, Phillip DiLucente, said he was aware that the search warrants were executed but did not know what else they yielded. He said police went there looking for "physical evidence to corroborate the alleged victims' stories." Mr. DiLucente did not know who the drugs belonged to or why they were in … Continue reading →

Skip Navigation,Sitemap | 'Mum saw Chris fight for life' THE mum of Christopher Knox crouched over her dying son as he desperately fought for his life, a court has heard. Posted 17 Feb 2012 12:00 £530k drugs seized in raids POLICE swoops have netted over £500,000 in deadly drugs across Inverclyde during the last year, the Telegraph can reveal. Posted 18 Feb 2012 09:00 Other Stories Sport Morton held to draw with Thistle Free read Morton were held to their second successive Saturday stalemate today after another missed penalty ensured they would have to share the spoils with Partick Thistle Posted 18 Feb 2012 21:35 Other Stories Talk of the Towns Copyright ©2012 Greenock Telegraph, 2 Crawfurd Street Greenock PA15 1LH • Tel: 01475 726511 • Fax: 01475 783734 Subscribe now to read this story This story is from our subscribers only section. Subscribe now to get our top stories, latest news and breaking news every day Subscribers get full access to our site - and subscriptions start from just £2.99* a month. If you are already registered go here Benefits of subscribing: • More stories • Exclusive, web only, content • Exclusive Competitions • Online edition of Greenock Telegraph … Continue reading →

Drugs do not appeal to everyone. That's just the reality. For every celebrity who gets high from substance abuse, there are countless others who have never given in to the allure. One such is international recording and performing singer, producer and promoter Richie Stephens. Twenty-seven years as a successful, award-winning singer, the hit-maker still pierces the soul with every note. He stated that whatever pressure the business may throw at him, he turns to the Almighty for strength and guidance. "What has happened to a lot of people is that the more successful they become, the more they start to lean on themselves and not the Almighty God, who is the highest power," stated Stephens. Healthy living addictions Stephens disclosed that he was also very keen on taking care of his body. "Exercise and healthy living are my addictions. Just like how some people gravitate to drugs and alcohol, I gravitate to exercise. I've never smoked and when it comes to alcohol, I'm an occasional drinker," he said. He added, "Look at Whitney Houston, who was blessed with one of the greatest voices in the world. She should have been a fanatic when it came to health, because only that … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, Feb. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The arsenal of prostate cancer treatments for men with advanced prostate cancer may soon be strengthened as the FDA prioritizes the review of both Ra-223 and MDV3100 for treating metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Based on positive, independent research of each drug, better survival rates and improved bone health for patients with late-stage prostate cancer may be within reach.  (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120217/NY55303 ) Dr. David Samadi is Vice Chairman, Department of Urology, and Chief of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery at The Mount Sinai Medical Center and a leading robotic surgery expert and PSA test advocate. He commended the efforts behind these advancements by saying, "I'm encouraged to see advanced prostate cancer treatment drugs that may not only extend life, but do so with improved patient health. That's the key – prolonging life with quality." Previous drug therapies, such as Provenge or Zytiga, have proven to extend survival rates, though do not offer additional benefits to the patient. The drug Radium-223 chloride, also known as Ra-223 or Alpharadin, delivers radiation to the bone and the prostate cancer tumor. In trial, the drug improved patient survival by an average of three months. In addition, patients undergoing … Continue reading →

KIRSTY JOHNSTON A controversial Church of Scientology drug-awareness programme has received government funding to spread its unorthodox views through schools and community groups. In the past six months, drug-free ambassadors linked to the church have circulated 130,000 drug education booklets around New Zealand, paid for in part by the Department of Internal Affairs' Community Organisations Grant Scheme. The ambassadors claim at least 18 community groups – including their "partners" the Maori Wardens – plus at least seven high schools, endorse and use the materials. Advice offered in the pamphlets is based on research by Scientology's controversial founder, LRon Hubbard, who did not believe in medical drugs or psychiatry but instead in purging oneself of painful experiences to gain immortality. Ross Bell, executive director of the New Zealand Drug Foundation, warned that the group's information was flawed pseudo-science and could prove harmful to youth. "This kind of quackery should not be in our schools – we are talking about young people's lives," he said. "Drug and alcohol issues are complex and therefore we need well-qualified, proper, evidence-based support advice and information." Bell said Scientology's views on mental health were not based on science, and had been discredited "time and time again" … Continue reading →

A drugs gang "Mr Big" who smuggled £25 million of cannabis into the UK from Holland in lorry loads of flowers has been ordered to pay £2.6 million. David Barnes, 42, who is serving a 12-year jail term for plotting to supply cannabis, has six months to pay up or face an extra eight years' imprisonment. The smuggler, who led a lavish lifestyle funded by importing thousands of kilos of cannabis from Europe, had claimed that he had made just £50,000 net profit from the operation he headed. Bristol Crown Court heard that between January and April 2009, Barnes and his gang imported 9,647kg (21,268lb) of cannabis with a wholesale value of £26.5 million - and a street value of £100 million. The prosecution maintained that Barnes had made a minimum net personal profit of £275 per kilo - a total of £2.6 million - which was salted away overseas to Pakistan, Quebec and Dubai. However, Barnes claimed during the Proceeds of Crime Act hearing that his cut from the operation was just £10 per kilo. Barnes, from Hungerford, Berkshire, said that he received £90,000 but about half went in expenses and he was left with just £50,000. Rejecting Barnes's … Continue reading →