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Life-extending drug without the negative side effects

Posted: Published on March 29th, 2012

It was a bittersweet discovery: a drug that extends life but at the cost of causing diabetes. Now the drug's dual nature has been teased apart, raising the prospect of a new life-prolonging drug without the harmful side effects. Rapamycin is regularly given to prevent transplant rejection and treat cancer. Previous studies have also shown that it extends the life of animals, but simultaneously causes glucose intolerance a side effect reported in humans, too. David Sabatini of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and colleagues, gave the drug to strains of mice that had genes for certain proteins silenced. They found that rapamycin acts on two important nutrient-sensing proteins called MTORC1 and MTORC2. Its effect on the gene for MTORC1 prolongs life, while its action on MTORC2 causes diabetes. Sabatini's team is now developing variants of rapamycin that act only on the gene for MTORC1. "If we could just target MTORC1, we could preserve longevity effects and get rid of the unwanted side effects," he says. Journal reference: Science, DOI: 10.1126/science4.1215429 If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist … Continue reading →

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Drug Abuse Awareness

Posted: Published on March 29th, 2012

James Kennedy and his wife Teri Kennedy spruce up the roadside memorial for their son Joseph "Joey" Kennedy, a ritual that brought the father to tears. Photo by Stacie N. Galang For a brief moment, James Kennedy became overwhelmed. He paused, brought his left hand still holding the artificial daisy to his mouth and squeezed tight his eyes to hold back the tears. Two years, one month and 22 days after his son Joseph Joey Kennedys body was discovered lifeless off the side of Camino Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, James Kennedy and his wife Teri Kennedy returned to the roadside memorial this week to replenish the flowers for Easter. Im telling you this is a nightmare, said the father, whos lived in San Clemente since 2004. That nightmare is the death of his son to the unrelenting grip of drug abuse and addiction. My son wanted to get sober, said James Kennedy, a fit, 50-something dad who seems like just about the last guy to tear up. He died from one of the most deadly diseases on the planet. James Kennedy is one of a growing number of parents joined by loss and grief to combat the prescription drug … Continue reading →

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Will Obesity Drugs Do Better in Europe?

Posted: Published on March 29th, 2012

This week, Arena Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ARNA) announced its application to market its obesity drug lorcaserin in the EU. While I have no idea how that might justify the 35% move we saw in the stock in the two days following, it does seem like lorcaserin might have a slightly better chance at approval there. Lorcaserin, VIVUS' (Nasdaq: VVUS) Qnexa, and Orexigen's (Nasdaq: OREX) Contrave were all rejected by the Food and Drug Administration because the U.S. agency's hard-line stance on the balance of risks and benefits for obesity drugs. When diet and exercise are an option, the bar is set fairly high, although second-round approvals, at least for Qnexa, are looking a little more likely. In the EU, companies have had a much easier time gaining approval for drugs; the two agencies are usually looking at the exact same data, so the only logical explanation is that the European Medicines Agency has a lower threshold for risk-benefit analysis than the FDA. Even with the seemingly easier pathway to approval, there's still a big risk that the EMA doesn't approve lorcaserin or the other obesity drugs. The EMA seems to be taking just as hard a stance as the FDA when … Continue reading →

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Psoriasis drugs show promise

Posted: Published on March 29th, 2012

Targeted medications effective at clearing skin condition Web edition : 9:38 am Two experimental drugs given to patients with psoriasis can clear the skin conditions characteristic thick, dry, red patches at unprecedented rates. The finding paves the way for the long-term clinical trials required for regulatory approval of the medications. By toning down a key immune protein, the drugs wipe out many psoriasis plaques while showing few signs of side effects. Studies of the two drugs appear in the March 29 New England Journal of Medicine. Provided major adverse effects dont turn up in long-term tests, the two medications have a bright future, says Andrew Blauvelt, an immunologist and dermatologist at the Oregon Medical Research Center in Portland. So far, these are looking like great drugs. Craig Leonardi, a dermatologist at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, was part of both teams that tested the drugs, called ixekizumab and brodalumab. He and other researchers scored the severity of the patients psoriasis based on precise measurements of skin affected by the hallmark red plaques. A successful drug reduces a patients severity score by 75 percent. All volunteers had had moderate to severe psoriasis affecting at least 10 percent of their … Continue reading →

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Pharmacy Board Warns of Abuse of Cough Suppressant

Posted: Published on March 29th, 2012

The provincial Pharmacy Board has issued an alert notice to pharmacists about the possible improper use of products containing DM, such as most cough syrups. In early March, coroners in Quebec requested that pharmacists keep products containing the cough suppressant DM (dextromethorphan) behind the counter after the deaths of two men. They died within a month of each other, one from an overdose of cough syrup with DM, and the other who took cough syrup in combination with Prozac and the antibiotic Biaxin. Board spokesperson Don Rowe says the common cough suppressant is safe when used appropriately, but is sometimes abused. He says young people are known to take DM products in large doses to get high. The Board recommends that if a pharmacist suspects inappropriate purchasing of DM products, then they should move them behind the counter for closer monitoring and control. Rowe says a man from the Kilbride area called the board yesterday to report that he had found a large number of empty packages on his property, which once contained gelcaps. He says the man found between 40-60 packages of Robitussin DM Gelcap 20's scattered on the ground when cleaning up his property in the Old Petty … Continue reading →

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Hebron Pharmacy Closes

Posted: Published on March 29th, 2012

HEBRON Since the word got out earlier this month, longtime customers of the Hebron Pharmacy have been lamenting the end of an era. But not Spike Houston. "I don't think I'd glamorize it quite like that," Houston said. "I prefer to think of it as a job well done." Houston, 69, who opened and operated Hebron's only pharmacy next to Ted's Supermarket in 1974, is calling it a career. The pharmacy will close Friday and reopen on Monday under the CVS banner. "It's been a great run for me for nearly 39 years," he said. Houston recalled this week how a phone call the day before Thanksgiving in 1973 from a local developer named Bob Tupper set his move to Hebron in motion. "He said "'I understand you're interested in opening a pharmacy,'" Houston said. That phone call lead to a series of meetings, including one with Tupper's bank, in which the banker was instructed to give Houston whatever he needed to get the business up and running. "What he did for me, I tried to do for others," Houston said. See original here: Hebron Pharmacy Closes … Continue reading →

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Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy Endorses FAST Act Legislation to Expedite FDA Review of Life-Saving Therapies

Posted: Published on March 29th, 2012

Leading Duchenne-Specific Nonprofit Urges Congress to Enact as Part of User Fee Bill HACKENSACK, N.J., March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) the leading advocacy organization fighting to end Duchenne muscular dystrophy has endorsed legislation that would shorten the amount of time the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) takes to review candidate therapies for life-threatening conditions like Duchenne that lack other treatment options. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100119/DC39975LOGO) The bill, known as the Faster Access to Specialized Treatments or FAST Act, is bipartisan legislation sponsored by Rep. Cliff Stearns of Florida and Rep. Edolphus Towns of New York. "For 20 years, FDA has had tools at its disposal to accelerate the agency's review of therapies targeted to treat life-threatening conditions that lack any other therapeutic options. Unfortunately, these tools have not yielded optimal advances despite the significant need that exists for patients and families living with Duchenne and other conditions," Pat Furlong, Founding President and CEO of PPMD, said. "The FAST Act is commonsense legislation that would leverage the Fast Track and Accelerated Review options at FDA's disposal. It would allow sponsors of candidate drugs to petition FDA to designate their product as being eligible for Fast Track review. It … Continue reading →

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RWJUH, UMDNJ-RWJMS Doctors First in Tri-State to Treat Epilepsy with Laser Technology

Posted: Published on March 29th, 2012

Newswise NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Doctors at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School are the first in the tri-state region - and only the seventh nationally - to use laser ablation, a revolutionary, minimally invasive laser technology that utilizes light energy, to treat epilepsy. Doctors successfully performed the first procedure in December 2011 on a 61-year-old man who had been suffering from epileptic seizures since childhood. The patient has been seizure-free since that time. During the procedure, a team led by Shabbar Danish, M.D., Director, Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and Assistant Professor of Surgery at UMDNJ-RWJMS, delivered laser energy through a 1/8 inch hole in the patient's skull to target the area of the brain that is responsible for causing the seizures. As light is delivered through the catheter-directed laser probe, temperatures in the targeted area begin to rise, gradually destroying the unwanted tissue in the frontal lobe portion of the brain, leaving the surrounding areas untouched. The entry hole through the skull is about the size of the end of a pen and requires just one stitch and a small bandage following the procedure. Only local anesthesia is used. The patient returned home one … Continue reading →

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How Would You Describe Epilepsy if You Only Had Four Words? UCB and Epilepsy Advocate™ Challenge National Walk for …

Posted: Published on March 29th, 2012

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Autism coverage bills approved by Michigan House, Lt. Gov. Calley calls them 'most important' he's worked on

Posted: Published on March 29th, 2012

LANSING, MI Bills mandating state insurers cover autism treatment and diagnosis are headed to Gov. Rick Snyder after clearing the state House on Thursday with broad bipartisan support. It feels wonderful, said Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, who has a daughter with autism and has been a high-profile backer of the bills. I would place this far and away the most important public policy initiative that Ive ever worked on and I doubt anything will ever top it. The bills -- SB 414, 415 and 981 --would require insurers to provide coverage of autism diagnosis and treatment, while directing the state Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Department to create an autism coverage incentive program through which insurance carriers and third-party administrators could seek reimbursement for paid claims. The House version included an amendment preventing insurance companies from raising rates and still receives reimbursements for covering autism treatments. The state Senate, which had approved the bills earlier this month, quickly signed off on the House changes, sending the package to Snyder. The governor called for the coverage in his State of the State address and is expected to sign the package. The coverage is estimated to cost about $15 million a year at … Continue reading →

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