Archive for January, 2008

New reports on picoplatin from Poniard

US-based Poniard Pharmaceuticals has presented encouraging safety data from a Phase I dose-escalation study of picoplatin for the treatment of colorectal cancer.
The data presented at the 2008 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium included safety data from a Phase I study of picoplatin in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and leucovorin (LV) as a first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal [...]

Taking an antidepressant? Do NOT stop suddenly!

If you want to stop taking an antidepressant, it’s important to speak with your doctor first, the American Academy of Family Physicians says. The doctor may recommend weaning your body off the medication gradually.
People who stop an antidepressant too quickly may trigger a host of symptoms that doctors call antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. Symptoms may include:

Anxiety.
Feelings [...]

Metformin is effective in reversing weight gain

Treatment with metformin or lifestyle changes promoting exercise and a healthy diet are both effective in reversing the weight gain associated with antipsychotic medications, according to a clinical trial conducted in China. However, a combination of the two approaches is even better.
Metformin, sold under various trade names such as Glucophage, is primarily used to lower [...]

Daily Cialis doses: How to take these sex pills

Eli Lilly and Co on Tuesday said U.S. regulators approved once-daily use of two low-dose forms of its Cialis anti-impotence drug, offering greater convenience for men expecting frequent sexual activity.
The Indianapolis drugmaker said the once-daily formulations, in dosages of 2.5 milligrams and 5 milligrams, will allow men to attempt sexual activity any time between doses.
“In [...]

Fake Viagra and Cialis anti-impotence drugs

French customs officials have intercepted a shipment of 224,000 fake Viagra and Cialis anti-impotence pills worth 2.4 million euros ($3.5 million), the Budget Ministry said on Monday.
The copies of the best-selling drugs were found on December 18 during a search at the French capital’s main air hub at Roissy, in a freight cargo on its [...]

Cocain vaccine is coming soon

Two Baylor College of Medicine researchers in Houston are working on a cocaine vaccine they hope will become the first-ever medication to treat people hooked on the drug. “For people who have a desire to stop using, the vaccine should be very useful,” said Dr. Tom Kosten, a psychiatry professor who is being assisted in [...]