Pharmacology

One Dose HPV Vaccine As Effective As Three-Dose Schedules Against Cervical Cancers

A single dose of the bivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (Cervarix) offers a similar level of protection against the HPV-16/18 infections- which cause about 70% of cervical cancers- as current two- and three-dose schedules, according to data from t ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 9 2015 - 4:30pm

Antitumor Agent Can Be Activated By Natural Response To Cell Stress

Scientists have found that a drug candidate with anticancer potential can be activated by one of the body's natural responses to cellular stress. Once activated, the agent can kill prostate cancer cells. The study highlights the potential of the natu ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 12 2015 - 8:52am

Naloxone: Clinicians Reluctant To Prescribe Medication That Counteracts Effects Of Opioid Overdose

A variety of factors including questions about risk and reluctance to offend patients limits clinician willingness to prescribe a potentially life-saving medication that counteracts the effects of an opioid overdose, according to a Kaiser Permanente Color ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 12 2015 - 1:29pm

Crystal Meth: Epidemic Or Not, Heavier Use, Higher Purity Are Increasing Harm

Much media attention is being given to the rising toll of methamphetamine-related harm in Australia, fuelled by the increased availability and use of high purity crystalline methamphetamine (crystal meth or ice). Unlike other forms of methamphetamine avai ...

Article - The Conversation - Jun 9 2015 - 7:34pm

New Drug Ixekizumab Can Clear All Psoriasis Symptoms

A new psoriasis drug, ixekizumab, has resulted in 40 percent of people showing a complete clearance of psoriatic plaques after 12 weeks of treatment and over 90 percent showing improvement. ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 11 2015 - 8:25am

Diptheria Caught Spain Off Guard, But It's Not Simply Anti-Vax Beliefs

The return of diphtheria in Spain after nearly three decades highlights the challenges posed by infectious diseases that had been mostly eliminated from Europe. Falling vaccination rates, complex population movements, and the disappearance of internationa ...

Article - The Conversation - Jun 12 2015 - 2:00pm

Is New Drug Discovery As Expensive As Claimed?

Ever wonder how much it costs to develop a new drug? The independent, non-profit research group, The Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, estimates US$2.6 billion, almost double the centre’s previous estimate a decade ago. But how accurate is t ...

Article - The Conversation - Jun 17 2015 - 8:30am

Doctors Often Unaware Of Zinc Deficiency And Excess Zinc

Doctors often misdiagnose zinc deficiency, and seem to be unaware of the impact of excess zinc on the body, according to a small audit of clinical practice. Zinc is an essential trace element that is required in daily quantities of 5.5 to 9.5 mg for men, ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 19 2015 - 11:00am

EWG's Little Site Of Horrors

And I thought *my* job was fun.  I regularly get to ridicule an incredible variety and quantity of nonsense that poses as science and medicine. Some of it borders on hilarious.  On the other hand, making this stuff up is probably just as much fun, and may ...

Article - Josh Bloom - Jul 13 2015 - 6:46am

Isradipine Blood Pressure Medication May Stop Drug And Alcohol Addiction

Researchers have successfully stopped cocaine and alcohol addiction in experiments using a drug already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat high blood pressure. If the treatment is proven effective in humans, it would be the f ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 28 2015 - 8:00am