A tablet made by Novartis combines two agents used to treat hypertension: valsartan (Generic Diovan), an angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB), and amlodipine (Norvasc tablet), a calcium-channel blocker (CCB). Both drugs allow blood vessels to relax so that blood can flow more easily. The FDA’s approval was supported by a clinical program involving more than 5,000 patients. [...]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved temsirolimus (Torisel, Wyeth) for the treatment of advanced kidney cancer. In a clinical trial of 626 patients, one group received the study drug alone, another received a comparator agent (interferon alfa), and the third group received a combination of the two. The temsirolimus-alone group showed a significant [...]
Bananas may be the next candidate to deliver a bite-sized vaccine for hepatitis B virus (HBV) in developing countries. In the forthcoming June 1 issue of Biotechnology Progress, co-published by the American Chemical Society and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, researchers in India review the efforts to genetically engineer plants as biofactories for vaccine [...]
For patients with traumatic brain injury, there are no proven neuroprotective drugs, although progesterone treatment offers some faint hope. In a phase 2 study at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, progesterone caused no discernible harm and showed possible signs of benefit. Seventy-seven adult trauma patients were randomly assigned to receive intravenous (IV) progesterone and [...]
Lithium, considered the standard therapy for bipolar disorder for at least 50 years, has been found to increase the amount of gray matter in the brains of patients with the illness. Neuroscientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, used high-resolution, three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to map the entire surface of the brain. They [...]
Novartis is suspending the marketing and sales of tegaserod maleate (Zelnorm drug) in the U.S. This medication is indicated for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) plus constipation and for those with chronic constipation, including symptoms such as abdominal pain and bloating. When generic tegaserod was approved in 2002, a statistically nonsignificant imbalance in cases [...]
GlaxoSmithKline and Adolor Corp. have suspended the development of alvimopan (Entereg), a drug for bowel disorders, after patients experienced more fractures, tumors, and heart attacks. Alvimopan was developed to treat constipation and abdominal discomfort as side effects in patients taking opioids for pain. After 12 months of follow-up, seven cases of heart attacks among 538 [...]
