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Pharmacology
FDA approves first-ever biologic for COPD
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has green-lighted dupilumab (Dupixent) as the first biologic treatment for adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Sanofi...
First new schizophrenia drug in decades approved by FDA
No new treatments for schizophrenia have been approved in nearly three decades, but last week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Cobenfy for the...
US scientists find SARS-CoV-2 virus resistance to antiviral drugs
Two recent studies have found that the virus that causes Covid-19 is becoming resistant to two drugs that are used to treat patients with...
Muscle relaxants not as effective for chronic pain – Yale review
The long-term use of muscle relaxants may benefit patients with painful spasms or cramps and neck pain, according to a systematic review of clinical...
US drug middlemen sued for inflating insulin prices
America’s Federal Trade Commission has announced it is suing three drug middlemen, accusing them of inflating insulin prices – long a topic of controversy...
Collaborative study on a quest to find Parkinson’s cure
A three-year research programme will investigate Parkinson’s disease in unprecedented detail, with the aim of discovering a cure for the condition.
The Landmark programme will...
New migraine drugs no better than usual painkillers – global analysis
An international study suggests that some recently marketed migraine medications may not be more effective than standard painkillers for treating acute migraine episodes, and...
mRNA cancer vaccine shows promise in trial
Scientists say they are pleased with the interim data from the phase I dose escalation part of the mRNA cancer jab (mRNA-4359) trial, which,...
Liraglutide reduces six-year-olds’ weight in nine-country study
Researchers say that liraglutide (Saxenda), in combination with lifestyle intervention, helped reduce the body mass index (BMI) in obese children as young as six.
In...
Superbugs ‘could kill 39m people by 2050’ – worldwide analysis
In a chilling prediction, a new global analysis estimates that “superbugs” will kill more than 39m people before 2050, with older people particularly at...
Lilly signs deal for RA drug production in Africa
Egypt’s Eva Pharma has inked a licensing deal with Eli Lilly to manufacture the latter’s rheumatoid arthritis treatment Olumiant and eventually supply the drug in 49...
WHO issues guidance to limit antibiotic-makers’ pollution
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released new guidance on what it calls an “important but neglected challenge” in efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance...
Three-in-one drug may replace standard BP meds – phase 3 Nigerian trial
Scientists say that a game-changing treatment, a pill combining three blood pressure medications at ultra-low doses, has delivered promising results in a phase 3...
Why statins are good for over-70s – Oxford study
British researchers say that most people over 70 should think seriously about taking statins – because they are cost-effective and linked to better health...
Insulin, metformin combo helps heal diabetic foot ulcers – US study
People with chronic diabetic foot ulcers could soon have a new way to treat their wounds for faster healing and fewer hospital stays, according...
Steady rise in antidepressant-linked OD deaths over 20 years
Recent data have revealed that overdoses involving antidepressants have been climbing each year from 1999 until 2022 in the US, but the experts say...
Diabetes drug linked to lower dementia risk – Korean study
A drug used to treat type 2 diabetes may reduce the risk of dementia by 35%, according to a large study carried out by...
Questions remain on weight loss drugs' suicide risk – US study
A recent study of an international drug safety database – suggesting people taking semaglutide are likelier to think about suicide than those taking other...
Race in schizophrenia drug sphere hots up
Bristol Myers Squibb’s highly-anticipated schizophrenia drug KarXT is fast approaching its September FDA decision date, and competition is already heating up in a market that...
UK approves ‘take-home’ blood cancer drug
Blood cancer patients in England are to be offered the first ever ‘take-at-home’ tablet to be approved for treatment, and recommended by the National...
Boundless benefits of weight-loss drugs under scrutiny
As the added health benefits of weight-loss drugs are paraded in more and more research papers, and pharmaceutical groups up the ante in the...
Agricultural antibiotics linked to Nigerian babies born with AMR
Colistin, one of the last remaining antibiotics that is still effective in killing bacteria and fighting infections like pneumonia, is rarely used in hospitals...
Calls for local production boost as Australia runs out of saline
Like Africa, Australia depends, to a large extent and for many of its pharmaceutical and critical medical needs, on other countries, but this reliance...
FDA issues dosage warning for semaglutide compound
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an alert about overdoses, some requiring hospital admission, after patient and physician confusion around compounded...
Aspirin may lower colorectal cancer death risk – Italian study
A growing body of evidence has shown that people who regularly take aspirin have a lower risk for colorectal cancer (CRC) and are less...
Ozempic, Wegovy rivals step up the pace in obesity drug gold rush
The stellar success of blockbuster drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound has led to a number of pharmaceutical companies eager to break into...
Drugs may boost radiotherapy efficiency in meningiomas – UK study
Drugs developed to fight blood and other cancers could also help improve the efficiency of radiotherapy in the most commonly diagnosed low-grade brain tumour...
Antibiotics over-used in ICU before and during Covid – SA study
Antibiotics are critical in the treatment, management and prevention of infections, but inappropriate and excessive use has fuelled the emergence of antibiotic resistance –...
Dental trial with generic drug to test anti-ageing efficacy
A drug that was first approved by the FDA for use in transplant patients in the late 1990s is being prescribed off-label by some physicians with...
Neonatal antibiotic use slashed in multi-disciplinary SA project
After a 20-week intervention involving nearly 600 neonates, researchers found that the implementation of a prospective, multi-disciplinary antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programme had significantly reduced...
Nordisk slams study linking rare blindness to semaglutide
Novo Nordisk has criticised as insufficient a recent study suggesting that people using Ozempic or Wegovy for treating obesity or type 2 diabetes may...
Some antidepressants may be tied to weight gain – Harvard study
Recent studies have suggested that weight gain may be an unwanted side effect of certain antidepressants, with the researchers highlighting the importance of full...
Prostate drug may ward off dementia with Lewy bodies – US study
A recent study suggests that certain drugs commonly used to treat enlarged prostate may also decrease the risk for dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB),...
Approval at last for Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug
After decades of trying to develop a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, and several hiccups along the way, Eli Lilly has finally won FDA approval...
Alzheimer’s researcher in court for fraud
A scientist whose research has been at the centre of controversy over an Alzheimer’s drug candidate has been charged with fraud.
A grand jury has...
EU approves first nasal spray for allergy reaction
The European Medicine Agency’s human medicines committee (CHMP) has recommended granting a marketing authorisation in the EU for Eurneffy (epinephrine), the first medicine to...
New antibiotics vital to combat AMR – WHO
The WHO has reiterated the urgent need for new antibiotics, saying the number of antibacterial agents in preclinical and clinical development worldwide increased from...
Cheaper obesity drugs in Indian and Chinese pipelines
As the patents on various weight-loss drugs near expiry, Indian and Chinese companies are racing to produce biosimilar versions, in efforts to widen affordable...
Risk of fatal side effects from Alzheimer’s drug, warn experts
Some potentially fatal complications linked to the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi (lecanemab) have raised concerns among health professionals, who question whether its risks are worth its...
UK flags risks of epilepsy drug during pregnancy
After a major safety review triggered by a recent study in Europe, Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MRHA) has prohibited the dispensing of migraine...