Weight loss pill Qnexa wins panel vote and awaits approval

We know that, The combination of the drugs phentermine (see structure-1) and topiramate (structure -2) (trade name Qnexa) is an investigational medication for the treatment ofobesity and related conditions such as type 2 diabetes and has been found to lower blood pressure and cholesterol.  Qnexa is being developed by Vivus, a California pharmaceutical company.  Phentermine is an appetite suppressant and stimulant of the amphetamine andphenethylamine class. Topiramate is an anticonvulsant that has weight loss side effects.

Structure 1

Structure-2

       

Weight loss pill Qnexa wins panel vote and awaits approval: The drug was rejected in a 10-6 vote the first time it came before a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel, in 2010, due to safety concerns. However when the medication returned for another review in February, the advisory committee gave it near-unanimous approval (20-2). Because the FDA often follows the advisory panel's advice, Qnexa is likely to get FDA approval, probably by mid-April.

                                                                                                                       

Sucampo announces positive results from lubiprostone phase 3 trial on OBD

We know that, Lubiprostone (rINN, marketed under the trade name Amitiza) is a medication used in the management of chronic idiopathicconstipation and irritable bowel syndrome. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this purpose on 31 January 2006.

Sucampo announces positive results from lubiprostone phase 3 trial on OBD: Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced positive top-line results from an open-label phase 3 clinical trial designed to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of lubiprostone in opioid-induced bowel dysfunction (OBD) patients with chronic, non-cancer-related pain.

Metformin may protect against liver cancer

In continuation of my update on Metformin

Metformin may protect against liver cancer: Metformin, a widely used, well-tolerated drug prescribed for patients with diabetes, may protect against liver cancer, according to a new study.

Potential Method to Control Obesity: Red Wine, Fruit Compound Could Help Block Fat Cell Formation

A compound found in red wine, grapes and other fruits, and similar in structure to resveratrol, is able to block cellular processes that allow fat cells to develop, opening a door to a potential method to control obesity, according to a Purdue University study. 

While similar in structure to resveratrol -- the compound found in red wine, grapes and peanuts that is thought to combat cancer, heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases -- piceatannol might be an important weapon against obesity. Resveratrol is converted to piceatannol in humans after consumption.

"Piceatannol (see structure) actually alters the timing of gene expressions, gene functions and insulin action during adipogenesis, the process in which early stage fat cells become mature fat cells," Kim said. "In the presence of piceatannol, you can see delay or complete inhibition of adipogenesis."

Ref : http://www.jbc.org/content/287/14/11566.abstract?sid=709d2cb0-7757-468e-9a5b-4160072e5e24 

Antipsychotic drug, Olanzapine, may be helpful treatment for anorexia nervosa

In continuation of my update on Olanzapine..

Low doses of a commonly used atypical antipsychotic drug improved survival in a mouse model of anorexia nervosa, University of Chicago researchers report this month. The result offers promise for a common and occasionally fatal eating disorder that currently lacks approved drugs for treatment.

Antipsychotic drug may be helpful treatment for anorexia nervosa

Use of common pesticide, imidacloprid, linked to bee colony collapse

We know that, Imidacloprid is a systemic insecticide which acts as an insect neurotoxin and belongs to a class of chemicals called the neonicotinoids which act on the central nervous system of insects with much lower toxicity to mammals. The chemical works by interfering with the transmission of stimuli in the insect nervous system. Specifically, it causes a blockage in a type of neuronal pathway (nicotinergic) that is abundant in insects and not in warm-blooded animals (making the chemical selectively toxic to insects and not warm-blooded animals). This blockage leads to the accumulation of acetylcholine, an important insect neurotransmitter, resulting in the insect's paralysis, and eventually death. It is effective on contact and via stomach action

Use of common pesticide, imidacloprid, linked to bee colony collapse: The likely culprit in sharp worldwide declines in honeybee colonies since 2006 is imidacloprid, one of the most widely used pesticides, according to a new study.

Immunotherapy and Chemotherapy Regimen May Prolong Survival in Advanced Cancers

In continuation of my update on interleukin and retinoic acid

Cancer patients who receive a combination of low-dose interleukin-2 and retinoic acid after conventional therapy seem to live longer than those who don't get the combination. 

Retinoic acid is derived from vitamin A. Interleukin-2, a compound that fortifies the immune system, is approved at high doses to treat "metastatic" melanoma and kidney cancer. Metastatic means that a cancer has spread.

The study showed that "these biological compounds may work at low doses. Bigger doses are not always better," said lead author Dr. Francesco Recchia, director of the oncology department at Civilian Hospital in Avezzano, Italy.

Recchia stumbled upon the possibility of using low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) when he switched a patient with metastatic melanoma who didn't tolerate high doses to a lower dose, and the patient had an extended response to the therapy.

This study involved 500 patients who had already responded well to chemotherapy. They had a variety of cancers, including ovarian, lung, colon, stomach, kidney, melanoma, breast and pancreatic.

Immunotherapy and Chemotherapy Regimen May Prolong Survival in Advanced Cancers

Berries, Tea May Cut Men's Odds for Parkinson's: Study

In continuation of my update on the benefits of   berries, apple, tea...

Berries, Tea May Cut Men's Odds for Parkinson's: Study:  - Regularly consumption of food and drink rich in substances called flavonoids, such as berries, apples, tea and red wine, can lower a man's risk of developing Parkinson's disease by 40 percent, new research suggests.

Antipsychotic drug may be helpful treatment for anorexia nervosa

In continuation of my update on Olanzapine...

Antipsychotic drug may be helpful treatment for anorexia nervosa

Cruciferous vegetable intake may boost survival of breast cancer patients

In continuation of my update on Broccoli and cabbage

Researchers with Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and the Shanghai Cancer Institute in China have discovered a possible link between a diet rich in certain vegetables and a decreased risk for breast cancer.

Corresponding author Jay Fowke, Ph.D., assistant professor of Medicine, said 3,035 women diagnosed with breast cancer were identified through the Shanghai Cancer Registry. They were closely matched with 3,037 women randomly chosen from the general population.

Ref : http://www.vicc.org/news/2008/03/study-tracks-link-between-cancer-vegetables/

Experimental Cholesterol Drug Could Be 'Game Changing'

 Initially, I was reluctant about  "Monoclonal antibody therapy". Recently  there is surge of interest in " human monoclonal antibodies". 

History behind this surge : The idea of a "magic bullet" was first proposed by Paul Ehrlich, who, at the beginning of the 20th century, postulated that, if a compound could be made that selectively targeted against a disease-causing organism, then a toxin for that organism could be delivered along with the agent of selectivity. He and Élie Metchnikoff received the 1908 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for this work, which led to an effective syphilis treatment by 1910....

Experimental Cholesterol Drug Could Be 'Game Changing': Experimental Cholesterol Drug Could Be 'Game Changing' [St.Joseph News-Press (Mo)] From St. Joseph News-Press (MO) (March 22, 2012) (CNN) -- A new, experimental cholesterol-fighting drug is creating quite a buzz among researchers and other...

FDA Approves First Boniva Generics to Treat Or Prevent Osteoporosis

FDA Approves First Boniva Generics to Treat Or Prevent Osteoporosis: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic versions of Boniva (ibandronate) tablets, a once-monthly product to treat or prevent osteoporosis in women after

menopause. The most common type of bone disease...

Olaparib Maintenance Therapy in Platinum-Sensitive Relapsed Ovarian Cancer — NEJM

We know that Olaparib, is a experimental chemotherapeutic agent, developed by KuDOS Pharmaceuticals and later by Astra Zeneca, that failed to progress through clinical trials to approval. It is an inhibitor of poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP), an enzyme involved in DNA repair. It acts against cancers in people with hereditary BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, which includes many ovarian, breast and prostate  

Olaparib Maintenance Therapy in Platinum-Sensitive Relapsed Ovarian Cancer — NEJM

FDA Approves Intelence (Etravirine) for Pediatric Patients...

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Intelence (etravirine) to be administered in combination with other antiretroviral (ARV) medications for treatment of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) in treatment-experienced pediatric patients (6 years to <18 years old) who are experiencing virologic failure with HIV-1 strains resistant to a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) and other ARVs.

This approval, which follows FDA priority review of the company’s supplemental New Drug Application, expands the Intelence indication and makes it the only NNRTI indicated for this use in both treatment-experienced children and adults with resistance to an NNRTI and other ARVs. The approval includes a new 25mg dose to allow for weight-based dosing in pediatric patients (6 years to <18 years old and weighing at least 16kg or 35.2 lbs). The 25mg tablet is expected to be available in the first half of May.

Ref : http://www.janssentherapeutics.com/news-center/fda-approves-edurant-rilpivirine-for-use-in-treatment-naive-adults-with-hiv

Paclitaxel drug slows damage and symptoms in (Alzheimer's disease) animal model

A compound,  epothilone D (EpoD) that previously progressed to Phase II clinical trials for cancer treatment slows neurological damage and improves brain function in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study.  Compound is effective in preventing further neurological damage and improving cognitive performance in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The results establish how the drug might be used in early-stage AD patients......

Potential Alzheimer's disease drug slows damage and symptoms in animal model