Viagra to prevent transmission of the malaria parasite?

By increasing the stiffness of erythrocytes infected by the causal agent of malaria, Viagra favors their elimination from the blood circulation and may therefore reduce transmission of the parasite from humans to mosquitoes. This astonishing discovery, made by scientists from the CNRS, INSERM, Université Paris Descartes -- at the Institut Cochin -- and the Institut Pasteur, working in collaboration with a team from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, could lead to a treatment to reduce the spread of malaria within a population. Their work is published in PLOS Pathogens on 7 May 2015.

More : http://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1004815



Viagra to prevent transmission of the malaria parasite? 

Plant-derived compound targets cancer stem cells

In continuation of my updates on cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli

A compound and an enzyme that occur naturally in cruciferous vegetables--cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts--may help prevent recurrence and spread of some cancers, according to researchers. When they treated human cervical cancer stem cells with phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) in a Petri dish, about 75 percent died within 24 hours using a 20-micromolar concentration of the compound.  

A compound and an enzyme that occur naturally in cruciferous vegetables -- cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts -- may help prevent recurrence and spread of some cancers, according to associate professor Moul Dey of the South Dakota State University Department of Health and Nutritional Sciences. She has been doing research on phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) through a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health for more than $875,000 and support from the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station.

The precursor compound and enzyme in cruciferous vegetables combine during the chewing process to produce PEITC within the body, Dey explained. Though PEITC is a good candidate to develop as a dietary supplement, studies have also shown that sufficient cancer-preventing levels of PEITC can be achieved through diet alone.

Role of cancer stem cells

When cancer is treated with chemotherapy or radiation, the tumor disappears but the cancer stem cells live on. "These cells are frequently resistant to conventional therapies," Dey said.

Though cancer stem cells make up less than 5 percent of a tumor, they can regenerate the original tumor and migrate through the blood vessels spreading cancer to secondary locations.

"These tiny cells are very difficult to detect in a tumor," Dey pointed, adding that for a long time scientists did not even know they existed. "It's like finding a needle in a haystack."

Promising Results

When Dey and her team treated human cervical cancer stem cells with PEITC in a Petri dish, about 75 percent died within 24 hours using a 20-micromolar concentration of the compound.

In other experiments, Dey and her team have found that lower concentrations of PEITC are still very effective. Working with SDSU veterinary pathologist David Knudsen, Dey and her team found that 10-micromolar concentrations of PEITC can dramatically prevent the spread of cancer in mouse lung tissue.

"Preliminary evidence has shown a quite dramatic difference between the lung sections from the PEITC-treated and untreated mice," Dey said. However, she cautioned, although mice provide a model for human diseases, further testing is necessary to determine whether outcomes will be similar in humans.

Based on information from scientific literature, the concentrations of PEITC that Dey and her team typically use in their research -- 5 to 15 micromolars -- may be achieved through diets rich in certain types of cruciferous vegetables, particularly land and watercress.

Next, she and her team will examine how PEITC is able to overcome the resistance mechanisms that protect these stem cells from other drugs. "That's the second piece of this work," Dey added.

Plant-derived compound targets cancer stem cells 

FDA Expands Uses of Vyvanse to Treat Binge-Eating Disorder

Lisdexamfetamine (contracted from L-lysine-dextroamphetamine) is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant prodrug of thephenethylamine and amphetamine chemical classes. Its chemical structure consists of dextroamphetamine coupled with the essential amino acid L-lysine. Lisdexamfetamine itself is inactive and acts as a prodrug to dextroamphetamine upon cleavage of the lysine portion of the molecule.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today expanded the approved uses of Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) to treat binge-eating disorder in adults. The drug is the first FDA-approved medication to treat this condition.

In binge-eating disorder, patients have recurrent episodes of compulsive overeating during which they consume larger amounts of food than normal and experience the sense that they lack control. Patients with this condition eat when they are not hungry and often eat to the point of being uncomfortably full. Patients may feel ashamed and embarrassed by how much they are eating, which can result in social isolation. Binge-eating disorder may lead to weight gain and to health problems related to obesity.

FDA Expands Uses of Vyvanse to Treat Binge-Eating Disorder

FDA Approves Prezcobix (darunavir and cobicistat) for HIV-1 Infection in Adults

In continuation of my update on darunavir  

Janssen Therapeutics, Division   of    Janssen    Products, LP     (Janssen), today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)    has approved Prezcobix   (darunavir 800 mg/cobicistat 150 mg) tablets, an HIV-1  protease inhibitor combined with a CYP3A4 inhibitor, for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) in combination with other antiretroviral agents for treatment-naive and treatment-experienced adults with no darunavir resistance-associated substitutions.

FDA Approves Prezcobix (darunavir and cobicistat) for HIV-1 Infection in Adults

FDA Approves Glyxambi (empagliflozin and linagliptin) for Type 2 Diabetes

In continuation of my update on empagliflozin

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Glyxambi (empagliflozin/linagliptin) tablets, from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (BIPI) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY), as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) when both empagliflozin and linagliptin are appropriate treatments. Glyxambi is not recommended in patients with type 1 diabetes or for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis. Glyxambi has not been studied in patients with a history of pancreatitis, and it is unknown if using Glyxambi increases the risk of developing pancreatitis in these patients.

Glyxambi is not recommended in patients with type 1 diabetes or for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis. Glyxambi has not been studied in patients with a history of pancreatitis, and it is unknown if using Glyxambi increases the risk of developing pancreatitis in these patients.

FDA Approves Glyxambi (empagliflozin and linagliptin) for Type 2 Diabetes

FDA Approves Ibrance (palbociclib) for Postmenopausal Women with Advanced Breast Cancer

In continuation of my update on palbociclib

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today granted accelerated approval to Ibrance (palbociclib) to treat advanced (metastatic) breast cancer.

Breast cancer in women is the second most common type of cancer in the United States. It forms in the breast tissue and in advanced cases, spreads to surrounding normal tissue. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 232,670 American women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 40,000 died from the disease in 2014.

Ibrance works by inhibiting molecules, known as cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) 4 and 6, involved in promoting the growth of cancer cells. Ibrance is intended for postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative metastatic breast cancer who have not yet received an endocrine-based therapy. It is to be used in combination with letrozole, another FDA-approved product used to treat certain kinds of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

FDA Approves Ibrance (palbociclib) for Postmenopausal Women with Advanced Breast Cancer

FDA Approves Dutrebis (lamivudine and raltegravir) for HIV-1 Infection

   

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Dutrebis, a fixed dose combination tablet containing 150 mg of lamivudine and 300 mg of raltegravir. Dutrebis tablet is approved for use in combination with other antiretroviral products for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults and pediatric patients greater than or equal to 6 years of age weighing at least 30 kg. The recommended dosage of Dutrebis is one tablet taken twice daily with or without food.

Dutrebis approval was based on an open-label, single dose, randomized, two-period, crossover study in healthy subjects (n=108). One Dutrebis fixed dose combination table was shown to provide comparable lamivudine and raltegravir exposures to one Epivir 150 mg tablet plus on Isentress 400 mg tablet. Due to the higher bioavailability of raltegravir contained in Dutrebis, the exposures provided by the 300 mg dose of raltegravir are comparable to 400 mg of ralegravir given as the raltegravir poloxamer formulation (Isentress), which accounts for the difference in raltegravir dose.

FDA Approves Dutrebis (lamivudine and raltegravir) for HIV-1 Infection

FDA Approves Lenvima (lenvatinib) for Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

LENVIMA, a kinase inhibitor, is the mesylate salt of lenvatinib. Its chemical name is 4- [3chloro-4-(N’-cyclopropylureido)phenoxy]-7-methoxyquinoline-6-carbox- amide methanesulfonate. The molecular formula is C₂₁H₁₉ClN₄O₄•CH₄O₃S, and the molecular weight of the mesylate salt is 522.96. The chemical structure of lenvatinib mesylate is:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today granted approval to Lenvima(lenvatinib) to treat patients with progressive, differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) whose disease progressed despite receiving radioactive iodine therapy (radioactive iodine refractory disease).

FDA Approves Lenvima (lenvatinib) for Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Maple syrup makes disease-causing bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics, study shows

A concentrated extract of maple syrup makes disease-causing bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics, according to laboratory experiments by researchers at McGill University.

The findings, which will be published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, suggest that combining maple syrup extract with common antibiotics could increase the microbes' susceptibility, leading to lower antibiotic usage. Overuse of antibiotics fuels the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria, which has become a major public-health concern worldwide. Prof. Nathalie Tufenkji's research team in McGill's Department of Chemical Engineering prepared a concentrated extract of maple syrup that consists mainly of phenolic compounds. Maple syrup, made by concentrating the sap from North American maple trees, is a rich source of phenolic compounds.

Maple syrup makes disease-causing bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics, study shows 

Newly approved drug for rare blood cancer shows sustained benefit for 2 years

In continuation of my update on Ibrutinib

 

We know that, Ibrutinib   also known as PCI-32765 and marketed under the name Imbruvica) is an anticancer drug targeting B-cell malignancies. It was approved by the US FDA in November 2013 for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma and in February 2014 for the treatment of chronic  lymphocytic leukemia  It is an orally-administered, selective and covalent inhibitor of the enzyme Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK)  Ibrutinib is currently under development by Pharmacyclics, Inc and Johnson & Johnson'sJanssen Pharmaceutical division for additional B-cell malignancies including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma

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Now.....

The most recent results from a clinical trial show that ibrutinib, a newly approved drug for Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia, continued to control the rare blood cancer, with 95 percent of patients surviving for two years, report investigators from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The median overall response rate was 91 percent after a median of 19 months of treatment, and in 69 percent of patients the cancer had not worsened two years after beginning treatment. When the cancer did progress, it began at a median time of 9.6 months after the start of treatment. The results are reported in The New England Journal of Medicine.

An earlier analysis of data from this phase 2 multicenter study supported the Food and Drug Administration's approval in January of ibrutinib as the first and only treatment for Waldenstrom's, a rare form of lymphoma that affects about 1,500 people annually in the United States.

"These findings herald a new era for the treatment of Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia, and show how genome sequencing can lead to the discovery of cancer mutations that can be specifically targeted by new therapies," said first author Steven Treon, MD, PhD, director of the Bing Center for Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia at Dana-Farber.

Newly approved drug for rare blood cancer shows sustained benefit for 2 years

New herbal tea to treat malaria in Africa

Malaria is a critical health problem in West Africa, where traditional medicine is commonly used alongside modern healthcare practices. An herbal remedy derived from the roots of a weed, which was traditionally used to alleviate malarial symptoms, was combined with leaves and aerial portions from two other plants with antimalarial activity, formulated as a tea, and eventually licensed and sold as an antimalarial phytomedicine. The fascinating story and challenges behind the development of this plant-based treatment are presented in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicinewebsite until May 14, 2015.

Dr. Merlin Willcox (University of Oxford, U.K.), Dr. Zéphirin Dakuyo (Phytofla, Banfora, Burkina Faso), and coauthors discuss the antimalarial and pharmacological properties of the herbal medication derived from Cochlospermum planchonii 

(a shrubby weed known as N'Dribala), Phyllanthus amarus,  

and Cassia alata. 

The authors provide a unique historical perspective in describing the early evaluation, development, and production of this phytomedicine. They present the ongoing research and challenges in scaling up cultivation and harvesting of the plants and in production of the final product. The article also describes other traditional uses of the medication, such as to treat hepatitis.

Ref : http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/acm.2014.0147

New herbal tea to treat malaria in Africa

Itraconazole drug shows potential in cancer treatment

In continuation of my update on Itraconazole

Anti-fungal drug shows promise as potential new cancer treatment.A common anti-fungal treatment has joined the ranks of drugs that may be suitable for use in treating cancer, according to research from the Repurposing Drugs in Oncology (ReDO) project published in ecancermedicalscience.  

The ReDO project is an international collaboration of anticancer researchers dedicated to promoting the cause of common medicines which may represent an untapped source of novel therapies for cancer.

In partnership with ecancer, the ReDO project is publishing a series of papers on drugs that have enough clinical evidence to be taken to clinical trials.Itraconazole is a drug used to treat a broad range of fungal infections, including skin and nail infections.

It also has a lot of potential as a new cancer treatment, according to the ReDo project.

"Itraconazole shows potential in a number of areas with high unmet patient needs, particularly in non-small cell lung cancer and possibly in some rarer malignancies," says Pan Pantziarka, PhD, member of the ReDO project and the Anticancer Fund.

Itraconazole drug shows potential in cancer treatment

Effimune obtains regulatory approval for Phase I clinical trial in humans of its new immunomodulator FR104

Effimune announced today that it had received the authorization from the Belgian regulatory authority, the FAMHP (Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products) for a Phase I clinical trial of FR104, its drug candidate for controlling the regulation of the immune system.

This double-blind randomized clinical trial will take place on 70 healthy volunteers (both men and women) over a period of 9 months, and will prepare the future development of FR104 in rheumatoid arthritis and kidney transplantation. The primary objectives of the trial are to establish the safety and tolerability of FR104 and assess its pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Since September 2013, FR104 has been under a global license agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

Benzoic acid, 2,3,4,5-tetrachloro-6-(2, 4,5,7-tetrabromo-6-hydroxy-3-oxo-3H-xanthen-9-yl) -

Effimune obtains regulatory approval for Phase I clinical trial in humans of its new immunomodulator FR104

Wilson Therapeutics' WTX101-201 Phase 2 clinical study to be presented at EASL annual meeting

Bis-choline tetrathiomolybdate, or WTX101, is a salt of tetrathiomolybdate (TTM, MoS₄²⁻) and choline currently under investigation as a therapy against Wilson's disease, a rare and potentially fatal disease in which the body cannot regulate copper. Wilson disease is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder that is manifested by serious hepatic, neurologic or psychiatric symptoms. The disease is fatal if left undiagnosed and untreated. It is estimated that approximately 1 individual in every 15,000 worldwide have Wilson's disease, corresponding to approximately 30,000 individuals in the European Union and approximately 20,000 in the United States.

Bionomics to present BNC105 trial results of metastatic renal cancer at Asian Oncology Summit

The data identify ferritin and IL-8 as two baseline biomarkers that correlate with an improved progression free survival (PFS) in patients. Eighty nine percent of patients expressing higher plasma levels of ferritin and lower plasma levels of IL-8 at baseline were disease progression-free at six months. The data show that biomarker-based patient selection has the potential to optimise clinical outcomes in the treatment of renal cancer. There are 6.3 new cases of renal cancer and 1.7 deaths per 100,000 people in Asia each year.

BNC105 is a novel compound being developed as a vascular disrupting agent (VDA) for the treatment of cancer. VDAs are drugs that disrupt the blood vessels that nourish tumours. This approach has a number of advantages over classical chemotherapy, including stronger impact on tumour cell death, applicability to a wider variety of cancers, and lowered risk of the emergence of therapy-resistant tumour cells.

More...

Bionomics to present BNC105 trial results of metastatic renal cancer at Asian Oncology Summit