FDA Approves Three-In-One Blood Pressure Drug.
"Daiichi Sankyo Inc. stated that regulators have approved the sale of its three-in-one high blood pressure drug Tribenzor [hydrochlorothiazide, amlodipine, olmesartan medoxomil]."
The drug product is intended "to treat patients whose blood pressure is not controlled on angiotensin receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, or diuretics." The FDA issued several warnings regarding the use of the drug, including that "pregnant patients should not take the new combination drug," and "those who become pregnant while on the polypill should discontinue therapy immediately." The drug also "may increase the risk of angina and myocardial infarction once calcium channel blocker therapy has started or after a dose increase, particularly in patients with severe obstructive coronary artery disease." The most common adverse reactions seen in clinical trials of the combo drug were dizziness, peripheral edema, headache, fatigue, nasopharyngitis, muscle spasms, nausea, upper-respiratory-tract infection, diarrhea, urinary-tract infection, and joint swelling."
New "Smart Bomb" invented to target cancer cells.
A team of researchers from Australia and India are hard at work developing a new "smart bomb" to target tumors. The investigators are developing an antibody that binds to cancer stem cells, delivering a lipid particle containing an anti-cancer therapy coupled with RNAi gene silencing tech.
"While current treatments kill the bulk of the cancer cell, the cancer root escapes the therapy and can regenerate into a new cancer mass," says Wei Duan, an associate professor at Deakin University, who is collaborating with colleagues in India on the project. "The aim of our research is to develop a smart bomb that can penetrate the cell and release the drugs within the cells, rather than from the outside, and kills the whole tumor, root and all."
Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, Barwon Health's Andrew Love Cancer Centre and ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals are all collaborating on the program, which has been funded in part by the Indian and Australian governments. And the scientists say the delivery technology isn't restricted to the cancer field. The same approach could also work for Alzheimer's, heart disease and diabetes.
"This system would also be very human compatible and human degradable meaning it would not be toxic to other cells in the body and would cause very limited side-effects," says Duan. The molecular drug delivery system would use a technique known as RNA interference, or gene silencing, which enables control over the genes inside cells.First, the scientists are developing a chemical antibody that will bind specifically to cancer cells. This "guided missile" will have a purpose-built lipid particle - carrying an anti-cancer drug as well as anti-cancer genes - as its payload. Combined, they create a treatment that will actively seek and penetrate the cells in a tumour, killing those vital for a cancer to spread.
The working of the ‘smart bomb’: According to the scientists, the mechanism is aimed at killing the root of the cells that play a vital role in generating the lethal cells in body.
The process involves a molecular drug delivery system which will pick out the active cells of the cancer before they can develop into a full blown lethal disease.
Researchers are designing a chemical antibody that will bind the cancer cells, which together with the technique known as 'RNA interference', or gene silencing, will penetrate and destroys mutated cells that cause the occurrence and reoccurrence of cancer.
Dr Duan stated, "Our precision-guided cancer therapy will afford reduced side-effects, decreased toxicity to normal cells. We will probably still be using existing drugs but the way we use them will be much more specific.
"We're not saying we will have a cure cancer in 10 years but at least these people will live longer and importantly enjoy a higher quality of life."
The researchers are optimistic that the clinical trials of the treatment will soon be on the way.
Dr Duan said there was also potential to use the same technique to tackle neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, heart disease and diabetes.
The project is a collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, Barwon Health's Andrew Love Cancer Centre and ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals.It has received $400,000 funding over three years from the federal government's Australia-India Strategic Research Fund, with reciprocal support from the Indian government.
"This system would also be very human compatible and human degradable meaning it would not be toxic to other cells in the body and would cause very limited side-effects, that professes to slash the grim but inevitable effects of conventional treatment such as hair loss, vomiting, and irritated mucous membrane.
"The success of this project will bring us a step forward in significantly improving the survival rate and quality of life of cancer patients."
AIDS Vaginal Gel Considered Promising, But More Work Remains.
"The best AIDS-prevention news in years was released...last week at a world conference on the disease: a vaginal gel, called a microbicide, that can be used without a man knowing it, gave women a 39 percent chance of avoiding infection with the deadly virus." The Times adds, "After more than a dozen microbicide failures," these findings were "a huge relief." Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the NIH's NIAID, said, "There's a certain feeling of ease and pleasure for me as a scientist that any way you slice the data, it's statistically significant." Still, researchers must address many questions before the treatment can be submitted for regulatory approval.
"Daiichi Sankyo Inc. stated that regulators have approved the sale of its three-in-one high blood pressure drug Tribenzor [hydrochlorothiazide, amlodipine, olmesartan medoxomil]."
The drug product is intended "to treat patients whose blood pressure is not controlled on angiotensin receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, or diuretics." The FDA issued several warnings regarding the use of the drug, including that "pregnant patients should not take the new combination drug," and "those who become pregnant while on the polypill should discontinue therapy immediately." The drug also "may increase the risk of angina and myocardial infarction once calcium channel blocker therapy has started or after a dose increase, particularly in patients with severe obstructive coronary artery disease." The most common adverse reactions seen in clinical trials of the combo drug were dizziness, peripheral edema, headache, fatigue, nasopharyngitis, muscle spasms, nausea, upper-respiratory-tract infection, diarrhea, urinary-tract infection, and joint swelling."
New "Smart Bomb" invented to target cancer cells.
A team of researchers from Australia and India are hard at work developing a new "smart bomb" to target tumors. The investigators are developing an antibody that binds to cancer stem cells, delivering a lipid particle containing an anti-cancer therapy coupled with RNAi gene silencing tech.
"While current treatments kill the bulk of the cancer cell, the cancer root escapes the therapy and can regenerate into a new cancer mass," says Wei Duan, an associate professor at Deakin University, who is collaborating with colleagues in India on the project. "The aim of our research is to develop a smart bomb that can penetrate the cell and release the drugs within the cells, rather than from the outside, and kills the whole tumor, root and all."
Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, Barwon Health's Andrew Love Cancer Centre and ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals are all collaborating on the program, which has been funded in part by the Indian and Australian governments. And the scientists say the delivery technology isn't restricted to the cancer field. The same approach could also work for Alzheimer's, heart disease and diabetes.
"This system would also be very human compatible and human degradable meaning it would not be toxic to other cells in the body and would cause very limited side-effects," says Duan. The molecular drug delivery system would use a technique known as RNA interference, or gene silencing, which enables control over the genes inside cells.First, the scientists are developing a chemical antibody that will bind specifically to cancer cells. This "guided missile" will have a purpose-built lipid particle - carrying an anti-cancer drug as well as anti-cancer genes - as its payload. Combined, they create a treatment that will actively seek and penetrate the cells in a tumour, killing those vital for a cancer to spread.
The working of the ‘smart bomb’: According to the scientists, the mechanism is aimed at killing the root of the cells that play a vital role in generating the lethal cells in body.
The process involves a molecular drug delivery system which will pick out the active cells of the cancer before they can develop into a full blown lethal disease.
Researchers are designing a chemical antibody that will bind the cancer cells, which together with the technique known as 'RNA interference', or gene silencing, will penetrate and destroys mutated cells that cause the occurrence and reoccurrence of cancer.
Dr Duan stated, "Our precision-guided cancer therapy will afford reduced side-effects, decreased toxicity to normal cells. We will probably still be using existing drugs but the way we use them will be much more specific.
"We're not saying we will have a cure cancer in 10 years but at least these people will live longer and importantly enjoy a higher quality of life."
The researchers are optimistic that the clinical trials of the treatment will soon be on the way.
Dr Duan said there was also potential to use the same technique to tackle neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, heart disease and diabetes.
The project is a collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, Barwon Health's Andrew Love Cancer Centre and ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals.It has received $400,000 funding over three years from the federal government's Australia-India Strategic Research Fund, with reciprocal support from the Indian government.
"This system would also be very human compatible and human degradable meaning it would not be toxic to other cells in the body and would cause very limited side-effects, that professes to slash the grim but inevitable effects of conventional treatment such as hair loss, vomiting, and irritated mucous membrane.
"The success of this project will bring us a step forward in significantly improving the survival rate and quality of life of cancer patients."
AIDS Vaginal Gel Considered Promising, But More Work Remains.
"The best AIDS-prevention news in years was released...last week at a world conference on the disease: a vaginal gel, called a microbicide, that can be used without a man knowing it, gave women a 39 percent chance of avoiding infection with the deadly virus." The Times adds, "After more than a dozen microbicide failures," these findings were "a huge relief." Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the NIH's NIAID, said, "There's a certain feeling of ease and pleasure for me as a scientist that any way you slice the data, it's statistically significant." Still, researchers must address many questions before the treatment can be submitted for regulatory approval.
