Category Archives: Drug Side Effects

ScienceDaily (Sep. 11, 2012) Scientists at The University of Nottingham say adverse side-effects caused by the anti-parasitic drug quinine in the treatment of malaria could be controlled by what we eat. The research, carried out by Nottingham scientists on the University's campuses in the UK and Malaysia, indicates that natural variation in our levels of the amino acid, tryptophan, has a marked bearing on how we respond to quinine treatment. It appears that the lower our levels of tryptophan the more likely it is that we would suffer side-effects. And because tryptophan is an essential amino acid the body cannot produce it -- we get it from the food we eat. Discovered back in the 1600s, quinine is still used for anti-malaria treatment. However, it is associated with a long list of side effects ranging from sickness and headaches to blindness, deafness and in rare cases death. This latest study, published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, could offer a cheap and simple way of combating our adverse reaction to quinine treatment and improving the performance of this important drug. The study, funded by The University of Nottingham's doctoral award scheme, was led by Dr Simon Avery and Dr Kang-Nee … Continue reading →

* Significantly cut levels of Alzheimer's related proteins * Findings suggest drug may work in earlier-stage disease * Dose, side effects may be an issue By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Data from two large studies of Pfizer Inc and Johnson & Johnson (TLO: JNJ-U.TI - news) 's Alzheimer's drug, bapineuzumab, show the treatment reduced underlying markers of the disease in some patients, suggesting the failed medication might work at an earlier stage. The findings, presented at a European neurology meeting in Stockholm, followed the companies' announcement last month that they were scrapping large-scale clinical trials of the drug after it failed to improve memory or thinking skills in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's. Many researchers had long expected bapineuzumab to fail this test because they believe Alzheimer's starts years before memory problems become apparent. But they have been eagerly awaiting the so-called biomarker results - measurements of fluids and tissues in the body - to see if the drug hit its biological targets, suggesting it could work in at an earlier stage of the disease. These biomarker results show that compared with the subjects who were give a placebo, bapineuzumab significantly reduced the amount of the … Continue reading →

Health watchdogs have warned people not to take illegal tanning injections after a young woman died. Jenna Vickers, 26, from Bolton, was found slumped in a tanning shop in the town on Monday. It is believed that she may have injected a tanning drug, which she had bought off the internet. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which regulates medicines and ensures they are safe to use, has appealed for anyone who has bought the drug Melanotan to contact them. A spokesman said: "We are warning people not to use this product. "Melanotan is not licensed for use in the UK and there is no information about its safety. Side effects from its use could be extremely serious. "If you have used this product do not use it again and, if you have any health concerns, you should seek advice from your doctor." It is not yet clear if there is any link between Miss Vickers' death and the tanning injections, but on August 17, in an entry on her Twitter page, she indicated she had taken the jabs. She said: "Getting a lovely tan now ... And I've had no no side effects 🙂 Very happy Bunny." … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Sep. 6, 2012) Radiation therapy is one of the most widely used cancer treatments, but it often damages normal tissue and can lead to debilitating conditions. A class of drugs known as mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors can prevent radiation-induced tissue damage in mice by protecting normal stem cells that are crucial for tissue repair, according to a preclinical study published by Cell Press in the September issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell. "We can exploit the emerging findings for the development of new preventive strategies and more effective treatment options for patients suffering this devastating disease," says senior study author J. Silvio Gutkind of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. In response to radiation therapy, cancer patients often develop a painful condition called mucositis -- tissue swelling in the mouth that can leave these patients unable to eat or drink and force them to rely on opioid-strength pain killers. Radiation therapy may cause this debilitating condition by depleting normal stem cells capable of repairing damaged tissue. In the new study, Gutkind and his team found that the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin protects stem cells taken from the mouths of healthy individuals (but not cancer cells) … Continue reading →

We usually view side effects as a bad thing, but sometimes they point the way to a whole new use for a drug. "We think of...drugs as being specific to [a] task," says Harvard University medical historian Dr. Jeremy Greene. In fact, he says, "drugs are very complex objects." As research and development costs have climbed, drug companies are more interested than ever in finding ways to repurpose their products. Often they seek to simply market an existing drug for a new condition, but in some cases they give the drug a whole new name and face. Here are eight drugs that lead double lives. Prozac and Sarafem When Eli Lilly's patent on Prozac (fluoxetine) expired in 2001, the company saw sales of the blockbuster drug plummet as the market opened up to competition from cheaper generic versions. In what some experts saw as a move to stem losses, Lilly began marketing fluoxetine for premenstrual dysphoric disorder, a severe form of PMS. With the new use came a new brand: Sarafem. Pink-and-purple capsules in sunflower-bedecked packaging replaced the gender-neutral green and white of Prozac. A Lilly rep said the makeover helped give women "a treatment with its own identity," but … Continue reading →

A new study suggests a little time off a drug holiday can cut down on troubling side-effects of prostate cancer treatment for some patients without hastening death. The Canadian-led research shows that men who were given intermittent courses of drugs that suppress the production of male hormones lived as long as men who received continuous therapy. But the men on the intermittent course had fewer of the unpleasant side-effects that go along with this type of prostate cancer treatment. Androgen-suppression therapy, as it's called, can induce hot flashes, impotence, growth of breast tissue, insomnia, weight gain, worsening of diabetes, loss of muscle mass and osteoporosis. The study looked only at men who did not have metastatic prostate cancer, meaning cancer that had moved to other parts of the body. It is published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine. The work was led by the NCIC Clinical Trials Group, the research arm of the Canadian Cancer Society. The Canadian Cancer Society provided much of the funding for the trial. About two-thirds of the patients in the trial were Canadians, though trial sites were also located in the United States and Britain. Dr. Laurence Klotz, one of the leading investigators … Continue reading →

TORONTO, Sept. 5, 2012 /CNW/ - Results of a clinical trial published today in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that men with prostate cancer who are treated with intermittent courses (known as a drug holiday) of androgen-suppressing therapy will live as long as those receiving continuous therapy. The trial was led by the NCIC Clinical Trials Group, which is funded by the Canadian Cancer Society. It found that not only do the men live as long, they may also experience greater quality of life with fewer uncomfortable side effects from continuous exposure to androgen-suppressing therapy. Side effects include hot flashes, sexual impotence, growth of breast tissue, insomnia, weight gain, worsening of diabetes, loss of muscle mass and osteoporosis. These side effects are due to the lack of testosterone produced by the drugs. Patients receiving intermittent courses of the androgen-suppressing drug reported reduced hot flashes, urinary problems and fatigue, and an increase in sexual desire. The findings also have significant economic implications: patients on the intermittent therapy used only one-third the amount of the drug, which is very costly. "We have known since the mid-1990's that androgen-suppressive therapy could be used in an interrupted fashion, but we didn't know … Continue reading →

UCSF's Kathleen Giacomini, PhD, a leader in the study of pharmacogenomics how an individuals genetics determine his or her response to medicines, is partnering with the Food and Drug Administration on a project to identify drug interactions before the medicines reach patients. Drug interactions and drug side effects occur all-too-often in patients lives. Now theres a new online resource to help guide pharmaceutical developers as they endeavor to improve testing for potentially harmful drug interactions before new medicines reach consumers. The UCSF-FDA TransPortal is the result of partnership spearheaded by UCSF and the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Its focus is on how drugs interact with gatekeeper proteins called membrane transporters. Transporters play specific roles as hosts or bouncers to either boot out specific drugs or to escort them inside. They control whether drugs can gain access to cells and organs throughout the body, including the liver and kidneys big players in drug metabolism and elimination. In recent years specific transporters have been found to play a role in drug side effects, such as the muscle pain and weakness sometimes caused by statins. Transporters influence the effectiveness of certain anti-cancer treatments. An unanticipated drug interaction with a transporter associated … Continue reading →

September 2, 2012 redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online The German company that developed a drug which resulted in thousands of congenital birth defects in the 1950s and 1960s issued their first ever apology on Friday, but those impacted by the medications side-effects say that the statement was too long in coming and fell short of making amends for the harm caused. The drug in question, a sedative known as thalidomide that was marketed as a treatment for morning sickness in pregnant women, was manufactured by the Gruenenthal Group of Aachen, Germany, according to Frank Jordans of the Associated Press (AP). However, the medication, which was sold under the brand name of Contergan in Germany, resulted in a wave of birth defects, leaving thousands of infants with shortened arms and legs, or no limbs whatsoever, upon birth. Reuters reporter Annika Breidthardt said that an estimated 10,000 children were affected. Speaking during a ceremony unveiling a commemorative statue at the city of Stolberg on Friday, Gruenethal Chief Executive Harald Stock said that he and his company wanted to take this opportunity to express our deep regret over the consequences of Contergan and our deep sympathy for the victims, their … Continue reading →

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a new drug, Linzess, to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. The drug, known generically as linaclotide, speeds up bowel movements and reduces pain in many patients with the disorder. It is the second product on the market aimed at the population, following Amitiza (lubiprostone), which was approved in January 2006 but may have more side effects than Linzess. An estimated 15.3 million Americans suffer from irritable bowel syndrome with constipation, according to the National Institutes of Health, and about 63 million suffer from constipation. Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is characterized by abdominal pain and hard, lumpy stools at least 25% of the time. The cause of the disorder is not clear. Linaclotide is a peptide, composed of 14 amino acids, that binds to an enzyme called guanylate cyclase 2C and stimulates muscle contractions that cause the intestines to move digested food toward excretion. In one clinical trial, 1,604 patients with IBS were randomly assigned to take either Linzess or a placebo for 12 weeks. The results showed that the drug reduced abdominal pain and increased the number of spontaneous bowel movements. In a separate trial, 1,272 patients with constipation of … Continue reading →