News summary
Research and Development News
in brief
Pharmacists could have to repay discount clawback on non-existent PIs
Diminishing supplies of parallel-imported medicines could lead
to pharmacy contractors having to a pay a discount clawback to the Government
for products they have not used...[more]
NICE endorses restricted use of rituximab for
patients with follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma RITUXIMAB
(MabThera) should be used for the treatment of stage 3 or 4 follicular
non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) when all other treatment options have
been exhausted, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has recommended...[more]
NPA launches online PMR backup An
online backup service for patient medication records has been introduced
by the National Pharmaceutical Association....[more]
Medicines Control Agency consults on herbal and
children’s medicines The Medicines Control Agency is seeking
comments on implementing the European Commission’s proposals for
a directive on traditional herbal medicinal products...[more]
St John's wort for depression should be funded
by NHS St John's wort should be used as first-line treatment
in depression and should be available on the National Health Service...[more]
Meningococcal C vaccine programme is cost effective
Meningococcal C vaccination is cost effective, an economic evaluation
shows...[more]
Evidence supports triple therapy for HIV infection
At least three antiretroviral agents should be combined to
treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, say researchers...[more]
New HIV drug benefits patients who show resistance
to treatment Patients infected with human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) who have developed resistance to other drugs benefit from
the addition of tenofovir disoproxil (Viread) to their existing antiretroviral
regimen, a study shows...[more]
GSK boss gets £2.4m bonus GlaxoSmithKline's
chief executive, Dr Jean Pierre Garnier, received a bonus payment of £2.4m
last year, marking the successful conclusion of the merger of Glaxo Wellcome
and SmithKline Beecham. ...[more]
Short burst of potent steroid as good as prolonged
use of mild steroid in eczema Three days of treatment with
a potent topical corticosteroid is as effective as prolonged use of a
milder preparation for controlling mild or moderate eczema, results of
a new study suggest...[more]
Clinical research deal could lead to more comparative
drug trials More comparative trials between medicines in the
same class of drugs could be undertaken as a result of a new agreement
between the pharmaceutical industry and the Department of Health...[more]
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis survive longer
if treated with methotrexate Methotrexate
could have a substantial survival benefit among patients with rheumatoid
arthritis, American researchers conclude...[more]
Pharmacy students want more training in economics
Pharmacy students across Europe are unsatisfied with the level
of education they receive in pharmacoeconomics, a survey reveals....[more]
Few get the best TB treatment Less
than a third of the world’s tuberculosis patients get the best treatment,
according to the World Health Organization...[more]
Boots offers loyalty points on OTCs Customers
who hold a Boots The Chemists’s Advantage loyalty card are now able
to collect points on purchases of non-prescription medicines...[more]
TB awareness campaign launched A tuberculosis
awareness campaign was launched by Public Health Minister Yvette Cooper
last month, highlighting the increasing incidence of the disease...[more]
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Potential for early test for
Alzheimer's Research in mice could lead to an early test for
Alzheimer’s disease, say scientists...[more]
Experimental anticoagulant stops formation of
thrombin in CAD An experimental anticoagulant that inhibits
factor Xa could be a potential new treatment for patients with coronary
artery disease, a phase II trial shows...[more]
Promising peptide for type 2 diabetes A
glucagon-like peptide, GLP-1, could be a new treatment for type 2 diabetes,
Danish researchers say...[more]
TA-HPV vaccine effective in women A
vaccine against ano-genital intra-epithelial neoplasia (AGIN) has been
shown to be safe and effective in women by researchers at Addenbrooke’s
hospital, Cambridge...[more]
Oral derivative of cidofovir halts action of
smallpox in tissue culture An oral derivative of cidofovir
that halts the action of smallpox has been developed by American researchers...[more]
Serotonin transporter system could be a therapeutic
target for Burkitt
lymphoma Serotonin appears to drive apoptosis in Burkitt lymphoma
cells and the active transport mechanism through which it enters cells
could be a novel therapeutic target for the disease, researchers say...[more]
New drug for treatment-resistant cancer
A new anti-oestrogen compound has been found to inhibit the
growth of breast cancer cells that are resistant to existing anti-oestrogen
drugs...[more]
NEWS IN BRIEF
New antithrombotic launched Fondaparinux
(Arixtra), the first in a new class of antithrombotic agents that selectively
inhibits activated factor Xa, a blood coagulation factor, has been launched
this week (see p463). It is indicated for the prevention of venous thromboembolic
events in patients undergoing major orthopaedic surgery of the lower limbs.
The initial dose should be given six hours following surgical closure
and treatment should be continued for five to nine days.
DES implicated in genital disorder
Hypospadias (a congenital defect in boys where the urethral opening is
located on the underside of the penis or on the scrotum) is more than
20 times as common in the grandsons of women who took diethylstilbestrol
during pregnacy, report Dutch researchers (Lancet 2002;359:1102). The
drug, previously prescribed to prevent spontaneous abortion and preterm
delivery, was withdrawn in the 1970s because of its association with vaginal
cancer and fertility disorders in women exposed to it in utero.
Thrombosis prophylaxis
Enoxaparin prophylaxis for four weeks after abdominal or pelvic cancer
surgery reduces the incidence of thrombosis compared with prophylaxis
for one week, say researchers. In a double-blind study, 12.0 per cent
of patients given enoxaparin for one week suffered a venous thromboemolism
compared with 4.8 per cent of those given the drug for four weeks (P=0.02).
The difference persisted at three months, they say (New England Journal
of Medicine 2002;346:975).
Vitamins slow arteriosclerosis
Taking vitamin C and E supplements delays the onset of arteriosclerosis
after heart transplantation, say American researchers. They found that
during one year of treatment, a measure of the thickening of arteries
(plaque area divided by vessel area) increased in the placebo group by
8 per cent but did not change significantly in the treatment group (P=0.008).
Coronary endothelial function remained stable in both groups (Lancet 2002;359:1108).
MeReC Bulletin
The current MeReC Bulletin summarises key recommendations made in the
Department of Health's "Drug misuse and dependence — guidelines
on clinical management". The bulletin, which is produced by the National
Prescribing Centre, is included in this week’s issue of The Journal
sent to community and hospital pharmacists in England and Wales. It is
also available from the National Prescribing Centre websites (www.npc.co.uk
and nww.npc.ppa.nhs.uk).
Vaccine to prevent plaque build-up
A new peptide-based vaccine to prevent arterial plaque build-up has been
developed by researchers from Cedars-Sinai medical centre, California.
The researchers say that immunisation with the vaccine, which consists
of synthetic peptides resembling low-density lipoprotein, reduced plaque
formation in the arteries of mice with high cholesterol levels by 60 to
70 per cent.
The research was presented at the American College of Cardiology’s
annual scientific meeting held in Atlanta last month.
Aloe vera for gastric ulcer treatment
Aloe vera is worth assessing for the treatment and prevention of peptic
and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced gastroduodenal ulceration,
according to researchers from Barts and The London School of Medicine
and Dentistry.
They tested aloe vera gel on gastric cell lines and found that it stimulated
prostaglandin E2 production and cyclo-oxygenase 2 expression in vitro.
However, they say that further studies are required because, in the long-term,
these effects may prove to be harmful rather than beneficial.
The research was presented at the British Society of Gastroenterology
annual scientific meeting held in Birmingham last month.
Positive results for cancer drug
Women with advanced breast cancer treated with the farnesyl transferase
inhibitor R115777 (Zarnestra) have responded to the drug, phase II trial
results show.
Presenting the data at the third European breast cancer conference in
Barcelona last month, Dr Stephen Johnston, consultant oncologist, Royal
Marsden Hospital, London, said that four out of 41 of the women had shown
a partial response and that in another six women the disease had stabilised
for greater than 24 weeks. Trials are planned for combining R115777 with
chemotherapy or hormone therapy.
Anti-metastatic drug well tolerated
An anti-metastatic drug, WX-UK1, being developed by German company Wilex,
has been found to be safe and well tolerated in healthy volunteers. The
company is developing WX-UK1, an inhibitor of urokinase-type plasminogen
activator and other serine proteases, as a combination treatment with
chemotherapy for patients with breast, ovarian and gastric cancers that
have elevated levels of urokinase-type plasminogen activators.
Breast cancer drug reduces blood vessel
growth in tumours Trastuzumab (Herceptin) has
anti-angiogenic properties, inducing normalisation and regression of blood
vessels in tumours, researchers report in Nature.
They conclude: "We should eventually be able to obtain angiogenic
profiles of individual tumours and patients, allowing the most appropriate
combination of signal-transduction inhibitors to be selected." (2002;416:279.)
Call for action on counterfeit
drugs A BMJ editorial this week calls for international
action against the problem of counterfeit medicines in the developing
world, which it says some countries are choosing to ignore (2002;324:800).
|
