There has long been debate about the relative merits of a low-carbohydrate diet, as popularised by Atkins, compared to the more traditional low-fat approach to weight loss. A low-carbohydrate diet has also been anecdotally associated with adverse effects on health.…
Blog Archives
HCV NS5A Inhibitor Shows Early Promise in Clinic
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading cause of liver disease and the current ‘standard of care’ treatment, a combination of pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin, is expensive, can cause serious side effects and is only effective for some patients. There…
Promise on the Horizon for Huntington’s
Results from a phase II trial of the experimental drug Dimebon (latrepirdine) in people with Huntington’s disease have provided indications that it may improve cognition. The drug, being developed by Medivation, Inc., is also in Phase III trials for Alzheimer’s…
New Clinical Trial Platform at Medpedia
Launched in 2009, the Medpedia Project aims to evolve a model for sharing and advancing knowledge in health and medicine. It provides a free online collaborative platform, allowing healthcare professionals to contribute to the growing knowledge base. As well as…
Antidepressants May Have Benefit in Post-Stroke Therapy
Stroke continues to be a major health issue and is a significant cause of death and disability. The recent introduction of clot-dissolving therapies has had a significant impact on survival, although the narrow window of opportunity for successful treatment remains…
COX-2 Inhibitor Slows Basal Cell Carcinoma
Researchers in the US have shown that the COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib, can slow the development of basal cell carcinoma. Although celecoxib was known to inhibit the development of squamous cell carcinoma in mice, and epidemiological studies had suggested a protective…
GlyT-1 Inhibitor Helps Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Last week, Roche reported data from a 320 patient phase II proof-of-concept study with its first-in-class investigational glycine transporter-1 (GlyT-1) inhibitor, RG1678. Dysfunction of neurotransmission at the NMDA-type glutamate receptor has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, suggesting that…
It May be New – But is It Better?
This is not a question that the FDA normally asks before approving a new drug, but researchers at Stanford University Medical School have called for a change in labelling to include information about how effective the new drug is compared…
Thrombin Receptor Antagonist Meets Primary Endpoints
Results of a phase II clinical trial of a novel oral thrombin receptor antagonist (TRA) were published in the March 14th issue of The Lancet. SCH 530348 met the study’s primary endpoints of safety and tolerability, and caused no increase…
rPEG-PAL is Potential Treatment for PKU
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is caused by a genetic deficiency in the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase which metabolizes dietary phenylalanine to tyrosine. When phenylalanine accumulates, it is converted to phenyl ketones, including phenylpyruvate and phenylacetate. Excess phenylalanine in the blood also saturates the…
