RSSCategory: Pharmaceuticals

Aerosol drug found to inhibit activity of coronavirus

November 2, 2020

An international team of researchers from UK and Germany have identified a drug with the potential to provide relief from COVID-19 complications. Led by professors from the University of Kent, the Goethe-University in Frankfurt am Main, and the Hannover Medical […]

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Trio awarded Nobel Prize for Medicine for hepatitis C discovery

October 19, 2020

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology for Medicine has been awarded to research scientists Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice for first identifying and then enabling novel testing methods concerning the hepatitis C virus. Their pioneering work […]

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Anti-flu drug prevents coronavirus better than hydroxychloroquine

October 14, 2020

Treatment with a high dose of the anti-flu drug favipiravir has been found to have a more potent antiviral effect than hydroxychloroquine in an animal experiment with the novel coronavirus. Virologists at the KU Leuven Rega Institute (KU Leuven) in […]

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Slower cognitive decline in diabetics on certain medication, researchers find

September 28, 2020

Metformin, a commonly prescribed drug for patients with type-2 diabetes in the US, has been found to lower dementia rates in some older patients. Metformin has been found to confer lifespan-extending effects on several animal studies in the past – […]

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Injectable hydrogel vaccine found to be more effective than liquid vaccine types

September 23, 2020

Vaccines, obtained from a dead virus, confer resistance to infectious diseases by stimulating the immune system into producing antibodies that work against the actual live virus, should a person become infected with it. However, typical liquid vaccines are active for […]

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Feline antiviral treatment found effective against COVID-19

September 4, 2020

A drug used to cure a fatal disease caused by a coronavirus in cats is suspected to be an effective treatment for humans, against SARS-CoV-2. According to research at a Canadian university, the drug is a protease inhibitor that interferes […]

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MIT designs double-barrelled needle for easier viscous drugs injections

August 28, 2020

Biologic drugs can sometimes be difficult to inject through a standard needle as they contain highly concentrated, viscous substances. To help with administration and distribution in poorer nations or remote locations, scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US,have developed […]

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Metabolic byproduct found to boost cancer, accumulates as we get older

August 21, 2020

Metastasising tumours, a process by which cancer cells detach from an initial tumour and form new tumours elsewhere in the body, leaves a metabolic byproduct known as methylmalonic acid (MMA) that appears to accumulate with age and is crucial to […]

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Experimental drug reverses memory loss in mouse models of Alzheimer’s

August 11, 2020

A synthetic version of a naturally-occurring chemical compound has been found to reverse memory loss in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at US-based Salk Institute said the experimental drug provides “much to consider in the wider development of compounds […]

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New pressure treatment sans needles allows for safe, easy insulin administration

August 10, 2020

Traditional Chinese topical treatments, including the ‘tuina’ therapy where pressure is first applied on skin and muscle before a topical ointment, has inspired researchers in Singapore to use similar techniques for safer insulin delivery. A team at Nanyang Technological University […]

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