Category: Pharmaceuticals
New, unanticipated side effect to blood pressure medications
Drugs used to treat blood pressure have been found to increase the effect of opioids (morphine-like effects) in the brain, and may even counteract the addictive properties of commercial opiates like fentanyl, which are traditionally used to treat pain. Dr. […]
Sputnik Light in mix-and-match approach with Chinese COVID vaccines
Chinese regulatory authorities have approved the mixing of its Sinovac and Sinopharm COVID-19 (COVID) vaccines with a different booster shot in the hopes of creating stronger and more durable immunity, including against Omicron. With the new approval, the Russian one-shot […]
New compound improves insulin secretion and lowers blood sugar in treated mice
An experimental drug developed by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis was reported to improve key aspects of metabolic syndrome, which includes diseases such as type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. In preclinical studies, the drug […]
Paracetamol use exacerbates stroke risk in people with hypertension
Studies by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, reveal people who take paracetamol on prescription could be at increased risk of heart attacks and stroke especially if they have hypertension or high blood pressure. Paracetamol is widely prescribed as […]
Iron build-up in the brain linked to age-related cognitive decline
The accumulation or iron in the brains of aging organisms is said to contribute to neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease. According to researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (Northwestern), treatment with drugs called iron chelators could combat neurodegenerative […]
‘Pan-coronavirus’ vaccine in development by US Army
A massive project aimed at developing a coronavirus vaccine that can provide protection against all SARS-CoV-2 variants is underway at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR). Instead of focusing on a single permutation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, […]
First oral treatment for COVID-19 approved for use in US
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised the use of an antiviral treatment specifically for COVID-19, designed in pill form by pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer). Called Paxlovid, the treatment can be used by both adults and children […]
Two doses of Sinovac vaccine found insufficient against coronavirus variant
The Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine will remain as part of Singapore’s national vaccination programme as a three-dose regime, inspite of recent findings by the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) and the Ministry of Health (MOH). The joint study has found […]
US-FDA authorises AstraZeneca’s new COVID-19 antibody treatment
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca’s (AZ) first preventative COVID-19 drug has been approved for use by the US Food & Drug Administration (US-FDA). The drug, now formally named Evushield, is a combination of two monoclonal antibodies that work together to prevent infection […]
New Omicron-specific vaccine to be ready by January, Novavax
Biotechnology company Novavax Inc. (Novavax) anticipates developing and mass manufacturing an Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine as soon as January next year. Different from current mRNA vaccines, Novavax’s new protein subunit vaccine involves engineering host cells – from a moth – to […]
