Category: Regulations
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Computer Model Tests Effects of Heart Rhythm Drugs
Researchers at University of California in Davis have led the development of a computer model to test the effects of medications for arrhythmia — abnormal heart rhythm — before they are given to patients. The work of the team led by biophysicist Colleen Clancy is described in the 31 August issue of the journal Science…
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More Planning Needed for Water Use in Biofuel Crops
An overlooked factor in planning for prairie grasses as biofuel feedstocks is their use of water, according to a new study by researchers in the U.S. and Germany. Their findings appear this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (paid subscription required). Engineers Praveen Kumar and Phong Le at University of…
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Trials Show Potential Benefits of Remote ICD Monitoring
Two clinical trials in France suggest that remote monitoring of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) — which use electrical pulses to control irregular heartbeats — is a safe alternative to regular doctors’ office visits. Results of the trials were presented at a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology now underway in Paris. ECOST trial Salem…
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Trial Finds New Drug Better Than Common Blood Thinner
A clinical trial found that apixaban, an anticoagulant drug made by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer, does better in preventing stroke and blood clots in patients with atrial fibrillation, compared to the common drug warfarin. The results were presented today at the European Society of Cardiology in Paris, and published online in the New England Journal…
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FDA Approves Opioid Analgesic for Chronic Pain
Janssen Pharmaceuticals in Raritan, New Jersey says the Food and Drug Administration has approved its drug Nucynta ER for the management of moderate to severe chronic pain in adults. The company is a division of drug manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. Nucynta ER is an oral analgesic taken twice daily, and prescribed when a continuous, around-the-clock…
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Institute of Medicine: Few Health Problems from Vaccines
A committee of experts convened by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), one of the National Academies, analyzed more than 1,000 research articles and concluded that few health problems are caused by or clearly associated with vaccines. The committee was chaired by Ellen Wright Clayton, who holds professorships in both pediatrics and law at Vanderbilt University…
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Laundry Vents Emit Hazardous Fumes from Scented Products [Updated]
Researchers at University of Washington in Seattle and Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio have found the air vented from machines using scented liquid laundry detergents and dryer sheets contains hazardous chemicals. Their findings appear online in the journal Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health (paid subscription required). A team led by UW engineering professor Anne…
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FDA Gives Accelerated Approval to Lymphoma Drug
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin) developed by Seattle Genetics of Bothell, Washington, to treat two types of lymphoma. FDA approved Adcetris under an accelerated review procedure for promising drugs to treat serious diseases. Lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the cells that play a role in…
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NIH Approves Four More Embryonic Stem Cell Lines
BioTime Inc. in Alameda, California says it has received approval from National Institutes of Health (NIH) for adding four human embryonic stem (hES) cell lines to the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry. Two of the company’s hES cell lines are already listed in that registry. All of the lines were developed by Biotime’s subsidiary ES…
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Microbes Reduced Adverse Impact of BP, Exxon Valdez Spills
A review of the worst two oil spills in U.S. history shows that oil-degrading microorganisms played a significant role in reducing their overall adverse environmental impacts. The results of the review of the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and Exxon Valdez running aground in Alaska’s Prince William Sound in 1989 are…