An antidepressant drug, Eldepryl (generic name selegiline) delivered through a patch on the skin is no better than placebo for helping smokers kick the habit, new research shows.
It is published in Addiction, September 2010.
Link:http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68252920100904
Source:Reuters

GlaxoSmithKline's diabetes drug Avandia known generically as rosiglitazone should be pulled from sale because of concerns about heart risks, British drug regulators said on Monday ahead of a special European meeting on the drug's safety.
Link:http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6841S320100905
Source:Reuters

The findings suggests that blocking HMGB1 could benefit cancer patients, since tumor cells often rev up autophagy to withstand chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation treatment.
The study is published in the September 6 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (www.jcb.org).
Link:http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-09/rup-whh090210.php
Source:EurekAlert

The European Commission (EC) has issued a positive decision for the approval of once-daily SEROQUEL XR (quetiapine fumarate) Extended Release Tablets as an add-on treatment of major depressive episodes in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) who have had sub-optimal response to antidepressant monotherapy.
Link:http://www.astrazeneca.com/media/latest-press-releases/EC_Seroquel_XR_MDD?itemId=11238781
Source:AstraZeneca

Cortisol levels in hair may be the first biomarker to measure chronic (long-term) stress, which is linked to a higher risk of having a heart attack (acute myocardial infarction), according to a new study published in the medical journal Stress.
Link:http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/200040.php
Source:Medical News Today

The submission of a Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for TMC278 (rilpivirine, as hydrochloride), an investigational non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) for the treatment of HIV was announced.
Link:http://www.jnj.com/connect/news/all/Tibotec-Pharmaceuticals-Seeks-European-Marketing-Authorization-for-Investigational-Once-Daily-HIV-Treatment-TMC278
Source:Johnson & Johnson

Forest Laboratories Inc antibiotic appears effective with risks similar to current options, U.S. drug reviewers said in an analysis that raised hopes for the medicine's approval.
Ceftaroline is an intravenous antibiotic developed to fight serious and possibly life-threatening infections including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus auereus (MRSA), a growing public health threat.
Link:http://www.reuters.com/article/idCNN3127328720100902?rpc=44
Source:Reuters

The publication of an article in the journal Blood describing the novel mechanism of action of MLN4924 through targeted pathway modulation in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)was announced. MLN4924 is a small molecule inhibitor of the NEDD8-Activating Enzyme (NAE), a key component of the protein homeostasis pathway.
Link:http://investor.millennium.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=80159&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1466436&highlight=
Source:Millennium

Cancer Research UK's Drug Development Office has launched a clinical trial* to test an experimental drug in patients with advanced (Stage IV) pancreatic cancer - one of the most difficult cancers to treat.
MK-0752 works by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth in a cell signalling pathway called Notch, which plays an important role in cell survival and cell movement.
Link:http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/199754.php
Source:Medical News Today

The Swiss health authority Swissmedic has granted approval for Tasigna (nilotinib) 300 mg twice daily for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in chronic phase. Tasigna is the first new therapeutic option for newly diagnosed patients since the introduction of Glivec (imatinib), providing a major advance for patients with this blood cancer.
Link:http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/199724.php
Source:Medical News Today