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Medications

Emergency departments fall short on delivering timely treatment for sickle cell pain, study finds

A new study finds that only one in three patients visiting emergency departments (EDs) for severe pain associated with sickle cell disease received appropriate opioid-based pain-relieving medications within the first hour ...

Medications

Study shows no clear evidence of harm from hydroxyurea use during pregnancy

Taking the sickle cell drug hydroxyurea during or shortly before pregnancy does not appear to cause specific issues in newborns, according to the first prospective study of pregnancies involving hydroxyurea exposure. The ...

Medications

GLP-1RAs shown to reduce risk of cardiovascular death

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) such as semaglutide, liraglutide, and tirzepatide are widely prescribed both for Type 2 diabetes and weight loss. These drugs also have shown promise in clinical trials ...

Medications

Experimental drug repairs DNA damage caused by common diseases

Cedars-Sinai scientists have developed an experimental drug that repairs DNA and serves as a prototype for a new class of medications that fix tissue damage caused by heart attack, inflammatory disease or other conditions.

Medications

Pain med side effects may be masquerading as heart failure

Clinicians may fail to recognize common side effects of drugs like gabapentin—which are frequently prescribed for nerve pain—leading them to prescribe unnecessary medications that cause yet more side effects. This phenomenon, ...

Medications

How anti-epilepsy drugs alter a key brain protein structure

A multi-institute team led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and UT Southwestern Medical Center investigators established for the first time how certain drugs used to treat epilepsy affect their target.

Medications

Study finds people on colchicine need less joint replacement

Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, with a worldwide prevalence of approximately 4%. The accumulation of monosodium urate crystals in gout leads to the clinical manifestations of the disease and, if left ...

Medications

Illicit diazepam tablets show wide strength variation

A study from King's, in collaboration with TICTAC Communications and Nanalysis, tested seized tablets containing the sedative diazepam and found considerable variation in strength and content, highlighting the dangers of ...

Medications

WHO recommends Ozempic-style weight loss drugs for obesity

Obesity affects more than 1 billion people worldwide and is recognized by the World Health Organization as a chronic, relapsing disease associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, and economic burden.

Medical research

How statins harm muscles—and how to stop it

Statins have transformed heart health, saving millions of lives by lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. But for many patients, these drugs come with a troubling downside: muscle pain, weakness ...

Medications

Calcium-sensitive switch boosts the efficacy of cancer drugs

Cancer-fighting antibody drugs are designed to penetrate tumor cells and release a lethal payload deep within, but too often they don't make it that far. A new study shows how this Trojan Horse strategy works better by exploiting ...

Medications

Targeted drug could benefit young patients with invasive sarcoma

A collaborative research team, led by scientists at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, has identified a targeted drug that could effectively treat an aggressive ...

Medications

New malaria drug heralds resistance breakthrough

The first new malaria treatment in decades holds promise against rising drug resistance after Swiss drugmaker Novartis announced it was as effective at treating the disease as established treatments.

Medications

Molecule: What's in this dangerous, illegal slimming pill?

It's the kind of promise that stops thumbs mid-scroll: "Take Molecule and forget food exists." Viral TikTok clips show influencers flaunting rapid weight-loss transformations, tapping into the body image concerns that leave ...