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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: clinical trials

clinical trials stories: 24 news summaries

1 - 20 of 24 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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 AIDS Vaccine Data Overstated 

Much-hyped Thai results statistically insignificant, researchers say

Oct 20, 09 2:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - The data from last month’s much-hyped Thai AIDS vaccine trial are actually statistically insignificant, according to a secondary analysis published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. The original results from the trial, which included more than 16,000 people, concluded that the vaccine reduced infections by... More »

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AIDS • Thailand • AIDS vaccine • clinical trials • peer reviews • medical study

Swine Flu Vaccine Works in One Dose

Trial results better than expected, shot should be cheaper

Sep 11, 09 7:11 AM CDT
(Newser) - An Australian H1N1 vaccine has been surpassing expectations in its clinical trials, inoculating patients after a single injection, the New York Times reports. That means the supply of the vaccine will go further and cost less. It should now be possible to inoculate all of the estimated 159 million... More »

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vaccine • clinical trials • swine flu • H1N1 virus

(Newser) - An immune-system booster already used in the treatment of other diseases could prove to be a powerful weapon in the fight against Alzheimer's disease, researchers have found. Analyzing the records of patients who received intravenous immunoglobulin—IVIg—they discovered that recipients were 42% less likely to develop Alzheimer's, HealthDay reports. More »

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dementia • neurology • clinical trials • immunotherapy • immunoglobulin • Alzheimer's Disease

 Scientists Find 'Master' Cells 
 For Human Heart 

Stem cells can mature into three different kinds of heart tissue

Jul 1, 09 2:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - Researchers have found a cell that can become three different kinds of heart tissue, the Boston Globe reports. Harvard scientists hope that such “master” heart cells can be used to grow tissue so that researchers can perform experiments or test medications on human heart tissue, instead of animal substitutes. More »

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stem cell research • stem cells • heart disease • heart • Harvard • clinical trials • medication

Corruption Trial of Ex-Louisiana Rep Kicks Off

Feds say Jefferson
took bribes, had $90K stashed in his freezer

Jun 9, 09 1:59 PM CDT
(Newser) - Jury selection began today in the trial of former Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. The Democrat is charged with taking bribes and using his office to set up business deals in Africa. “It is good to have my family with me,” he said as... More »

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Congress • Washington DC • William Jefferson • Louisiana • bribery • corruption • House of Representatives • clinical trials • federal prosecution

OPINION

 Drug Trials a Lot Like Reality TV 


May 14, 09 12:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - Only one couple from The Bachelor has actually gotten married. No Apprentice winner has become fabulously wealthy. American Idol produced Taylor Hicks. Reality shows don’t always make good on their real-world promises, and in that way, they’re a lot like clinical drug trials, writes pediatrician Darshak Sanghavi in... More »

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reality TV • American Idol • ADHD • pharmaceutical industry • clinical trials • Ritalin • The Bachelor • The Apprentice • Taylor Hicks

Colon Cancer Drug Flunks Important Test

Avastin's effects on early-stage disease don't meet expectations

Apr 22, 09 8:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - Clinical trials to determine the drug Avastin’s effects on early-stage colon cancer were a big disappointment for drug firm Genentech, the New York Times reports. The drug, which is typically used in late-stage cancer, didn’t significantly cut the recurrence rate among 2,700 subjects in the early stages,... More »

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study • drug companies • cancer research • cancer treatment • Genentech • Roche • Avastin • clinical trials

Trial Drug Offers Hope for Ovarian Cancer Patients

Early test on small number of women yields improved survival rate

Apr 7, 09 6:01 AM CDT
(Newser) - A new drug being developed in Britain could someday prolong the lives of thousands of women suffering ovarian cancer, the Guardian reports. Eight of the 18 women involved in the trial, all of whom had been given less than a year to live, saw their tumors stabilize or shrink under... More »

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ovarian cancer • cancer research • drug trials • clinical trials

FDA OKs Pioneering
Stem Cell Trial

First-ever test of therapy on spinal cord injuries hailed as milestone

Jan 23, 09 3:00 AM CST
(Newser) - The FDA has approved the world's first-ever human trial of a medical treatment using embryonic stem cells, the New York Times reports. The move is being hailed as a watershed moment for medical research. Biotech company Geron plans to inject the cells—which can turn into any type of cell... More »

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stem cell research • FDA • stem cells • biotechnology • clinical trials • spinal cord

Many Cancer Trials Go Unpublished: Study

Negative outcomes often shelved because they don't boost careers

Sep 27, 08 4:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - Fewer than 20% of cancer trial results are published in peer-review journals, a new study says. And industry-sponsored trials only achieve publication one time in 20. The reason? Scientists seeking success and media-hungry journals don't want to publish negative results, analysts say—even if they would aid other cancer studies.... More »

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FDA • pharmaceutical companies • journals • clinical trials • cancer prevention

Psychedelic Drug Tests Resume After Decades

LSD, 'shrooms studied for ill, depressed

Aug 12, 08 10:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - For the first time since the 1970s, scientists in several countries are studying the effects of psychedelic drugs like LSD in clinical trials, the Guardian reports. Researchers believe the long-stigmatized drugs may improve patients’ quality of life, helping them cope with the ravages of illness, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and even... More »

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medical research • LSD • clinical trials • experimental drugs • psychedelic drugs

Popular Cancer Drug Is Iffy
and Expensive

Widely prescribed Avastin doesn't prolong life, studies say

Jul 6, 08 10:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - Avastin is one of the most widely prescribed cancer drugs in the world, but it might not work, the New York Times reports. The drug, made by Genentech, brings in about $2.3 billion a year in the US alone, but recent trials have shown that though the drug shrinks... More »

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cancer • breast cancer • lung cancer • prescription drugs • colon cancer • cancer treatment • Avastin • clinical trials

Vets Used to Test Drugs Linked to Suicide

VA accused of treating troubled patients like 'lab rats'

Jun 17, 08 2:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - Combat veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder were recruited for clinical trials of drugs linked to suicide and mental disorders, ABC reports. In a trial involving the smoking-cessation drug Chantix, the VA did not warn patients of the drug's serious potential side effects until 3 months after the FDA and the... More »

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veterans • Department of Veterans Affairs • PTSD • clinical trials • Chantix • Food and Drug Administration • Veterans Administration

Opinion

How Congress Can Help
Ted Kennedy

New bill would give terminally ill access to unproven drugs

Jun 11, 08 8:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Ted Kennedy has, at best, about two years to live. A drug exists that might extend his life, but Kennedy, and legions of other cancer sufferers, won’t get it because it hasn’t been through Phase III FDA trials. But congress could yet come to the rescue; a bill... More »

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FDA • drugs • Ted Kennedy • pharmaceutical • clinical trials • experimental drugs • brain cancer

Despite Danger, FDA Sanctioned Artificial Blood Studies

Product tripled heart attack risk in subjects

Apr 28, 08 1:50 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Food and Drug Administration repeatedly approved experiments using artificial blood despite data showing the products to be dangerous, the Washington Post reports. Investigators from the National Institutes of Health found heart attack risk tripled and death increased by 30% for subjects in 16 studies testing five kinds of artificial... More »

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FDA • blood • medical research • heart attack • clinical trials • blood transfusions • artificial blood

Doc: Merck Fudged Minutes of Meeting

Vytorin probe challeges firm's account of delay in trial results

Apr 12, 08 9:33 AM CDT
(Newser) - Merck's "minutes" of a meeting of heart doctors discussing cholesterol drug Vytorin were created a month after the meeting and distorted the viewpoints of the experts, one panel member changes. The drug company submitted the document to congressional investigators probing its two-year delay in releasing a report saying the... More »

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Merck • pharmaceutical companies • drug companies • cholesterol lowering drug • clinical trials • Vytorin • Schering-Plough

 Cold Virus 
 Joins Cancer Fight 

Brain tumors may yield to targeted infection

Apr 7, 08 2:14 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists are trying to beat some of the most untreatable forms of cancer by employing another undefeated ailment: the common cold. A research team in Seattle has "modified the viruses so they can selectively target the tumor cells, replicate inside them and kill them," says one of the... More »

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cancer • medical breakthrough • tumor • virus • common cold • clinical trials • scientific breakthroughs • measles

Firms Hid Bad News on
Heart Drugs 2 Years: Doc

Merck and Schering-Plough delayed trial results on Vytorin, Zetia

Apr 1, 08 10:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - A scientist hired by two drug companies to conduct trials of cholesterol-lowering drugs accused the firms of deliberately delaying release of the results, the New York Times reports. The results for the Vytorin and Zetia trials—which showed the drugs don't work to reduce plaque in arteries—were not released... More »

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Merck • drug companies • cholesterol • cholesterol lowering drug • clinical trials • Vytorin • Zetia • Schering-Plough

2 Top Cholesterol Drugs, Vytorin and Zetia, Don't Work

Cardiologists urge prescribing statins over Vytorin, Zetia

Mar 31, 08 3:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - Two top-selling cholesterol drugs  proved in a recent study to be largely ineffective in slowing the clogging of arteries, a panel of cardiologists said yesterday. Doctors should only prescribe Vytorin and Zetia if other medications don't work, and should rely instead on statins such as Lipitor and Zocor, they said.... More »

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cardiovascular disease • Merck • cholesterol • heart attack • cholesterol lowering drug • clinical trials • Vytorin • Zetia • American College of Cardiology • Schering-Plough

Scientists Build Immune System in Test Tube

Breakthrough could
make it easier, and safer, to test vaccines

Mar 28, 08 3:09 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists have discovered a way to produce tiny artificial human immune systems, Time reports, a breakthrough that could transform vaccine research. The process—called Modular Immune In Vitro Construct—will allow researchers to test budding medicines as never before and possibly make faster progress against AIDS and other killers.... More »

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medicine • medical breakthrough • vaccine • immune system • HIV/AIDS • clinical trials

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