Bochum-based psychologists have studied how the application of the stress hormone cortisol affects exposure therapy for anxiety disorders. The researchers knew from earlier studies that extinction learning, which constitutes the foundation of exposure therapy, can be reinforced by administering cortisol. However, the team headed by Professor Armin Zlomuzica at Zentrum für Psychotherapie (psychotherapy center) at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) has demonstrated with a group of arachnophob...
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Shares in firms developing therapies based on CRISPR gene editing technology have fallen after the resignation of the CEO of one of the leading biotechs in the field, Editas. Massachusetts-based Editas said Katrine Bosley has decided to step down from her role as president and CEO, on March 1, 2019. Bosley has been CEO of the firm for nearly five years and leaves just as the company prepares for its first clinical trial.
While the biotech gave no reasons for Bosley’s departure, the ...
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After becoming the poster company of the opioid crisis in America for its aggressive marketing efforts of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma continues to make strides to move away from opioids for pain treatment. Today, it forged a partnership with Boston-based Alivio Therapeutics to support that quest. Connecticut-based Purdue struck a deal worth up to about $300 million with Alivio, an affiliate of PureTech Health, to use that company’s inflammation-targeting technology to develop a non-opioid pai...
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AstraZeneca has announced that pooled analyses of the phase III trials for its kidney disease drug roxadustat confirm the drug’s cardiovascular safety – a good sign for the potential blockbuster that hopes to compete with well-established treatments. Roxadustat, co-developed with FibroGen and Astellas, is a first-in-class HIF-PHI inhibitor for the treatment of anaemia caused by chronic kidney disease (CKD), which affects more than 200 million people worldwide. It is looking to take o...
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Persistent drug shortages have become dangerous and costly, the American Hospital Association says, forcing staff to use drugs with which they have less experience and that are sometimes more expensive. Responding to an FDA request for comment, the AHA, which represents 5,000 hospitals and 270,000 physicians, has crafted (PDF) a lengthy list of suggestions for addressing the problems that include both the carrot and the stick. It calls for some incentives to ensure drugmakers have contingency pl...
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Express Scripts has filed a lawsuit against Kaléo, a small pharmaceutical manufacturer, over charges related to Kaléo’s naloxone injector, Evzio. Kaléo allegedly owes Express Scripts $14.5 million in fees and rebates, according to the New York Times. The PBM has also dropped Evzio from its preferred list....
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