news

« BACK

Pharmacology



Results 41 - 60 of 688.


Pharmacology - Health - 22.11.2022
New study brings personalised immunotherapy prescriptions a step closer
New study brings personalised immunotherapy prescriptions a step closer
Research validates an imaging platform co-developed at CTI-Bath which predicts if a cancer patient would respond well to immunotherapy. In a step likely to advance personalised cancer treatment, scientists have for the first time shown in patients that levels of biomarkers are not enough to tell which patients are likely to respond best to immunotherapy.

Pharmacology - Health - 18.11.2022
Improving antimicrobial stewardship: RVC research reveals extent of systemic antimicrobial usage in UK equine practice
To mark World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has released new research using real-world antimicrobial prescription data to investigate the use of systemic antimicrobials in UK equine practice. The research, which is the first of its kind, reveals the extent to which antimicrobials are prescribed to equids and uncovers the lack of routine culture and sensitivity testing, particularly prior to the prescription of the 'last resort' Category B antimicrobials, whose efficacy needs to be preserved for the treatment of serious illnesses in human medicine.

Health - Pharmacology - 16.11.2022
Full vaccination more effective than boosters in preventing the spread of Covid
A small increase in the number of people having two vaccines against Covid-19 was more effective in controlling the virus during Europe's fourth wave - when the Omicron variant appeared - than the rapid uptake of booster vaccines, finds a new UCL-led study. Published in the International Journal of Public Health , the study found that a 4.2% increase in the number of people having two doses (full vaccination) led to a 54% reduction in case rates across Europe - despite the detection of the highly infectious Omicron.

Health - Pharmacology - 16.11.2022
Preventing European cancer epidemic 
Europe will face a cancer epidemic in the next decade if weaknesses in cancer health systems and cancer research are not urgently addressed, say the authors of a major new report. The large-scale collaborative research project, in which the University is a key participant, warns that prioritising cancer research is crucial for European countries to deliver more affordable, higher quality, and more equitable cancer care.

Health - Pharmacology - 01.11.2022
Best blood thinner for minimising bleeding risk identified
A large-scale comparison of direct oral anticoagulants (blood thinners), commonly prescribed for irregular heartbeats, has identified the drug with the lowest risk of bleeding, in a new study led by UCL researchers. In the paper published in Annals of Internal Medicine , the researchers report that one of the two most common direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), apixaban, has the lowest risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, with similar performance on stroke prevention and other side effects.

Health - Pharmacology - 20.09.2022
New drug therapy for young children with severe eczema
Better growth during childhood (as indexed by adult height) was associated with better hearing, vision and cognition in adulthood A biologic therapy for very young children with a moderate to severe form of a common skin condition has been shown to be safe and effective in an international trial which involved University of Manchester clinical scientists working within the Clinical Trials Facility at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.

Health - Pharmacology - 30.08.2022
Muscle pain is not due to statins in over 90% of those taking the treatment
Statin therapies are not the cause of muscle pain in over 90% of those who experience symptoms, according to a new study led by researchers from Oxford Population Health. The results were published today in The Lancet and presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress. The study demonstrated that muscle pain or weakness is common in adults, regardless of whether they take a statin tablet or not.

Health - Pharmacology - 29.08.2022
New treatment significantly lowers the risk of cardiovascular death in patients with heart failure
A medication, commonly used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, has been found to significantly lower the risk of cardiovascular death in patients with heart failure. A team of international researchers also found that the same drug was able to reduce worsening heart failure. Two linked studies, published in the New England Journal of Medicine and Nature Medicine, and delivered at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2022 in Barcelona, looked at the benefits of prescribing the drug dapagliflozin (Farxiga) to patients with heart failure.

Health - Pharmacology - 17.08.2022
Anti-sickness drug being trialled for dementia-related hallucinations
Anti-sickness drug being trialled for dementia-related hallucinations
A national study led by UCL researchers is investigating whether a readily available anti-sickness drug could treat dementia-related hallucinations. The Trial of Ondansetron as a Parkinson's HAllucinations Treatment, or TOP HAT study, is now recruiting volunteers across England, Scotland and Wales to evaluate whether ondansetron, an anti-sickness drug used in the NHS for cancer patients, could also be used for treating hallucinations in people with Lewy body dementia or Parkinson's disease.

Health - Pharmacology - 15.07.2022
New study evaluates pharmacological treatment for insomnia
Two drugs, eszopiclone and lemborexant - both not currently licenced for the treatment of insomnia in the UK - were shown to perform better than others, both in the acute and long-term treatment of insomnia in adults, according to a new Oxford study exploring the pharmacological management of insomnia.

Health - Pharmacology - 29.06.2022
Later diagnosis of children with Wilms tumours in the UK leads to lower survival chances
Children in the UK and Republic of Ireland who are diagnosed with Wilms tumour - the most common children's kidney cancer - are less likely to survive without relapse than those in Germany and France due to later diagnosis, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in JCO Global Oncology , compared tumour size and stage of cancer at diagnosis with survival chances of 3,176 children with Wilms tumour.

Health - Pharmacology - 28.06.2022
Highly antibiotic-resistant strain of MRSA that arose in pigs can jump to humans
A new study has found that a highly antibiotic-resistant strain of the superbug MRSA - methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus - has emerged in livestock in the last 50 years, probably due to widespread antibiotic use in pig farming. Cases of livestock-associated MRSA in humans are still only a small fraction of all MRSA cases in human populations, but the fact that they-re increasing is a worrying sign.

Health - Pharmacology - 23.06.2022
New hope to stop spread of antibiotic resistance
A new path to help stop the spread of antibiotic resistance has been uncovered by a team led by UCL and Birkbeck researchers, in a move that could impact the lives of millions globally. The pioneering research the structure of the transport apparatus that enables the spread of antibiotic resistant genes between bacteria.

Health - Pharmacology - 17.06.2022
Progesterone altering drug could reduce risk of aggressive breast cancer
New research co-led by scientists at UCL, found that existing drugs modifying the effect of the hormone progesterone, such as mifepristone, could reduce the risk of aggressive "triple negative" breast cancer in women with an alteration of the BRCA1 gene. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is most common in women who have a BRCA1 mutation and this type of cancer affects 13 in every 100,000 women.

Pharmacology - Health - 13.06.2022
Asthma attacks may be cut by half with digital tools
Digital interventions that help people take their asthma medication better, such as 'smart' inhalers or text messages, may cut the risk of asthma attacks by half, finds a new review of evidence led by UCL, Queen Mary University of London, and University of Auckland researchers. The new Cochrane Review paper found that digital interventions improve medication adherence by 15% and can yield a clinically-significant improvement in asthma control.

Pharmacology - Health - 08.06.2022
Deep inequalities of care for atrial fibrillation patients
Deep inequalities of care for atrial fibrillation patients
Many ethnic minority patients in England with the most common form of atrial fibrillation (AF) are not being prescribed the blood thinners they need to lower their risk stroke, according to data scientists at The University of Manchester. The study compared recommended treatment (oral anticoagulation such as warfarin), less effective treatment (aspirin), and no treatment.

Health - Pharmacology - 06.06.2022
New phase of breast cancer drug trial provides fresh hope for patients with incurable disease
Millions of patients with incurable breast cancer could benefit from new Welsh-led research. A clinical trial by Cardiff University, Velindre University NHS Trust and AstraZeneca, found a combination of drugs could help prolong the lives of patients with incurable disease. The findings were presented at the world's biggest cancer conference in Chicago last weekend and published simultaneously in the Lancet Oncology journal.

Health - Pharmacology - 30.05.2022
Rise in Guillain-Barré syndrome following AstraZeneca vaccine
Rise in Guillain-Barré syndrome following AstraZeneca vaccine
A correlation between a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and a small but significant rise in cases of the serious neurological condition Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), has been identified by UCL scientists, as part of an analysis of NHS data. However, researchers say it remains unclear what the cause of the link is; furthermore the small numbers of GBS cases observed appear similar to increases previously seen in other mass vaccination campaigns.

Pharmacology - Health - 26.05.2022
Common drug-resistant superbug develops fast resistance to 'last resort' antibiotic
Common drug-resistant superbug develops fast resistance to ’last resort’ antibiotic
New research has found that Pseudomonas bacterium develops resistance much faster than usual to a common 'last-resort' antibiotic. A study published today in Cell Reports reveals how populations of a bacterium called Pseudomonas respond to being treated with Colistin, a 'last resort' antibiotic for patients who have developed multi-drug resistant infections.

Health - Pharmacology - 24.05.2022
Population-scale study highlights ongoing risk of COVID-19 in some cancer patients despite vaccination
Population-scale study highlights ongoing risk of COVID-19 in some cancer patients despite vaccination
The UK Coronavirus Cancer Evaluation Project has delivered the world's largest analysis of the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on people with cancer.