Drugs & Clinical Trials Topic
Erasing Fear with Propranolol
Emotional memories last forever. Evolutionarily speaking, it is advantageous to remember the important events in life. However, some memories become harmful or maladaptive, such as in post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, and some addictions. Psychologists and psychiatrists have tried for more than a century to erase these detrimental memories through pharmacological, psychological, and behavioral treatments, with only limited success. However, a new study published in Nature Neuroscience reports that the common medication propranolol -- a member of the beta-blocker class normally used to treat hypertension -- can erase the fearful element of an emotional memory.
The Complex Emergence of Superbugs
Everyone seems to be concerned about drug-resistant bacteria, or so-called “superbugs” these days, and with good reason. Physicians are seeing an increasing number of infections resistant to their usual antibiotic armamentarium, and are losing lives that just a few years ago would have been salvageable, including the recent death of a top Brazilian model.Search the literature for reasons why this is happening and you’re likely to stumble across an array of sources that point the finger at over-prescribing physicians and misbehaving patients who don’t take their antibiotics as prescribed. Certainly these two factors play a significant role. But what is frequently overlooked is how drug resistance may be fostered outside the hospital and doctor’s office.
Topical Morphine – An Experimental Approach to Chronic Pain
Practitioners who treat patients with chronic pain understand just how difficult management of that population can be. As of today, the evaluation of pain remains completely subjective; no lab tests or imaging studies can provide any meaningful insight into how much pain a patient feels. When the pain is severe and intractable, the only option becomes opioid analgesics, which have high potential for abuse and are laden with side effects ranging from constipation and sedation to respiratory depression, testosterone deficiency, and immuno-modulation. The trouble with opioids is that they must be ingested in an oral form with systemic absorption regardless of where the actual pain lies. Over the past few years, a quiet murmur has been rippling through the pain practitioner community about the possibility of dispensing morphine as a topical agent. Small scale clinical trials and animal models have shown some promise, and also raised some questions about this experimental approach.
The Future of Biosimilars
Currently, biotechnology drugs make up 10 to 15% of the pharmaceutical market in the United States, and this sector is growing faster than any other class of drugs. Biotech drugs include recombinant DNA technology, monocolonal antibodies, and gene therapy, and these drugs are revolutionizing treatment of diseases and complex conditions that previously had an unmet clinical need. The field of biotechnology is relatively new, and these drugs were like something out of science fiction novels only a few decades ago. Today, they are a reality, but they have come at a cost. The expensive and time-consuming research and development process make the drugs necessarily pricey once they are available on the market.
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Comments
- david: I think you did an excellent j
- bikash12: I think you did an excellent j
- Veronica Pamoukaghlian, MA: Thank you for your insightful
- Richard Kensinger, MSW: I agree w/ Howard Gardner's pe
- Melbzi: Muso's and smoked pot.I q
- Melbzi: I am 36 and from Melbourne Aus
- CODER: When we get sick, really sick
- Rusti Hauge: I don't see any evidence to th
- david: Fantastic content, being in Pr
- Kevan Henson: Write to me.Kevan Henson
- Kevan Henson: Tbi's are the way of your daug
- Kevan Henson: Tbi's suck because now we are
