Medications

Drugs are supposed to help us get rid of disease, or at least alleviate the symptoms of them. It is therefore particularly unfortunate that—on the contrary— drugs can contribute to making us sicker. Many medications can have side effects, but some are particularly serious.

A group of researchers has developed a new formulation for the only drug available on the market to treat helminths, as worms such as schistosomes and tapeworms are known. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 400 million people worldwide suffer from these worms.

A recent study by the University of Turku and the University of Helsinki in Finland and the Finnish Social Insurance Institution Kela reveals that the average duration of ADHD medication for children and adolescents is more than three years. However, reliable, controlled data on the safety of marketed ADHD medicines in children are available for only one year of follow-up.

Photoactivable drugs are activated when irradiated by a beam of light—via an optical fiber—thus generating a controlled and local therapeutic effect on target tissues. Now, a scientific team has pioneered a new breakthrough in the field of photopharmacology with the design of the first wireless device capable of remotely activating a photoactivable drug and causing it to have therapeutic effects on specific organs.

UVA Health scientists are calling for clinical trials testing the potential of HIV drugs called NRTIs to prevent Alzheimer’s disease after discovering that patients taking the drugs are substantially less likely to develop the condition. The researchers have published their findings in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Millions of older adults take five or more prescription drugs every day to manage chronic illnesses. While polypharmacy is often necessary, this practice has also been linked to many negative health outcomes in older adults—including memory problems, increased risk of falls and greater frailty.

Pooling orders for life-saving medicines can help drive down their cost and ensure a steady supply for low- and middle-income countries, though there are trade-offs, according to a new study led by a University of Massachusetts health economist and published in the May issue of the Journal of Health Economics.

Medications proven to effectively treat opioid addiction are rarely given after emergency department visits for overdose, and who gets them varies, sometimes greatly, depending on race, ethnicity or geography, University of Michigan researchers say.

Treatment with gabapentinoids—drugs such as gabapentin and pregabalin—is not directly associated with an increased risk of self-harm, finds a UK study published by The BMJ.

Results from the ESSENCE Phase III clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine show treating patients with semaglutide can halt and even reverse liver disease.