Drugs

Nobody likes gulping down a big pill, to the point that some people may not bother taking their medication because it's just too hard to swallow. A new system from MIT could help in that regard, by packing the same drug dose into a smaller pill.

Bacteria are extremely good at evolving in response to drugs, which can render vaccines ineffective. But now, researchers at ETH Zurich have found a way to weaponize that ability against them, forcing the bugs down harmless evolutionary dead ends.

A new proof of concept study has demonstrated how certain types of protective gut bacteria can help negate the damaging side effects of toxic chemotherapy drugs, raising the prospect of future probiotics designed to enhance gut health in cancer patients.

Getting drugs into the brain is no easy feat, but the nose is one of the most direct routes. Now, UK researchers have developed a nasal spray hydrogel that lines the tissue in the nose to deliver a common Parkinson’s drug straight to the brain.

The first results from Phase 3 trials testing MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD have been announced. The promising data are the first Phase 3 results to be revealed for any psychedelic-based therapy paving the way for a landmark FDA approval in 2023.

Scientists at Cambridge have demonstrated a new method to fight leukemia, by targeting overactive enzymes that can lead to the disease. If the results of mice tests carry across to humans, it could be the first of a new class of cancer drugs.

Scientists at Purdue University and Scripps have identified a natural compound from a common shrub that could help fight cancer. The compound is the first found to inhibit a cancer protein that was previously considered “undruggable.”

For millions of patients with diabetes, daily insulin injections are a necessary nuisance. A once-a-week shot might be more palatable, and new results from phase 2 clinical trials suggest just such a drug is safe and effective.

A new review article is presenting a promising case for phenformin, an old diabetes drug related to metformin, being repurposed as an adjunct to new immunotherapy cancer treatments. A phase 1 clinical trial is underway to test the novel combination.

An oral pill would be much easier for diabetics than daily insulin injections. An experimental new method for packing insulin into capsules helps it survive the trip through the stomach to the bloodstream, and releases its payload only when needed.

A striking new study testing a number of over-the-counter weight loss and sports supplements has found they contain many combinations of stimulants that have either previously been prohibited by the FDA or never approved for human consumption.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are an urgent public health threat. A new single-dose drug has been developed that works on a different mechanism to most antibiotics, and tests in mice show that it can be used to treat multi-drug-resistant gonorrhea.