Tag Archives: drug

Oxford AstraZeneca ban: UK drug lead responds as EU countries decide to suspend jab

The decision to temporarily pause the rollout of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine in Denmark due to reports of blood clots has sparked widespread panic. However, as of yet, there is no proven link between the two. In response to the news, Dr Phil Bryan, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MRHA), Vaccines Safety Lead said:… Read More »

Anti-inflammatory drug improves survival in COVID-19 patients

Researchers from 68 sites across the country, led by David E. Leaf and Shruti Gupta  from the Division of Renal Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, have investigated the effects of the anti-inflammatory drug tocilizumab on critically ill patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. Unlike steroids, which suppress the immune system more broadly, tocilizumab specifically inhibits the receptor for… Read More »

Brain plasticity in drug addiction: Burden and benefit

The human brain is the most complex organ in our body, and is characterized by a unique ability called neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity refers to our brain’s ability to change and adapt in its structural and functional levels in response to experience. Neuroplasticity makes it possible for us to learn new languages, solve complex mathematical problems, acquire… Read More »

WHO urges caution on ‘breakthrough’ coronavirus drug dexamethasone, citing early data

A pharmacist displays an ampoule of Dexamethasone at the Erasme Hospital amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Brussels, Belgium, June 16, 2020. Yves Herman | Reuters The World Health Organization is urging the public to be cautious about dexamethasone as information on the use of the steroid treatment for Covid-19 is still in the… Read More »

FDA warns hydroxychloroquine may weaken effectiveness of coronavirus drug remdesivir

A pharmacy tech holds a bottle and a pill of Hydroxychloroquine at Rock Canyon Pharmacy in Provo, Utah, on May 20, 2020. George Frey | Getty Images The Food and Drug Administration warned Monday that Covid-19 patients taking anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine along with antiviral drug remdesivir may weaken the effectiveness of the latter. The FDA… Read More »