The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries in the Western Pacific Region to make greater efforts to curb smoking among their populations by having graphic health warnings placed on cigarette packs. In a statement marking the release of the latest WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, Dr Shin Young-Soo, WHO’s Regional Director for [...]
Novartis Pharmaceuticals received US FDA approval for 75mcg ArcaptaTM NeohalerTM (indacaterol inhalation powder) for long-term maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema. Arcapta™ Neohaler™, formerly known as QAB149, is a long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist (LABA) that prevents symptoms of COPD by keeping muscles of the airway relaxed. Arcapta™ [...]
Treatment with intranasal corticosteroid fluticasone furoate may be beneficial for children with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), as the intranasal corticosteroid appears to reduce production of certain inflammatory cell proteins that may play a role in development of OSA, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery. [...]
Japanese health regulators are granting marketing approval to several major pharmaceutical products. AstraZeneca (AZ), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Merck and Novartis each got the nod for key drugs that are already marketed elsewhere, but still awaiting launch in Japan. Daiichi Sankyo has signed on to co-promote and distribute Nexium®, a drug indicated for the treatment of erosive [...]
Arecent study reported that high-dose docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation in preterm infants is associated with lower risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in the smallest infants and in male infants. The multicentre, randomised controlled trial was set out to investigate the effect of DHA supplementation on long-term respiratory and atopic outcomes in preterm infants with gestational [...]
A very low-energy diet improves moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea in obese men, with benefits maintained at one year and proportional to weight loss and baseline severity, according to the results of a single-centre, prospective, observational follow-up study. The study, published online on June 1 in the British Medical Journal, enrolled 63 men aged [...]
An international research team has developed a new drug that will benefit cystic fibrosis sufferers who have the ‘Celtic Gene’, a genetic mutation which is particularly common in Ireland. The research team found significant improvement in lung function, quality of life and a reduction in disease flare ups among patients receiving the new treatment. The [...]
Leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) tablets, a rarely prescribed asthma drug, is easier to use and just as effective as conventional treatment with inhalers, according to a study published on May 5 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study followed 650 patients with chronic asthma for 24 months and found that LTRAs tablets managed [...]