NEW MEDICINES
DISCOVERIES
· Pill that reduces stammers
without the drowsiness
A new generation of milder tranquillizers could be close to bringing relief to the 5% of children and 1% of adults who are afflicted by stammers. Doctors believe that stammering results from an over active brain producing too many signals for the sufferer to cope with. Trials using the anti schizophrenia drug Olanzapine, have shown that it calms the flow of signals, thus reducing the stammer without causing the drowsiness of stronger tranquilizers.
· The unconventional cocktail
that is dividing opinion
Luigi di Bella, an 85-year-old Italian professor, claimed to have discovered a cure for cancer. His cocktail of drugs includes small amounts of chemotherapy, but its main ingredient is the hormone somatostatin. Public belief in Prof. Di Bella’s treatment is unshakeable, but doctors point to the lack of clinical evidence. Those patients who respond best to the treatment have often already undergone a course of orthodox treatment may also play a part.
NATURAL
SOURCES
· Bluebells lead the way in
search for natural cures
Scientists are increasingly turning to nature in the search for new drugs. Researchers at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research in Aberystwyth, UK, believe that HIV and cancer treatments could be developed from the bluebell flower. The UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Research Councils are teaming up with Xenova Discovery Limited to compile a library of plant compounds.
· Localized use of cannabinoids
can relieve inflammation
Recent UK and US studies support new evidence demonstrating that cannabinoids active chemical compounds in marijuana provide safe and effective relief for a number of serious health conditions. Research in the USA has shown that the localized use of these compounds can greatly relieve the inflammation associated with arthritis and that certain cannabinoids can also block the onset of an extreme sensitivity to pain called hyperalgesia, a condition often associated with nerve disease and spinal card injuries.
NEW TESTING
METHODS
Based in Italy, The European Centre for Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) was set up by the European Community in 1991 to develop alternatives to animal experiments. Besides the ethical concerns of using animals for medical and cosmetic research, the view that it is more scientifically productive to test medicines destined for human use on humans, is gaining currency. ECVAM researchers successfully use cultured human cells for phototoxicity tests which use light and laser for treatment, hoping to cut the number of animals used in experiments by up to 60%.
