Discontinued drugs in 2010: cardiovascular drugs

This perspective is a paper discussing drugs dropped from clinical development in the previous years. Specifically, this paper focuses on 16 cardiovascular drugs discontinued in 2010 after reaching Phase I – III clinical trials. Information for this perspective is mainly derived from a search of Pharmaprojects.     

Discontinued drugs in 2010: cardiovascular drugs

This perspective is a paper discussing drugs dropped from clinical development in the previous years. Specifically, this paper focuses on 16 cardiovascular drugs discontinued in 2010 after reaching Phase I - III clinical trials. Information for this perspective is mainly derived from a search of Pharmaprojects.     

Renal Lipoma: a case report

Renal lipoma is a very rare tumor that has only been described in about twenty cases in adults and in a single case in a child aged 2 years. This paper presents a renal lipoma in 63 year old female patient. The tumor size of 7.5×4.5 cm was located in her right kidney, clearly delineated from the surrounding kidney tissue, and histology was completely built of mature adipose tissue. This paper describes the case of a rare benign lipoma which histogenesis is yet not clearly understood.     

Eating disorders: a primer for the substance abuse specialist: 1. Clinical features

The eating disorders of anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are no longer rare or esoteric syndromes. Because they affect about 5% of young adult women in westernized societies, and because there is a greater than chance co-morbidity with substance abuse disorders, it has become increasingly important for the substance abuse specialist to be knowledgeable about AN and BN. This paper will describe the epidemiologic, clinical, diagnostic, and prognostic features of the two eating disorders; a subsequent paper will examine theories of etiology and approaches to treatment, and discuss the special considerations that pertain when co-morbidity with substance abuse is indeed present.     

Discontinued drugs 2008: pulmonary and allergy

This is the annual perspectives paper on discontinued drugs in the field of pulmonary disease and allergy. It is part of a series of papers discussing drugs dropped from clinical development in the previous year and presented according to therapeutic indication. Specifically, this paper presents the six pulmonary and five allergy drugs discontinued in 2008. Information for this perspective was derived from a search of the Pharmaprojects database for drugs discontinued after reaching Phase I – III clinical trials.     

Correction to: Revising Pharmacokinetics of Oral Drug Absorption: II Bioavailability-Bioequivalence Considerations

Pharmaceutical Research - A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-021-03101-0     

Deconstructing Drug Prevention: towards an alternative purpose

This paper is concerned with deconstructing popular and widespread understanding of the term 'drug prevention' when it is applied to education within schools and to the general population. The concept of informed choice is thoroughly examined with reference to questions of objectivity, the limitation of fact-or information-based programmes, and the role of psychological factors in the causation of substance use. The paper considers the potential value of programmes based on attitudes and feeling as an alternative.     

Personality disorders: issues in assessment

The multiaxial system adopted in DSM-III (American Psychiatric Association 1980) has fostered much research in the area of the assessment of personality disorders. This paper will address issues and controversies that have an impact on the assessment of personality. Topics to be discussed in this paper include (1) a review of and comparison between categorical and dimensional approaches to personality classification; (2) discussion of differing viewpoints regarding the most appropriate way to conceptualize Axis II diagnoses, with emphasis on their relationship with Axis I and II conditions; and (4) a review of between Axis I and II conditions; and (4) a review of different assessment instruments.     

Hydroxyamino sugar derivatives: sugar nitrones

We describe in this paper the preparation of 46 new sugar nitrone derivatives and their antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis.     

A pharmacist, creator of the first French daily paper: Cadet de Vaux

Cadet de Vaux, in partnership with Louis Dussieux and Olivier de Carancez, was the creator of the first French daily news paper, on the 1st of January 1877. Cadet had the responsibility of the scientific section. Several lampoons were written against the three directors of the paper. The paper was momentarily suppressed two times, because of non convenient contributions, and it was stopped his activities in the paper.     

Drug Abuse:

This paper reviews 43 explanations of drug dependence. Summaries of each cover their drug specificity, the population studied, the disciplinary background of the theorist and the key variables utilized. In addition to a discussion of the various theoretical explanations offered in the academic literature, a brief review of the models of explanation is presented including such models as classificatory, experimental, inductive, mathematical, and reference/authority.     

Correction to: Challenges Ahead

Pharmaceutical Research - A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-021-03031-x     

Partnerships: imperative or illusion in work-force development

The central theme of the National Drug Strategy is "building partnerships". In the education and training arena, intersectoral partnerships are important to increase the skill and knowledge base of generic professionals. However, partnerships are neither simple nor straightforward endeavours. While this paper argues that they are imperative, they can be time-consuming and problematic. Discussion of the stages of change and how this model applies to partnerships and elements of successful partnerships form the basis of the paper.     

Drug Treatment Effectiveness: An Examination of Conceptual and Policy Issues

This paper discusses different concepts or views of what constitutes effective treatment for drug dependence and how these views are involved in policy decisions regarding treatment. The paper reviews the rise of evidence-based medicine, discusses the emergence of efficacy research, effectiveness research, and other types of outcome-based evaluations of drug user treatment, but notes that despite a growing consensus among researchers on the effectiveness of drug user treatment, substantial public skepticism about the value of treatment still exists in the United States. The paper argues that one of the primary reasons for the lack of public consensus in the United States is that there is wide disagreement over which type of problem drug dependence is and for whom it may be a problem. The paper reviews some of the most common models and their implications for evaluating effectiveness, and argues that it is the differences in perspective among these models that are at the heart of policy debate over drug treatment policy in the United States. The paper concludes that because evaluation research as currently practiced does not address these issues, its utility for policy purposes is limited in the American context.     

Outlook: finding improved medicines: the role of academic-industrial collaboration

This paper reviews models of academic-pharmaceutical industry collaboration and debates the value of such partnerships so that those contemplating an alliance can reflect a priori on the purpose, nature and process that will provide a constructive outcome. The scope is confined to the biomedical discipline, because collaborations in other fields, such as physics and engineering, have not suffered as a result of the concerns associated with biomedicine.     

Drug treatment effectiveness: an examination of conceptual and policy issues

This paper discusses different concepts or views of what constitutes effective treatment for drug dependence and how these views are involved in policy decisions regarding treatment. The paper reviews the rise of evidence-based medicine, discusses the emergence of efficacy research, effectiveness research, and other types of outcome-based evaluations of drug user treatment, but notes that despite a growing consensus among researchers on the effectiveness of drug user treatment, substantial public skepticism about the value of treatment still exists in the United States. The paper argues that one of the primary reasons for the lack of public consensus in the United States is that there is wide disagreement over which type of problem drug dependence is and for whom it may be a problem. The paper reviews some of the most common models and their implications for evaluating effectiveness, and argues that it is the differences in perspective among these models that are at the heart of policy debate over drug treatment policy in the United States. The paper concludes that because evaluation research as currently practiced does not address these issues, its utility for policy purposes is limited in the American context.     

Hepatitis C: education and counseling issues

This paper examines issues and dilemmas faced by counselors and other health care providers in addressing the needs of active or recovering alcohol and drug users who test positive for HCV. The ambiguities and changing treatment prospects for these patients require education and counseling interventions, elements of which are described in the paper. Motivational enhancement issues are particularly important, to facilitate the patient's commitment to maintain a healthy life style while effective treatments are being developed. The high proportion of recovering staff in addiction treatment settings adds a level of complexity, as their concerns may mirror those of the patients being served, but are rarely addressed systematically within the program.     

New psychoactive substances: new service provider challenges

Abstract

This paper presents findings from a 6-month study of New Psychoactive Substance (NPS) use in Manchester, UK. Drawing on interviews with 53 NPS users and 31 stakeholders, the paper documents a notable shift in the drug using landscape. It highlights how the homeless community – traditionally associated with alcohol dependency and problematic intravenous heroin and/or crack cocaine use – are now switching to smoking synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists, while men who have sex with men (MSM) and engage in chemsex – who have traditionally been strongly associated with the recreational use of ecstasy and other stimulants – are now developing problematic intravenous drug using habits. The paper goes on to discuss the implications of this shift for existing models of treatment service delivery. In particular, it outlines the necessity for treatment services to develop innovative engagement strategies, alongside clearer referral pathways and improved service integration.     

Anticancer agents: towards the future

A major need in cancer chemotherapy is the availability of cancer cell-specific drugs. This paper discusses recent advances and perspectives in the field of selective drug recognition considering the key targets tyrosine kinases, DNA-topoisomerases and telomerase.