Catalyst
Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. (Nasdaq: CPRX), a biopharmaceutical company
that acquires, in-licenses, develops and commercializes prescription drugs
for the treatment of drug addiction, announced that it has initiated
enrollment of patients for its 180- patient, U.S. Phase II clinical trial
evaluating the use of CPP-109 in treating patients with cocaine addiction.
CPP-109, an orally administered, small molecule drug which inhibits
psychostimulant-induced dopamine release, is Catalyst’s lead compound,
vigabatrin.

The Phase II trial is designed as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-
controlled, intent-to-treat, multi-center study to evaluate the safety and
efficacy of CPP-109 as a treatment for cocaine addiction. Under the study
protocol, patients will be treated for a period of 12 weeks, with an
additional 12 weeks of follow-up. The primary objective of the study is to
demonstrate that a larger proportion of CPP-109-treated subjects than
placebo- treated subjects are cocaine-free during their last two weeks of
treatment (weeks 11 and 12). Additionally, Catalyst will be measuring a
number of secondary endpoints based on reductions of cocaine use and
craving.

Catalyst’s web site catalystpharma includes a listing of the
CPP- 109 study sites and relevant contact information. For more information
about enrolling in this study, please contact the study sites directly.
Additional detailed information can be found on clinicaltrials
(search for Catalyst).

Patrick J. McEnany, Chief Executive Officer of Catalyst, commented: “We
are very pleased to announce the start of active enrollment in our study of
CPP-109 as a potential treatment for cocaine addiction. We expect to add
more clinical trial sites to the 10 previously disclosed in order to
complete the trial as soon as possible. We anticipate initial top-line
results from this trial to be available by year-end.”

Douglas Winship, Catalyst’s Vice President of Regulatory Operations,
stated: “Vigabatrin has previously shown the potential to be a safe and
effective non-addictive drug treatment for cocaine and methamphetamine
addiction in a Phase II double-blind, placebo-controlled trial and two
pilot studies conducted in Mexico. We are excited to now evaluate the
therapeutic benefit of CPP-109 in cocaine-addicted patients enrolled in a
large, double- blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted in the U.S. under
our sponsorship. There are currently no prescription drugs approved for the
treatment of this population. As a result, drug therapies are desperately
needed which can improve abstinence achievement rates of behavioral therapy
administered by addiction treatment specialists, and reduce recidivism. We
have worked diligently with regulatory authorities and the independent
institutional review boards at each of the clinical sites where our trial
will be conducted to be able to finalize and implement our protocol for
this trial.”

On December 7, 2007, Catalyst announced positive initial top-line
results from a 103-patient, investigator-initiated Phase II double-blind,
placebo- controlled trial, in which vigabatrin met its primary efficacy
endpoint of abstinence during the last weeks of treatment for cocaine
addiction. Additional results of this study will be reported when they
become available.

About CPP-109

CPP-109 works by inhibiting an enzyme that normally breaks down gamma
aminobutyric acid (GABA), a dopamine-modulating neurotransmitter. The
resulting excess GABA suppresses the increase in dopamine release caused by
cocaine. All addictive drugs elevate dopamine levels in the parts of the
brain associated with reward and reinforcement. It is thought that this
reinforcing effect is the primary biochemical explanation for addiction.
CPP-109 indirectly keeps dopamine levels in the normal range without
impairing normal dopamine-based mechanisms. It is also thought that this
effect may reduce craving, an effect in addicts which makes it very
difficult for them to stop their drug habit.

About Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners

Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company
focused on the development and commercialization of prescription drugs for
the treatment of addiction. The Company has obtained from Brookhaven
National Laboratory an exclusive worldwide license for nine patents and
four patents pending in the United States relating to the right to use
vigabatrin to treat a wide variety of substance addictions and
obsessive-compulsive disorders. Catalyst has also been granted rights to
Brookhaven’s vigabatrin-related foreign patents or patents pending in more
than 30 countries.

The Company’s initial product candidate is CPP-109, also known as
vigabatrin. CPP-109 has been granted “Fast Track” status by the FDA for the
treatment of cocaine addiction. This indicates that the FDA has recognized
that CPP-109 is intended for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening
condition for which there is no effective treatment and which demonstrates
the potential to address unmet medical needs. CPP-109 was selected as one
of the five most promising drugs entering Phase II trials in the
July-September 2007 issue of The Ones To Watch, published by Thomson
Scientific, a Thomson Corporation publication.

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may
cause the Company’s actual results in future periods to differ materially
from forecasted results. A number of factors, including the Company’s
ability to successfully complete the clinical trials required for it to
file a new drug application for CPP-109, its ability to complete such
trials on a timely basis within the budgets established for such trials,
whether the Company’s trials, which are being conducted in the U.S. under
FDA good clinical practice guidelines, will evidence that CPP-109 is safe
and effective for the treatment of cocaine addiction and methamphetamine
addiction, the Company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and
those other factors described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K
for 2006 and the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended September 30, 2007 that the Company has previously filed with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), could adversely affect the
Company. Copies of the Company’s filings with the SEC are available from
the SEC or may be obtained upon request from the Company. The Company does
not undertake any obligation to update the information contained herein,
which speaks only as of this date.

Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc.
catalystpharma

The Texas House recently voted 71-60 to approve a provision in a Medicaid bill (SB 10) that would establish the state’s first needle-exchange program in Bexar County, Texas, which includes San Antonio, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Rep. Ruth McClendon (D), who sponsored the provision, initially tried to add an amendment that would have created a statewide program. However, the program was limited to the San Antonio area after the broader program failed to gain support in the House. The details of the program have not been worked out, the Star-Telegram reports.

According to McClendon, needle-exchange programs help to curb the spread of bloodborne diseases, including HIV and hepatitis C, among injection drug users. Rep. Dianne White Delisi (R), who sponsored the Medicaid bill, did not dispute the potential public health benefits of an exchange program but said that Texas residents are concerned about whether “promoting the free exchange of needles for the illegal use of intravenous drugs is something the state should be doing” (Dyer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5/22). According to the Houston Chronicle, Texas is the only state that does not have a needle-exchange program (Elliott, Houston Chronicle, 5/22).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Mustafa al’Absi, Ph.D., professor of behavioral sciences at the University of Minnesota Medical School – Duluth Campus, and director of the Duluth Medical Research Institute, has received funding and launched a new first-of-its-kind international research initiative: “Khat Research Program: Neurobehavioral Impact of Long-Term Use”.

In conjunction with several international universities, al’Absi has scheduled an inaugural symposium for the Khat Research Program (KRP), scheduled within the 9th Society of Neuroscientists of Africa (SONA) Conference, at Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, December 11, 2009. In addition to al’Absi, speakers will include: Stephan Bongard (Frankfurt University, Germany); Richard Hoffman (University of Minnesota Medical School-Duluth), Nilesh Patel (University of Nairobi, Kenya), Abdul Mohammed (V?¤xj?¶ University, Sweden), Michael Odenwald (University of Konstanz, Germany).

Khat, a psychostimulant plant widely used in Africa and the Middle East, is associated with serious health effects among young people and women in many countries in Africa and the Middle East where use of Khat also threatens sustainable development. Khat use also has grown significantly among immigrants in several countries in Europe and North America.

The KRP will establish a multidisciplinary research and training program focusing on the concurrent use of nicotine and khat. The program has two primary goals: a) to develop collaborative relationships and provide needed capacity-building resources that will include a series of research training workshops, relevant training on ethical standards of research, and semi-annual meetings to develop future programmatic research; and b) to complete preliminary research to determine biobehavioral consequences of long-term khat and tobacco use.

The KRP will be coordinated by al’Absi from the University of Minnesota Medical School – Duluth campus, with collaborators from other universities in the U.S., Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Mustafa al’Absi received an R21 grant from the National Institute of Health to launch the research. The award was funded within the NIH initiative titled “Brain Disorders in the Developing World: Research Across the Lifespan (BRAIN)” and is the first-step in developing an R01-funded program. It will help in assessing research and training needs and generating preliminary data for the collaborative research to be proposed in the follow-up R01 submission.

Source: Michelle Juntunen

University of Minnesota

Barcelona, Spain, Friday 15 June 2007: New data presented today at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona, Spain, suggests that alcohol may protect against rheumatoid arthritis, with three units a week exhibiting protective effects and ten units a week being more protective still. An alcohol consumption of three units per week or more also reduced the risk by smoking or by a genetic predisposition to RA.

An increased alcohol (ethanol) consumption of three or more units per week was associated with a decreased risk of developing RA (odds ratio 0.5, 95%; confidence interval 0.4 0.7). The findings could improve understanding of the effects of lifestyle on the risk of developing RA and pave the way for new potential treatment approaches based on the apparently beneficial effects of alcohol.

Henrik K?¤llberg at the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, who is a PhD student said, “Several previous studies have indicated a suppression of the immune system by alcohol and a recent study showed that it prevented development of destructive arthritis. However, until now, epidemiological investigations on the effects of alcohol on RA were scarce and inconsistent. These data now show not only that alcohol can protect against RA and reduce the risk conferred by smoking or susceptible genes, but also gives an idea of the relevant alcohol doses necessary.”

The EIRA research team that Henrik K?¤llberg belongs to conducted a population-based case-control study of incident cases of RA (according to American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1987 criteria) among those aged 18-70 years in a defined area of Sweden. Cases and randomly-selected controls completed an extensive questionnaire regarding lifestyle factors, including alcohol consumption and smoking habits. DNA from 1,204 cases and 871 controls was examined to detect the presence of HLA-DRB1 SE alleles (a marker indicating genetic risk factor for RA) and all cases were classified by presence of anti-CCP2 antibodies (anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies) to identify RA subtypes.

Gender-specific odds ratios for anti-CCP positive RA were calculated with 95% confidence intervals for subjects with different consumptions of alcohol (none, 3-5 units per week, >5 units per week), smoking and HLA-DRB1 SE alleles, compared with subjects less exposed to alcohol (0-3 units per week), using logistic regression models with adjustments made for possible confounders.

Professor Tore Kvien, President of EULAR, said, “These are very interesting findings and are the first observation, from epidemiological data, which now should be confirmed by further clinical studies before a firm conclusion can be achieved. Furthermore, we assert the need for caution in the interpretation of these data. The misuse of alcohol is associated with a number of social and medical problems and any positive implications of alcohol must be coupled with the importance of moderation in alcohol consumption in accordance with standard national guidelines.”

EULAR CONGRESS PRESS OFFICE
30 Orange Street

eular

Although national health guidelines call for physicians to discuss topics such as substance use, safety and nutrition with adolescents, new research suggests that these talks do not occur as often as they should.

“The guidelines say that adolescents should have an annual visit that provides screening and guidance about high-risk health behaviors,” said lead study author Sally Adams, R.N., Ph.D. “If teens can get preventive care to avoid risky behavior, it may impact their health not only in adolescence, but also throughout their lifetime.”

The study appears online in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Adams, of the pediatrics department at the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues looked at 2,192 adolescents 12 to 17 years old who had received a physical exam within the last six months.

The teens answered survey items about which of nine health-related topics physicians had discussed with them during an exam: tobacco, alcohol and drug use, seatbelts, helmets, violence, exercise, nutrition and sexually transmitted diseases.

Violence was the least-discussed topic, brought up only 15 percent of the time. At the other extreme, 76 percent of the teens had talks with their doctor about nutrition and exercise. Minority, low income and uninsured adolescents had talks with their physicians just as often, contrary to what the authors had expected.

“More that 80 percent of teens did not discuss safety issues like seatbelts and helmets, and at least 70 percent did not discuss substance use,” Adams said.

“Pediatricians are well-positioned to identify risk factors and to provide either prevention or early intervention,” said Irwin Benuck, M.D., attending pediatrician at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Evanston, Ill. “The question brought up by this study is: Were the questions not asked or were they just not remembered?”

Benuck, who was not involved in the study, noted a lag time of up to six months between the visit to the doctor and the survey. During this time, memories might have faded, he said.

Adams however, noted that the surveys did include “I don’t remember” as a choice to control for this concern. She said research has shown adolescent recall of topics covered in medical visits is valid and accurate for one year, when compared to recordings of the visits.

“Adolescent preventive services: rates and disparities in preventive health topics covered during routine medical care in a California sample.”
Adams SH, et al.
J Adolesc Health online, 2008.

Journal of Adolescent Health

New research identifies an important gene that influences several aspects of nicotine-induced behaviors in the brain. The study, funded by National Institutes of Drug Abuse, was presented at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s Annual Meeting.

Investigator Marina Picciotto, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and her colleagues at Yale University, found that nicotine can increase activity of a molecule called CREB in a brain area called the nucleus accumbens. CREB is able to change the properties of nerve cells, which is important for the rewarding properties of nicotine. Their new study shows that using a genetically altered virus that blocks CREB activity in the nucleus accumbens blocks nicotine reward. “We and other researchers have begun to make very strong links between individual molecules in the brain and nicotine-related behaviors,” said Picciotto. “By identifying molecules and changing their activity we can understand how overall behavior is changed. ”

Picciotto’s work explored how the brain changes when it receives nicotine and, therefore, focused on the dopamine system in the brain. Dopamine is one of a number of neurotransmitters that plays an important role in motivation and reward processes. Nicotine activates the dopamine system in the brain as do other drugs of abuse including cocaine and amphetamines.

“Our work and that of others has shown that nicotine changes signaling in nerve cells in the dopamine system resulting in long-lasting effects,” said Picciotto. “We believe that these changes in signaling may explain why people who quit smoking can continue to experience cravings many years later or even start smoking again.”

Picciotto hopes her findings lead to the development of new targets for smoking cessation therapies. However, it will not be easy to target the signaling molecules manipulated in this study in human smokers. “They are not just in nerve cells involved in addictive behavior; these signaling molecules are important throughout the brain and body”, says Picciotto. “The more we understand how nicotine changes the function of nerve cells, the better we will be able to neutralize its effects on behavior”.

Picciotto suggests that future research focus on signaling pathways inside nerve cells and understanding which pathways are really important for nicotine addiction as opposed to other types of abuse.

Picciotto’s research used both genetically engineered mice with altered nicotine receptors and viruses that could block CREB function. She and her colleagues showed that one type of nicotine receptor was important for both CREB activity and nicotine reward and that blocking CREB in the nucleus accumbens was sufficient to block nicotine reward.

ACNP is holding its Annual Meeting December 3 – 7, 2006, in Hollywood, FL.

ACNP, founded in 1961, is a professional organization of more than 700 leading scientists, including three Nobel Laureates. The mission of ACNP is to further research and education in neuropsychopharmacology and related fields in the following ways: promoting the interaction of a broad range of scientific disciplines of brain and behavior in order to advance the understanding of prevention and treatment of disease of the nervous system including psychiatric, neurological, behavioral and addictive disorders; encouraging scientists to enter research careers in fields related to these disorders and their treatment; and ensuring the dissemination of relevant scientific advances. A non-profit organization, ACNP receives revenues from a variety of sources including membership dues, publication sales, registration fees, and pharmaceutical industry grants.

Contact: Sharon Reis

GYMR

Four directors from the Indian film industry, known as Bollywood, will direct four low-budget, 12-minute films in an effort to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS in the country, Reuters Health reports. The films will be shown before full-length films staring well-known actors, filmmaker Mira Nair said on Monday. “The idea is to piggyback on blockbusters to spread AIDS awareness,” Nair said, adding, “We want to use cinema (against AIDS) so that it holds a mirror to the world and gets under your skin” (Zaheer, Reuters Health, 1/22). The other directors involved in the initiative — which is called AIDS Jaggo and is part of Mirabai Films — are Santosh Sivan, Farhan Akthar and Vishal Bhardwaj. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will fund the films as part of its Indian HIV/AIDS initiative, called Avahan (Asia-Pacific News Agencies, 1/22). Two of the films will be made in Hindi, and the other two will be made in south India languages, such as Tamil, according to a release (Reuters Health, 1/22). The films will be permanently linked to full-length films shown at Indian cinemas and international film festivals (Asia-Pacific News Agencies, 1/22). The films are expected to be released as early as September, according to PTI/Hindustan Times (PTI/Hindustan Times, 1/23). According to Nair, many actors are hesitant to become involved with films that address HIV/AIDS. “Lots of stars don’t want to be associated with the virus,” she said, adding, “Some live and don’t learn.” Bollywood in the last few years has made two full-length films on HIV/AIDS but neither was successful, Reuters Health reports (Reuters Health, 1/22).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

NIH’s National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities recently awarded five-year grants totaling $13.5 million to two Miami-area universities to research Hispanic health issues — including HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted infections and substance abuse — the Miami Herald reports.

Florida International University plans to use its $6.5 million grant to expand its Center for Research on U.S. Latinos, HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse, also known as CRUSADA. Some of the funding will be used to expand CRUSADA’s “You Gotta Know, Hay Que Saber” program, which aims to increase knowledge of HIV/AIDS among young people. FIU also plans to develop tactics for Hispanic women to persuade their partners to use condoms.

The University of Miami will use its $7 million grant to expand its Center of Excellence for Hispanic Health Disparities Research, also known as El Centro. Nilda Peragallo, dean of UM’s School of Nursing and Health Studies, said the school will study HIV/AIDS rates among Hispanic women. The university also will research HIV prevention methods among Hispanics. The two schools also plan to collaborate on several studies.

“There’s a growing problem of HIV/AIDS in Miami’s Hispanic community, and among Hispanics nationwide,” Mario De La Rosa, director of CRUSADA, said, adding, “The population in Miami is in many ways different than in the rest of the country. It hopefully will provide us with some answers as to why Latinos abuse substances and why there’s a growing rate of AIDS.”

According to CDC, the South Florida metropolitan area — which includes Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties — had the highest rate of new AIDS cases per 100,000 people in the U.S. from 2003 to 2005. Only New York City and San Juan, Puerto Rico, had more new reported AIDS cases among Hispanic women in 2004. Experts at UM and FIU said that HIV/AIDS awareness programs aimed at other groups might not be as effective among Hispanics because of cultural and language barriers (Corral, Miami Herald, 12/27/07).

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

If you are a smoker, giving up could be the single best action you have ever done for your health. Also known as smoking cessation or quitting, it generally refers to the inhalation of tobacco smoke, which for many people can be extremely difficult because they have a strong physical addiction to a substance found in tobacco smoke – nicotine. If manufacturers of cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco were not allowed to include any nicotine in their products, most experts agree that the number of smoking addicts would plummet.

The vast majority of regular smokers fail in their first attempt to give up. Even after developing serious smoking related diseases, a considerable number of individuals find it so hard to quit that they continue puffing away.

Half a century ago there were more regular smoking adults than non-smokers. Today, especially in developed nations, smokers make up a minority of the adult population (around 20%). According to the NIH (National Institutes of Health), USA, in 2010 there were 46 million smokers and 47 million non-smoking people who used to smoke in America.

Although there are several aids to help you give up, the majority of current ex-smokers managed to break free without any help – either by gradually tapering off (cutting down and then stopping) or going cold turkey.

Predicting whether a person might succeed in giving up is not easy. Several factors may influence, such as their physical makeup, motivation, commitment, lifestyle, home environment, socioeconomic status, education, and even gender. People who live in households with other smokers generally find it harder to give up. If you work in a UK hospital, finding somewhere to smoke is difficult, making it easier to stop. On the other hand, gardeners or farm workers can light up virtually whenever they want. If you move into an apartment on the fifth floor and the building has no elevator you may soon start wondering whether those stairs, especially of you are laden with shopping, might not be easier if you did not smoke, and decide to try to give up. When you find those stairs easier, your motivation may last longer, increasing your chances of long-term success.

The National Health Service (NHS), UK, says that people wishing to give up smoking should see their GP (general practitioner, primary care physician). Doctors are trained to help patients, give them proper advice and refer them to support services. Getting into a support group has been shown to considerably improve your chances of succeeding both in the short- and long-term. Even if you do not want to join a group, your doctor can still be an important factor in getting you to quit properly and permanently.

NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) – if your addiction to nicotine is particularly severe, you may find that a steady release of nicotine into your bloodstream helps take the edge off those powerful cravings and bouts of anxiety and irritation. NRT provides you with nicotine, but spares you all that smoke which contains poisonous chemicals, tar and carbon monoxide.

Examples of NRT include:

Nicotine patches – also known as transdermal patches. They stick to your skin which absorbs nicotine for 16 or 24 hours.
Nicotine gum – these are available in 2mg or 4mg doses per gum. Some people prefer the gum to patches because they also give your mouth something to do. Smoking is partly an oral experience, as are the gums. The nicotine is absorbed through the mucous membrane inside your mouth, and into your bloodstream.
Nicotine inhalators – these look like cigarette holders and have a replaceable nicotine cartridge inside. You suck and inhale; this action provides a dose of nicotine, but without the smoke. When you first use it you may find it stings the back of your throat. After some practice they can help significantly. Inhalators provide the patient with a similar experience to smoking cigarettes. There is something to hold, something to suck, inhalation is involved, and a feeling of a “kick” when inhalation occurs, as well as the nicotine. As in the other NRT cases, the patient is not inhaling smoke.
Tablets and lozenges – these are placed under the tongue. The nicotine is absorbed into the bloodstream.
Nasal spray – the patient blasts a nicotine-containing spray into the nostrils. As with the inhalator, many say it also provides them with that “kick” (buzz sensation) they miss so much when quitting. This is the fastest acting form of NRT – the nicotine gets to the nicotine receptors in your brain more quickly.

In the majority of countries you can buy NRT products at your local pharmacy without a prescription.

According to the NHS, no evidence so far has favored one type of NRT over another in effectiveness. It really is a matter of personal choice.

Doctors advise people to do a 12-week NRT course, which tapers off towards the end. Particularly addicted people, usually those who were very heavy smokers, may have to go on for longer.

Possible side effects from NRTs, which are usually light to moderate, may include:

Patches may cause skin irritation
Nasal sprays may irritate the eyes, throat, or nose. Sprays may also make you sneeze. Experts say you should not apply the spray while driving or just before you drive.
There may be very vivid dreams
Some patients experience disturbed sleep. In most cases this symptom settles down after a week or two
Headaches
Lightheadedness

If you find the side effects particularly uncomfortable, tell your doctor. There may be a problem with dosage, or the type of NRT may not suit you.

Doctors advise smoking women who become pregnant to quit without NRT. If you are particularly addicted, tell your doctor who may consider NRT. Although nicotine is not good for the fetus, nicotine mixed with cigarette smoke is even worse.

Medications – there are currently two drugs designed to help a smoker quit.

Varenicline – known worldwide as Chantix (USA) and Champix. It is the only drug specifically designed to help addicted smokers give up. It is a nicotinic receptor partial agonist – it prevents nicotine from binding to parts of the brain that respond to nicotine (receptors), this reduces cravings and the pleasurable and rewarding effects of nicotine.

The US FDA requires that verenicline products carry a black box warning because of possible side effects including depression, suicidal thoughts and actions. A black box warning is the FDA’s strongest safety warning.

You start taking Varenicline tablets before you give up and should aim to quit within days 7 to 14, giving the drug time to start working. Treatment usually lasts about 12 weeks. In some cases the doctor may advise the patient to continue treatment for another 12 weeks if he/she is still smoke free.

The following individuals should not take Varenicline – those under 18, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, patients with advanced kidney disease, and people with epilepsy.

Varenicline side effects may include:

Disturbed sleep, even insomnia
Extremely vivid dreams, sometimes unpleasant and frightening nightmares. I took varenicline and in one night woke up three times – during the last nightmare I dreamt that some creatures had got hold of me in bed and were grunting loudly and shaking me. It was incredibly vivid and frightening (I persevered with treatment and gave up smoking)
Headaches – if you do get them, they tend to go away after a while.
A desire to nibble – doctors call it an increased appetite. I have talked to dozens of people who had received varenicline therapy, most comments described a desire to nibble all day rather than wanting huge meals (this last comment is anecdotal, a casual observation on my part, not a scientific study)
Altered bowel behavior – either constipation or diarrhea
Bloated stomach
Digestion may be slow
Wind, flatulence (more farting)
Dry mouth – I would often wake up in the morning with a very dry mouth. On a couple of occasions this woke me up in the night
Fatigue
Light-headedness
Some people may feel drowsy – if this happens to you do not operate heavy machinery or drive

Bupropion – this is an antidepressant which has been found to help some patients give up smoking. The patient smokes during the first 7 to 14 days of treatment so that the drug has time to work. Treatment usually lasts from 7 to 9 weeks. Its brand name is Zyban.

Studies have shown that both Varenicline and Bupropion can significantly increase your chances of long-term success in your attempts to give up smoking.

When you cease smoking your body starts enjoying better health immediately. Within a month your skin is brighter, more supple (hydrated) and clearer. Within three to nine months your cough or wheezing will be gone, your breathing will be much better, and you will enjoy a likely 10% improvement in lung function. Your risk of a heart attack or heart disease will drop by approximately 50% after one year. Within one decade your risk of developing lung cancer would have gone down by half. By year 15 after giving up you will have the same heart disease or heart attack risks as a lifetime non-smoker.

That initial feeling of gloom and hopelessness which can grip many smokers who try to give up really does eventually go away. You need to give it time. Eventually, you start to realize you truly can enjoy your life without nicotine. It is not a life of sacrifice and doing without. Happiness without nicotine does eventually arrive. And when it does – you are free! Millions of us have gone through it. You are not alone. Good luck!

View drug information on Chantix; Zyban Sustained-Release Tablets.

Potential new drug for cocaine addiction and overdose

Chemists are reporting development of what they term the most powerful substance ever discovered for eliminating cocaine from the body, an advance that could lead to the world’s first effective medicine for fighting overdoses and addictions of the illicit drug. Their findings are scheduled for the Sept. 24 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a weekly publication.

In the new study, Chang-Guo Zhan and colleagues point out no effective anti-cocaine medication currently exists for cocaine abuse. One of the most promising approaches focuses on substances that mimic butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), a natural blood protein that helps break down and inactivate the drug, researchers say. However, natural BChE is too weak and ineffective for medical use, the researchers note.

The researchers describe design and produce the most potent, stable BChE structure ever produced. In lab studies, that form of BChE broke down, or metabolized, cocaine 2,000 times faster than the body’s natural version of BChE, the scientists say, noting that reducing levels of the drug in the blood is a key to fighting overdose in humans. The substance also prevented convulsions and death when injected into mice that were given overdoses of cocaine, they note. – MTS

ARTICLE: “Most Efficient Cocaine Hydrolase Designed by Virtual Screening of Transition States”

CONTACT:
Chang-Guo Zhan, Ph.D.
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky 40536

Drinking chamomile tea may help fight complications of diabetes

Drinking chamomile tea daily with meals may help prevent the complications of diabetes, which include loss of vision, nerve damage, and kidney damage, researchers in Japan and the United Kingdom are reporting.

The findings could lead to the development of a new chamomile-based drug for type 2 diabetes, which is at epidemic levels in this country and spreading worldwide, they note. Their study appears in the Sept. 10 issue of the ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

In the new study, Atsushi Kato and colleagues point out that chamomile, also known as manzanilla, has been used for years as a medicinal cure-all to treat a variety of medical problems including stress, colds, and menstrual cramps. Scientists recently proposed that the herbal tea might also be beneficial for fighting diabetes, but the theory hasn’t been scientifically tested until now.

To find out, the researchers fed chamomile extract to a group of diabetic rats for 21 days and compared the results to a group of control animals on a normal diet. The chamomile-supplemented animals showed a significant decrease in blood glucose levels compared with the controls, they say. The extract also showed significant inhibition of both ALR2 enzymes and sorbitol, whose elevated levels are associated with increased diabetic complications, the scientists say. – MTS

ARTICLE: “Protective Effects of Dietary chamomile Tea on Diabetic Complications”

CONTACT:
Atsushi Kato
University of Toyama
Toyama, Japan

New medications for schizophrenia

New scientific insights into schizophrenia are pointing toward new drugs that offer hope for millions of individuals with the disease – the most serious form of mental illness, according to an article scheduled for the Sept. 15 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS’ weekly newsmagazine. Schizophrenia affects about 25 million people, or about one percent of adults, worldwide.

In the article, C&EN Assistant Editor Carmen Drahl notes that existing medications for schizophrenia, so-called antipsychotics, help ease some symptoms, such as hallucinations and disorganized speech. However, they do not deal with all of the disease’s symptoms, such as lack of motivation and impairments to decision-making.

Researchers are now moving beyond traditional drugs, which generally target dopamine neurotransmission, and focusing on new targets that might tackle a wider range of symptoms. The article describes animal and human trials of several potential new drugs that focus on new disease targets, including the glutamate neurotransmitter system, a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, and a signaling pathway mediated by cyclic nucleotides.

These substances appear to help relieve a wider range of symptoms while causing fewer side effects, the researchers note. “We’re still trying to understand the basic mechanisms of schizophrenia, which will hopefully lead to more effective treatments that target core features of the illness,” notes an outside expert.

ARTICLE: “Rethinking Schizophrenia”

The American Chemical Society – the world’s largest scientific society – is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

Source: Michael Woods

American Chemical Society