Drug Research and Technology update :

Here are some updates on drug research and technology from my reading-

Besides showing positive signs for good skin health and weight loss trigger...Resveratrol may lower blood sugar levels in mice, researchers say.

According to a study published online in the Journal of Endocrinology by researchers at University of Texas, medical center, "resveratrol...was found to lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin levels when injected directly into the brains of mice fed very high-calorie diets. The researchers examined whether injecting resveratrol directly into the brains of diabetic mice would activate a group of proteins known as sirtuins, which have been shown to have anti-diabetes properties in earlier animal studies. The researchers found that the insulin levels in...resveratrol-treated mice dropped significantly and were halfway to normal by the end of the five-week study," while "insulin levels among the placebo-treated mice continued to rise.

Quality and Safety Adverse drug events jumped in 2008, according to USFDA data statistics -

USFDA received 25 percent more reports of adverse drug events in 2008 compared with 2007, according to a new QuarterWatch report from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. In 2008, the FDA received reports of nearly 100,800 cases of serious injury related to drug use...compared with 80,600 in 2007, the largest over a one-year period since the FDA began collecting data in 1998.

Researcher says lidocaine patch as effective as pregabalin in relieving diabetics' neuropathic pain.

A dermal patch containing 5% lidocaine (Lidoderm) proved as effective as pregabalin (Lyrica) in relieving neuropathic pain in diabetic patients with dramatically fewer side effects, according to a researcher at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting. Only 3.8 percent of patients treated with the patch suffered drug-related adverse events, compared with 36.2 percent of those taking oral pregabalin in a 210-patient, four-week randomized trial. The researchers added that the lidocaine patch, formulated in a clear hydrogel, is currently approved for postherpetic neuralgia but not for other forms of neuropathic pain."

Disclaimer : The above information has been cited from literature in public domain. This is for research purpose/ dissemination of knowledge only and should not be construed as medical advise.