Breaking WORLD PHARMA NEWS

Surprising finding could pave way for universal cancer vaccine

An experimental mRNA vaccine boosted the tumor-fighting effects of immunotherapy in a mouse-model study, bringing researchers one step closer to their goal of developing a universal vaccine to "wake up" the immune system against cancer.

Published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the University of Florida study showed that like a one-two punch, pairing the test vaccine with common anticancer drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors triggered a strong antitumor response.

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Pfizer completes licensing agreement with 3SBio

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced today the completion of a global, ex-China, licensing agreement with 3SBio, Inc. (01530.HK) granting Pfizer exclusive rights for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of 3SBio's SSGJ-707, a bispecific antibody targeting PD-1 and VEGF developed using 3SBio's proprietary CLF2 platform. This agreement solidifies Pfizer at the forefront of innovative cancer research and further enhances the company’s robust oncology pipeline.

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New chemical tool may improve development of key drug components

Chemists have developed a novel way to generate a variety of highly useful chemical building blocks by harnessing metal carbenes, suggests new research.

Typically used in chemical reactions essential for drug synthesis and materials development, carbenes are short-lived, highly reactive carbon atoms.

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Stevia leaf extract has potential as anticancer treatment

Stevia may provide more benefits than as a zero-calorie sugar substitute. When fermented with bacteria isolated from banana leaves, stevia extract kills off pancreatic cancer cells but doesn’t harm healthy kidney cells, according to a research team at Hiroshima University.

The researchers published their findings in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

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Taking the sting out of ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) causes misery for millions worldwide. It affects the large intestine, causing pain, cramping, and frequent bowel movements with bloody diarrhea. Although some people go through periods when they feel well, the disease will suddenly flare up, causing another cycle of pain, diarrhea, and weight loss. There is currently no cure.

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Make - your - own weight - loss drug using an innovative genome editing approach

Weight-loss drugs have surged in popularity, promising rapid results with regular injections. Now, researchers from Japan report a way for the body to make its own weight - loss drugs, doing away with injections in favor of a one - time treatment.

In a study published in Communications Medicine, researchers from The University of Osaka have revealed that a modified genome editing approach to tackle noncommunicable, multifaceted diseases.

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Common autoimmune drug may help reverse immunotherapy - induced diabetes

A team of researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has identified a potential new strategy to prevent, and even reverse, immune checkpoint inhibitor - induced type 1 diabetes, a rare but life-threatening side effect of cancer immunotherapy, using an existing class of autoimmune drugs.

The study, published in JCI Insight, identifies a new group of immune cells involved in the development immune checkpoint inhibitor - induced type 1 diabetes and shows that JAK inhibitors,

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Cohort data from Denmark show real-world evidence of stable protection against HPV-related cervical cancer

Among the more than 100 types of human papillomavirus (HPV), at least 14 are considered as 'high-risk' types which can cause (cervical) cancer. After breast cancer, cervical cancer is the most common cancer in Europe among women aged 15 - 44 years [1].

Before HPV vaccination among teenage girls started in Denmark, high-risk HPV was found in all cervical cancers. HPV types 16/18 accounted for around three quarters (74%) of cervical cancers.

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Researchers discover new way cells protect themselves from damage

An international team led by researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Dalhousie University, the University of Exeter (UK) and the Medical University of Vienna (Austria) has uncovered a surprising way compartments within cells work together to defend themselves against oxidative stress, a finding that could shift how we understand age-associated conditions such as diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.

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Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Receiving six or more prescriptions of the drug gabapentin for low back pain is associated with significantly increased risks of developing dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) - 29% and 85%, respectively - finds a large medical records study published online in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.

What's more, these risks were more than twice as high in those normally considered too young to develop either condition - 18 - 64 year olds - the findings indicate.

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