The hormone prolactin is known for and named after its role in breastfeeding. But that is far from its only role. There are more than 300 identified functions of prolactin, which is present in both men and women, though women have higher levels, and extremely high levels late in pregnancy and during breastfeeding. Now, scientists at the University of Arizona have identified another function of prolactin signaling.
A high-profile test of two experimental medicines in people with autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease (ADAD), a rare inherited form of the disease, found that neither drug significantly slowed rates of cognitive decline vs. placebo, the primary endpoint.
Top-line results from Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co.’s phase III trial of troriluzole against placebo in treating generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) failed to hit its primary endpoint, prompting the company CEO to say the poor results support halting development plans for the glutamate modulator as a monotherapy in GAD.
For depression, and other mental health disorders, the era of precision medicine has yet to arrive.
Symptoms are “very poorly reflective of the underlying biology,” Amit Etkin told BioWorld. Depression can manifest through multiple different symptoms that differ both between and within cultures.
At 26 years old, Karen Jury stood before a class of elementary students as her right arm tingled before falling completely numb. That led to a conversation with her doctor. Years of migraine headaches and a recurring sensation of shock waves throughout her body, simply from the turn of her head, resulted in a scheduled spinal tap and an MRI. She received a diagnosis of Arnold-Chiari malformation, a structural defect in the base of the skull and cerebellum.
Jaime Sanders was just a child, barely 8 years old, when a debilitating condition kept her inside from recess and home from school. “I would get these intense headaches focused on the left side like a sledgehammer was banging on my head,” she said.
While the efficacy of three central nervous system (CNS) drugs awaiting regulatory approvals is not vastly different from currently marketed products, their formulations and methods of delivery, combined with what payers will support, make them formidable players in the multiple sclerosis (MS) and migraine markets.
No matter how effective it is, a drug is worthless if the people who need it can’t afford it. That’s been almost an anthem for patients and policy wonks testifying before U.S. Congress on drug prices.
New analysis from Clarivate Analytics' Cortellis Forecast Team predicts 11 medicines set to enter the market in 2020 will reach more than $1 billion in sales by 2024.
Data for this report were compiled from Cortellis, the suite of life sciences intelligence solutions from Clarivate Analytics. Cortellis includes the broadest and deepest range of sources of intelligence across the R&D lifecycle, including annual filings, drug pipelines, clinical trials, patents, chemistry, deals, conferences and company announcements.
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