James' World 2

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University of Pennsylvania behavioral pharmacologist and neuroscientist Heath Schmidt studies how long-term exposure to drugs such as cocaine, nicotine, and prescription opioids affects the brain and how these changes promote relapse in someone who has kicked the habit. A recent paper, published in the Nature journal Neuropsychopharmacology, investigated a novel treatment for cocaine addiction, something that touches 900,000 people in the United States annually.

“As a basic scientist I’m interested in how the brain functions during periods of abstinence from cocaine and other drugs and how neuro-adaptations in the brain promote relapse back to chronic drug taking,” he explains. “From the clinicians’ perspective, they’re looking for medications to try to prevent relapse. Our goal as basic scientists is to use animal models of relapse to identify novel medications to treat cocaine addiction.”

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The green fluorescent ‘dots’ above show where Exendin-4, an FDA-approved drug used to treat diabetes and obesity, ends up in the brain. The drug activates receptors for glucagon-like peptide 1 or GLP-1, a hormone that reduces food intake. The blue and red coloring indicate neurons and astrocytes, respectively. Credit: University of Pennsylvania

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Click link below for article:

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-04-fda-approved-drugs-diabetes-obesity-cocaine.html

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In response to questioning at a budget hearing last week, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told members of Congress that he would “take another look” at Nuplazid, which is the only drug approved to treat hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis. The medication has been cited as a so-called “suspect” medication in hundreds of deaths voluntarily reported by caregivers, doctors and other medical professionals since it hit the market, as highlighted in a recent CNN report.

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The FDA told CNN this week that the agency had already begun conducting a new evaluation of the medication when Gottlieb was questioned about it at the hearing. The agency said the review had started several weeks ago.

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“What does it take for a drug like this to be taken off the market?” asked US Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a member and former chair of the congressional subcommittee responsible for funding and overseeing the FDA.

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Click link below for article and videos:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/25/health/fda-nuplazid-safety-evaluation-invs/index.html

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