Pharmaceutical

On March 12, 2009 in Barcelona, the international experts who participated in the discussion on “professional models in the European pharmacy” have agreed that the future of the pharmaceutical profession has begun to expand its role as an agent of the drug assuming greater responsibility, becoming an actor for ensuring the success of the patient therapy and expansion pharmaceutical care services.

Martin Schulz, head of the Department of Medicine of the Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists (ABDA), indicated that one of the most important changes in the pharmaceutical profession has been moving from a service focused on providing products to a service focused on patients with educational programs for users of the pharmacy and pay for advanced services. “.He has also highlighted that one of the areas of future treatment are ‘directed’ solutions, as the detection, prevention and solution of problems relating to drugs, with results for optimization of high-value products and upgrades to completion therapy. (more…)

In late 2005 several chemical analysts agreed that the total number of known molecules exceded 20 million but due to an exponential growth could reach 100 or even 200 million by the end of the twenty-first century.

Of these, at this time, only about 80,000 have some therapeutic use. Currently drugs are obtained by four different methods: a) chemical synthesis, b) biosynthesis, c) from natural products, and d) biotechnology. However, it is often used as mixed processes, eg with certain antibiotics (macrolides) or antifungals (Echinocandins), which combines chemical synthesis to biosynthesis to improve the microbiological activity orits pharmacokinetic characteristics.In other occasions, some active ingredients extracted from natural products are modified by semi-synthesis reactions to complete its structure and improve its business or its pharmacokinetic characteristics. Thus, precursors of anovulatory or anti-inflammatory steroids, from plants of the genus Dioscorea and Solanum, are amended later by methods of semi-synthesis or biosynthesis to produce various medicines.  Finally, some proteins produced by recombinant technology (interferons, G-CSF, erythropoietin, etc..) are chemically modified by chemical synthesis to improve their bioavailability or delay its clearance. (more…)

Research shows that the same hormone that generates hunger improves memory

We are talking about ghrelin, a small protein that regulates food intake, increased levels of anxiety and, as findings at the National University of Cordoba (UNC) also optimizes memory. This evidence now opens a route to finding drugs able to modify those processes.

Seven years ago it was discovered that the ghrelin, also called “the hunger hormone”, is closely related to the start of food intake, and it was confirmed that before meals high levels of this peptide (small protein)are present. Many scientific studies were conducted on the topic, especially those intended to find the function and the possible role of this substance in the origin and treatment of obesity and anorexia.

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