GLG News by Psychiatrists (US)

The use of a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAO-B) inhibitor for smoking cessation represents a novel strategy for this indication that may ultimately compliment most existing strategies (e.g. nicotine gums, patches).  However, proving the utility of treating tobacco dependence by inhibiting the...

Fluovoxamine is perhaps the last participant in the SSRI explosion of the 1980's.  It is also the least used and hence, least profitable entry in the SSRI horse race, primarily because of timing rather than any particular pharmacological deficiency.  To believe that this attempt to rejuvenate...

Fluvoxamine, the least known of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the US, will now have an FDA approved controlled release version - Luvox CR - for the treatment of OCD and Social Anxiety Disorder.   The collaboration between Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Solvay will have only an uphill...

Deep brain stimulation (DBS), an FDA approved device treatment for Parkinson’s Disease and essential tremor, has demonstrated quite remarkable findings in several very small pilot studies for treatment resistant depression.   There is great hope among the device makers – namely Medtronics...

Smoking cigarettes is a serious health problem throughout the world and smoking cessation is an important clinical problem.  Stopping smoking is tremendously difficult for some because of the highly addictive nature of nicotine, but also because of the predominant use of smoking as a form of self-medication...

I believe publications such as these are probably useful reactions to over-prescribing antidepressants for anything that ails you (which is what has been occuring until the recent suicide scare in adolescents).  Nevertheless, such generalizations have significant influence even though they are...

The announcement of this small biomarker study for MEM 3454, an alpha-7 neuronal nicotinic receptor (NNR) partial agonist in joint development by Memory Pharmaceuticals and Roche for the treatment of cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS), seems like a step in the right direction...

Based on Lilly's early results, it is too soon to tell if its glutamate medication will achieve clinical utility.

All currently marketed antipsychotic medications for treating  schizophrenia  rely on mechanisms of action  which target  dopamine and  serotonin receptors.  Although these medications reduce delusions and hallucinations without inducing symptoms of Parkinson's Disease...

The clinical trial which was done has shown only comparable efficacy to available treatment for positive symptoms.  It did not study efficacy for cognition or negative symptoms.  It did not test efficacy in treatment resistant patients. It did not show long term efficacy. It did not show that...