Educational Science

Fatal 'brain-eating' amoeba successfully treated with repurposed UTI drug

A decades-old drug for urinary tract infections may also work for brain-eating amoeba infections, which kill the vast majority of people who contract them, Science magazine reported. The drug's promise was demonstrated in a recent case report, published in January in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, which describes a 54-year-old...

Don't use 'amniotic fluid' eye drops, FDA warns

People should not use eye drops marketed as if they contain amniotic fluid, the fluid that surrounds and cushions a developing fetus in the womb, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned. The sale of these eye drops, none of which have been approved by the FDA, raises potential...

A strain of gonorrhea that's resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics recently infected two people in Massachusetts, the state's Department of Public Health announced Thursday (Jan. 19). This is the first time that resistance or reduced response to five classes of antibiotics has been identified in gonorrhea in the United...

1st-of-its-kind menopause drug targets brain misfiring behind hot flashes

A newly approved drug treats severe hot flashes caused by menopause by blocking specific signals in the brain, rather than using hormones like estrogen, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Friday (May 12). The pill, called Veozah (generic name fezolinetant), is the first of its kind approved to...

Watch out for Ozempic copycats containing unauthorized active ingredients, FDA warns

Some compounding pharmacies are making copycat versions of the diabetes drug Ozempic and the weight-loss drug Wegovy, and people are reporting unwanted side effects from these unauthorized medications, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned this week. Compounding pharmacies are those that combine or alter drugs to suit specific patients'...

Scientists discover possible antidote for death caps, the world's deadliest mushroom

The most lethal mushroom in the world is the death cap mushroom, and now scientists have discovered a possible antidote from an unlikely source: a fluorescent dye. Called indocyanine green (ICG), the dye is commonly used in medical imaging to help assess the functionality of the heart and liver, but...

Smelling salt products promise an 'energy boost,' but have reportedly caused seizures, FDA warns

Several unapproved inhalants being marketed to promote alertness and boost energy contain mostly ammonia, a toxic gas that can sometimes cause severe symptoms when inhaled, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned Monday (May 1). Inhaling ammonia can quickly lead to eye, nose, and throat irritation; coughing; and airway...

New gene therapy gel is the 1st approved treatment for rare and painful 'butterfly disease'

A new gene therapy gel is the first-ever approved treatment for the most severe forms of butterfly disease, a rare and painful skin blistering condition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Friday (May 19). Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is a genetic condition that makes skin prone to blisters...

Antidepressants could fuel the rise of superbugs, lab dish study suggests

Antidepressants may drive bacteria to develop resistance against antibiotics, despite being a completely different class of drugs, a new study finds. Even after a few days exposure, bacteria develop drug resistance, not only against one but multiple antibiotics, Jianhua Guo, the study's senior author and a professor at the University...

Pfizer is using AI to help revolutionize the development of life-saving medications

The past hundred years have brought astonishing medical advancements. The ability to edit genes, build life-saving machines and create vaccines that help prevent or stop diseases in their tracks were previously unfathomable, but are realities of today. And excitingly, both scientific methods and the pace at which life-saving medical breakthroughs...