Clinical research

Aspirin safe to take after stroke caused by bleeding in the brain, study finds

Antiplatelet medicines, such as aspirin, appear to be safe and possibly beneficial for patients who have suffered an intracerebral haemorrhagic stroke, results from a clinical trial published in The Lancet suggest.…

Fish oils for cardiovascular disease: a turning point?

The use of fish oils to improve cardiovascular health has been in and out of favour for decades, but positive results from a recent trial of Amarin’s Vascepa have created quite a stir — particularly as they come after a set of negative findings in 2018.…

Cannabis trade body will also focus on clinical trials

The Centre for Medicinal Cannabis has announced plans to extend its remit to focus on clinical trials.…

Most popular research briefings of 2018

In 2018, our most popular research briefings covered new areas of research that have been particularly topical this year — including medical cannabis, new antibiotics and e-cigarettes — as well as areas that have long been of interest to pharmacists, such as pain management and…

First-line immunotherapy does not improve survival in metastatic lung cancer

Single or combination first-line immunotherapy does not significantly extend survival compared with chemotherapy in metastatic non small-cell lung carcinoma, trial results have shown.…

Repurposing Viagra: the ‘little blue pill’ for all ills?

Study results suggest that PDE-5 inhibitors could have a role in treating cancer, heart failure, neurodegenerative diseases, circulatory disorders and even infectious diseases, but the road to approval for new indications may not be smooth.…

UK medicines innovation must be supported post-Brexit, says RPS chief scientist

It is “absolutely critical” that any drop in the number of clinical trials evaluations within the UK is resisted as Brexit nears, Gino Martini, chief scientist for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, told a parliamentary meeting.…

‘Like a hug from everyone who loves you’ — how MDMA could help patients with trauma

When combined with intensive psychotherapy sessions, MDMA — commonly known as ecstasy — has elicited impressive results in phase II trials and a global phase III study is just beginning.…

NHS hospital says medical research has been halted because of Brexit uncertainty

A US medical research company has halted the recruitment of UK patients to a global clinical trial, with the NHS hospital involved saying it was stopped because of uncertainty over Brexit.…

No evidence vitamin D supplements improve bone health, major analysis finds

Vitamin D supplements for adults do not prevent fractures, falls or improve bone mineral density, according to authors of the biggest review of evidence to date.…