The 5 Most Promising New Drugs
New drugs are released nearly every day. Many of them treat illnesses for which there are already treatments, but some of these new drugs offer much more hope for long term treatment, and some of them are complete breakthrough drugs. It’s always amazing when scientists find a new way to treat a chronic or life threatening illness. Take a look at the five most promising drugs that have either recently been approved or soon should be.
1. Denosumab – Denosumab was developed by Amgen to treat osteoporosis. Denosumab is a human monoclonal antibody to Receptor Activator for Nuclear Factor k B Ligand (RANKL), an important molecule in bone metabolism that acts as the primary signal in bone resorption. Denosumab can be used to prevent hip fractures in patients with osteoporosis and may be useful in preventing some cancers from metastasizing into the bones.
2. Brilenta – Brilenta was developed by Astra Zeneca to treat and prevent arterial thrombosis. The drug is used to prevent further arterial events in patients who suffer from acute coronary system (ACS). In clinical trials, Brilenta has been shown to be more likely to prevent additional arterial events than other drugs of its kind.
3. Methylthioninium chloride (MTC – This drug has completed Phase 2 clinical trials in the UK and has proven very promising in the treatment of Alzheimer’s. The drug blocks the accumulation of tau protein tangles in the brain, which is one of the key characteristics of the disease. The results of initial trials have been very positive, with most patients showing cognitive improvement during the trials.
4. Rituxan – This new drug has been being used for some time to treat cancer. But, it has recently been tested as a treatment for Lupus. Though the drug has been around a while, its use for lupus is significant, because it has been 50 years since a new drug was approved for the treatment of lupus. In trials, 60% of patients treated with the drug showed significant signs of improvement.
5. Gleevec – This is one of the most promising new drugs in the fight against cancer. It is primarily designed for advanced stomach cancer and leukemia. More than half the patients in clinical trials showed excellent results with the drug, and some even showed no signs of cancer after cancer.
6. Avastin – This drug, also for cancer, has been responsible for the biggest increase in colon cancer survival in 25 years. It is now showing promise in the treatment of breast cancer and lung cancer, and also looks promising for renal cancer, and head and neck cancers.
There are many new drugs on the horizon that show promise in treating and curing some of our most challenging illnesses. Continued research in pharmaceutical products has brought many wonderful new drugs to the medical field and we’re sure to see many more in the near future. In the meantime, be certain to ask your doctor about any of the drugs listed above that might be able to give you improvement in illnesses from which you suffer.
P. Zerkle blogs about how to find a program for a Master of Health Informatics.
Tags: Health information