Category: Endocrinology

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth (NYSE:WYE), presented new data from two Phase 3 studies, which showed that bazedoxifene/conjugated estrogens reduced the number and severity of hot flashes in symptomatic postmenopausal women by up to 80 percent, when compared with placebo. These data, presented at the North American Menopause Society Annual Meeting, also showed that bazedoxifene/conjugated estrogens improved symptoms of vulvar and vaginal atrophy.

Researchers have uncovered new evidence in mice that may explain how emotionally charged situations can leave such a powerful mark on our memories. Surges of the stress hormone norepinephrine (also known as noradrenaline) that often accompany strong emotions spark a series of molecular events that ultimately strengthen the connections between neurons, the team reports in the October 5, 2007, issue of the journal Cell, a publication of Cell Press.

Both extensive psychological research and personal experiences confirm that events that happen during heightened states of emotion such as fear, anger and joy are far more memorable than less dramatic occurrences.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is tightening the potency specifications for levothyroxine sodium, used to treat underactive thyroid glands and other thyroid conditions, to ensure the drug retains its potency over its entire shelf life. This action is being taken in response to concerns that the potency of the drug may deteriorate prior to its expiration date.

More than two thirds of women in a national survey say that they are interested in suppressing their menstrual periods but many of them aren’t sure if it’s safe. Yet when physicians are polled, 97 percent say that continuous oral contraceptive therapy to suppress menstruation is, in fact, medically safe and acceptable.

A study presented at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) revealed that Divigel(R) (estradiol gel) 0.1% significantly reduced the frequency and severity of moderate to severe hot flashes associated with menopause. Additional data presented at the meeting found that Divigel(R) is a safe and well-tolerated therapy offering the lowest approved dose of estradiol available for the treatment of hot flashes, the most common symptom of menopause.

New Phase II data presented suggest that ZD4054, a novel compound in development for the treatment of men with Hormone Resistant Prostate Cancer (HRPC), could offer a promising improvement in overall survival in men with metastatic HRPC who were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic for pain. Patients who received ZD4054 10mg once-daily experienced a 45 percent reduction in the risk of death compared to placebo (HR 0.55; 80 percent CI 0.41, 0.73).

Hormone therapy in early post-menopause increases sexual interest, but does not improve memory, according to a study in the Sept. 25 issue of the journal Neurology.”Contrary to what we predicted, hormone therapy did not have a positive affect on memory performance in younger mid-life women,” said Pauline Maki, associate professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who led the study.

Apparently, what attracts women more than a great physique or an attractive face could well be a deep voice, say researchers from Canada and the USA. Men with deep voices are also much more likely to have more children than men who do not have deep voices, the researchers say. You can read about this study in the journal Biology Letters.

Hormone therapy taken in the first few years after menopause does not appear to affect a woman’s memory, but may lead to increased sexual interest, according to a study published in the September 25, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.