Prucalopride Succinate

MONDAY, Sept. 23, 2024 -- Antidepressants have the potential to improve memory and thinking skills, a new study suggests. Some patients experienced a boost on brain tests after taking the SSRI antidepressant escitalopram (Lexapro), researchers report. The drug appeared to affect a serotonin receptor in the brain called the 5HT4 receptor, according to results published recently in the journal Biological Psychiatry . Serotonin is described as a “feel good” hormone, researchers said in background notes. Higher levels of serotonin in the brain contribute to a sense of well-being and have been shown to ease clinical depression. “It seems that the SSRI medication contributes to an improvement on cognitive function, at the same time as helping improve mood,” said lead investigator Vibeke Dam , a senior researcher in neurology and neurobiology with Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. “Our work ties the improvement in cognitive function to the specific 5HT4 receptor and suggest that direct serotonin 4 receptor stimulation may be an important pro-cognitive target to consider in optimizing outcomes of antidepressant treatment,” Dam added in a journal news release. “It also reinforces the idea that serotonin is crucial to mood improvement." For the study, researchers scanned the brains of 90 depressed patients to measure 5HT4 receptor function in their brains. The patients also were tested for mood problems and cognitive abilities. Then the patients were given daily escitalopram (Lexapro) for eight weeks. At the end of the study, 40 patients were rescanned and retested. What did they find? The patients’ performance on cognitive tests had improved -- particularly their ability to recall words -- and this performance appeared to be linked to higher activity with the 5HT4 receptor. “This work points to the possibility of stimulating this specific receptor so that we can treat cognitive problems, even aside from whether or not the patient has overcome the core symptoms of depression,” said lead researcher Dr. Vibe Froekjaer , a clinical professor of neuropsychiatry with Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. The team’s next step will be to treat patients with drugs that specifically target the 5HT4 receptor, and then assess the effect on their brain function. Serotonin is found in the gut, and there are irritable bowel syndrome drugs that specifically bind to and stimulate 5HT4 receptors, researchers said. Researchers also presented these findings Monday at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s annual meeting in Milan. The study “demonstrates the intimate role of brain 5HT4 receptors in cognitive function,” said Philip Cowen , a professor of psychopharmacology with the University of Oxford. “This confirms recent work from Oxford showing that the 5HT4 receptor stimulant, prucalopride -- a drug licensed for the treatment of constipation -- improves memory in both healthy participants and people at risk of depression,” said Cowen, who was not involved in the study. Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

NEUFELD, Austria, April 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sanochemia Pharmazeutika secures exclusive licensing rights to a new MRI contrast agent based on ferumoxtran, that is in an advanced pivotal trial in clinical phase III and may be used to detect the smallest lymph node metastases in prostate cancer patients. The product is already deployed in the Netherlands within an authorized Named-Patient-Use-Program (Artsenverklaring). Continue Reading Official signing of license deal with Thomas Erkinger and Jürgen Feuerstein The agreement with SPL Medical (Nijmegen, Netherlands) grants Sanochemia exclusive worldwide rights for parts of the manufacture and global distribution of an MRI contrast agent based on ferumoxtran with the exception of the DACH region. The product, which is currently under development in late phase III at several renowned European clinics, shall carry the registered trademark Ferrotran®. Ferrotran® contains iron-based superparamagnetic nanoparticles and is intended to be used to detect even the smallest lymph node metastases in prostate cancer patients. Research is being conducted into the possible use for other types of cancer. Ferrotran® will be the second iron-containing product in Sanochemia's gadolinium-free MRI product range. Only recently, an agreement with b.e.imaging (Baden-Baden, Germany) was announced on the MRI contrast agent Resotran® (ferucarbotran) for the detection of focal liver lesions in adults. "The two agreements mark the start of a new product line," said Sanochemia Managing Director Thomas Erkinger. "We are striving to play a pioneering role in the field of gadolinium-free MRI contrast agents. Innovative specialties optimally complement our classic product line in diagnostic imaging". Both products are based on iron-oxide nanoparticles (USPIO/SPIO: Ultrasmall / Small Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide) and expand the diagnostic options within radiology. Dr. Jürgen Feuerstein, CEO of licensor SPL Medical: "We are gaining access to the worldwide market of medical imaging via the extensive marketing network of Sanochemia. Within an authorized named-patient-use-program, more than 700 prostate cancer patients have already been diagnosed in Nijmegen with ferumoxtran in the Netherlands, enabling them to receive earlier and more specific treatment and a significantly higher chance of recovery. The earlier affected lymph nodes are detected, the better the chances of recovery with targeted, less invasive treatment." Sanochemia Pharmazeutika Sanochemia is a leading supplier of pharmaceuticals for radiological applications in the center of Europe. In addition to classic contrast agents, the company focuses on organ-specific and gadolinium-free specialty products. The company's imaging agents are used by doctors and hospitals in over 50 countries worldwide for diagnostic imaging in MR and CT procedures. At the Austrian production site, more than 200 employees ensure that drug products (FDF) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are manufactured to the highest pharmaceutical quality standards. Photo: Logo: SOURCE Sanochemia Pharmazeutika