Negative results in recent trials of vitamin D supplementation have led researchers to question the best way of reaching those who are deficient.

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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.

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As obesity levels rise, pharmacists need new methods to help them get dosing right.

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First described 200 years ago, Parkinson’s disease remains without a cure. After many failed clinical trials, researchers are getting back to basics to try to gain a better understanding of the challenges, and a new generation of treatment ideas are now in clinical trials, some of which aim to stall progression of the disease.

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Parents of children with treatment-resistant epilepsy are searching for something to help, and some are turning to cannabis to try to reduce seizure frequency.

With clinical trials of cannabidiol-based drugs under way, evidence for this treatment option may soon be forthcoming. However, concerns remain about side effects, such as sedation, interactions with other drugs, and potential disturbances of brain development.

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When a patient seeks help for depression, the doctor plays a primitive guessing game to find an effective antidepressant. It takes weeks to months to determine whether a drug really works, leaving many disabled and some to lose hope.

Now, researchers are seeking a way to match people with depression to an effective drug at the outset of their treatment by searching for tell-tale features that could predict how they will respond. This personalised approach draws on a range of measures, including genetic variation, inflammation-related molecules, and brain function.

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Genetic discoveries have invigorated autism research and raised the possibility of finding drug targets based on autism’s underlying pathophysiology, rather than merely treating symptoms.

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Some researchers argue that slowing the rate of biological aging could be the best way to delay development of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and arthritis.

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As more people are diagnosed with celiac disease, the first drug treatments are entering clinical trials. These drugs are geared toward supplementing, or even replacing, the gluten-free diet, which is currently the only treatment available. But success is proving difficult to measure.

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With rates of heron addiction stubbornly high, there is still debate about how best to treat those hooked on the drug.

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