Four novel drugs were approved during the month of February. The listbof all approved drugs are available on the FDA website. Name Yuviwel (navepegritide) Manufacturer Acendis Pharmaceuticals Disease treated To increase linear growth in pediatric patients 2 years and older with achondroplasia with open epiphyses How it works/why it’s cool Achondroplasia is a rare genetic…
Bananas are radioactive. Bananas are a good source of potassium. Potassium-40 (40 K) occurs naturally at 0.01% of all potassium. The EPA states that one banana has 0.01 millirem of radiation which is about 1/100 of the radiation a person is exposed to daily. Source: Natural Radioactivity in Foods. https://www.epa.gov/radtown/natural-radioactivity-food
I was watching a video about Alfred Nobel the other day (shout out Veritasium on YouTube) and got to thinking about how nitroglycerin made the leap from deadly explosive to powerful vasodilator. Looking into this, I was reminded how wild science and medical history is. Nitroglycerin was discovered in 1847 by Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero…
This month the FDA approved 4 new drugs. Modeyso (dordaviprone) Hernexeos (zongertinib) Brinsupri (brensocatib) Dawnzera (donidalorsen)
If you are like me, internet ads are on a mission to convince you that cortisol is the cause of all of your problems. Or at least your physical problems. Since I didn’t really know a lot about cortisol, I decided to do a bit of a deep dive and learn more about how it…
The other day I learned about Spravato. Spravato is a nasal spray intended for treatment resistant depression (TRD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). The chemical name for Spravato is eskatemine. Eskatemine is the active enantiomer (S-) of ketamine and is more potent than the racemic mixture. A racemic mixture refers to both S-ketamine and R-ketamine…
Dear Anxiety, I hate you. I hate how you show up sometimes unannounced for no good reason. I hate how you team up with my depression and paralyze me. How, after years of therapy, I know what I SHOULD do to make myself feel better, but you won’t let me. I hate how you make…
Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) is a naturally occurring central nervous system stimulant belonging to the methylxanthine class. Methylxanthine is a group of chemical compounds containing one or more methyl (CH3) groups on a xanthine molecule or a purine base. It is naturally occurring in approximately 60 plants including coffee beans, many types of tea, and cacao beans. …
The FDA just approved Journavx for treatment in moderate-to-severe acute pain in adults. It is the first-in-class non-opioid pain medication. Journavx targets the pain-signaling pathway, specifically the sodium channel NaV1.8, in the peripheral nervous system before pain signals reach the brain. Since NaV1.8 is not expressed in the central nervous system, it is not expected…
I am super excited to share my love of science with the world. This blog will mostly be focused on pharmaceuticals, plants, animals, and science history, but I love to deep dive into any topic!