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Targacept Announces Decision By AstraZeneca To Advance AZD3480 Program In ADHD
Targacept, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRGT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of drugs known as NNR Therapeutics (TM), announced that AstraZeneca has informed Targacept that it plans to conduct further development of AZD3480 (TC-1734) for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and has agreed to make a $10 million milestone payment to Targacept.

Statement From The Minister Of Natural Res And The Minister Of Health On Extended NRU Shutdown, Canada
As Ministers of Natural Res and Health, we are disappointed with AECL"s announcement of delays to the repair of the National Research Universal Reactor (NRU) at Chalk River. We wish to be clear to Canadians. The unplanned shutdown of the NRU will result in a significant shortage of medical isotopes in Canada and in the world this summer.
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Doctors Concerned That NHS Will Fail To Achieve New Hours Limit, Scotland
Doctors have warned that the NHS is not prepared for the introduction of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) limit on working hours in August this year. Although figures published today show that 99.8% of doctors in training do not exceed the maximum average of 56 contracted hours per week, data from the end of May showed that 38% of posts were still not compliant with the 48 hour working week. In light of these figures, BMA Scotland is concerned that, with just over one month to go, the implementation of a 48 hour week will see a massive rise in the number of junior doctors working in non-compliant posts.
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Statins May Be Linked To Muscle Damage

A recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) reports that patients taking statins with associated muscle complaints may have structural muscle damage. Because of their important role in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, statins are one of the most widely prescribed medications worldwide. However, many patients on statins develop muscle weakness and pain. In a number of cases, muscle biopsies confirm underlying structural injury, even in patients who do not show elevated levels of circulating creatine phosphokinase. The study was the work of researchers from the University of Bern, Switzerland and the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. They evaluated muscle biopsies from eighty three patients. Twenty of them had never taken statins. Results showed significant muscle injury in patients who had taken statins, including several who had discontinued medication before the biopsy. Dr. Annette Draeger from the University of Bern and coauthors explain: "Although in clinical practice, the majority of patients with muscle symptoms improve rapidly after cessation of therapy, our findings support that a subgroup of patients appears to be more susceptible to statin-associated myotoxicity, suffering persistent structural injury." The researchers call for further evaluation of alternative treatment strategies for patients with significant muscle symptoms. "Association between statin-associated myopathy and skeletal muscle damage" Markus G. Mohaupt, MD, Richard H. Karas, MD PhD, Eduard B. Babiychuk, PhD, VerÓłnica Sanchez-Freire, Katia Monastyrskaya, PhD, Lakshmanan Iyer, PhD, Hans Hoppeler, MD, Fabio Breil and Annette Draeger, MD CMAJ ň€˘ July 7, 2009; 181 (1-2). doi:10.1503/cmaj.081785. cmaj Written by Stephanie Brunner (B.A.) Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today


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