(Quartz) Akshat Rathi - As soon as you ingest something, enzymes and acids start breaking down its various chemical components. That's bad news for most drugs because the active ingredient can't do its job if it is quickly broken down. Teva Pharmaceuticals has found a new way of delaying drug metabolism. By replacing some of the hydrogen atoms in a drug for the treatment of Huntington's disease with the heavier isotope deuterium, the drug has been shown to remain unchanged in the body for longer, the U.S. FDA has confirmed. Slowing down drug metabolism means that doctors can prescribe lower doses of drugs to achieve the same effect, meaning that patients suffer fewer side-effects.
2017-04-07 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive