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Management Change At Actelion - Isaac Kobrin To Take Newly Created Position Of Chief Medical Officer
Actelion Ltd (SIX: ATLN) announced the creation of the position of Chief Medical Officer (CMO). This change was initiated to fulfill the needs of a fast growing organization, which is developing products rapidly and managing a growing portfolio. Effective 1 July 2009, the current Head of Clinical Development, Isaac Kobrin will move into this position. He will continue to be a member of Actelion"s Executive Committee (AEC).

A Single Atom Makes A Big Difference To Purer Water
By substituting a single atom in a molecule widely used to purify water, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have created a far more effective decontaminant with a shelf life superior to products currently on the market.
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Family Drug Support's 'Stepping Stones To Success' Wins At The 2009 National Drug And Alcohol Awards
Family Drug Support"s Stepping Stones to Success program has won the 2009 National Drug and Alcohol Award for Excellence in Prevention and Community Education.
Mental Health

Learning More About The Placebo Effect

In this trial, a sample of alcohol-dependent patients received naltrexone, acamprosate or placebo for 12 weeks. While there were no differences in outcomes between treatment groups, those who believed they had been taking active medication consumed fewer alcoholic drinks and reported less alcohol dependence and cravings. That is, irrespective of actual treatment, perceived medication allocation predicted health outcomes. Double-blind placebo-controlled trials are intended to control for the impact of expectancy on outcomes. Whether they always achieve this is, however, questionable. Reanalysis of a clinical trial of naltrexone and acamprosate for alcohol dependence investigated this issue further. In this trial, 169 alcohol-dependent patients received naltrexone, acamprosate or placebo for 12 weeks. In addition to being assessed on various indices of alcohol dependence, they were asked whether they believed they received active medication or placebo. While there were no differences in outcomes between treatment groups, those who believed they had been taking active medication consumed fewer alcoholic drinks and reported less alcohol dependence and cravings. That is, irrespective of actual treatment, perceived medication allocation predicted health outcomes. These results highlight the differences between treatment administration in clinical trials and standard medical practice, a discrepancy that may sometimes decrease the validity of these types of trials. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics


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