> On the heels of two patient deaths, the FDA concluded a study of the injectable schizophrenia drug Zyprexa Relprevv. The agency said the study was inconclusive. "FDA is unable to exclude the possibility that the deaths were caused by rapid, but delayed, entry of the drug into the bloodstream following intramuscular injection," the agency said. It recommended that patients read the labeling each time they get a prescription. The drug carries a black-box warning for postinjection delirium sedation. Notice
> The Netherlands delayed vaccination of some babies due to concerns that some syringes made by Terumo could leak glue particles into infants' bloodstream. Story
> A study found that thermal energy generated by magnetic heating can increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, at least in rats. Abstract
> Innocentive is hosting a drug delivery challenge. The winner gets $25,000. It is seeking "the design of a novel self-cleaving linker for use in targeted drug delivery. The self-cleaving linker, once triggered, should allow for the release of molecule(s) of interest under mild (physiological) conditions." Synthetic chemists are encouraged to apply. The challenge
> A professor from England's University of Durham has created peptide-based nanoparticles that can be delivered to the back of the eye to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Story
> In more eye drug delivery news, the FDA gave Neurotech permission to proceed with Phase II trials of its delivery system to treat wet (or advanced stage) AMD. Release