Drug for cocaine addiction could help treat colorectal cancer, research shows
Global News
In a 'surprising' discovery, a drug used to treat cocaine addiction could be a safe and effective form of treatment of advanced colorectal cancer, a new Canadian study suggests.
In a “surprising” discovery, a drug used to treat cocaine addiction could be a safe and effective form of treatment for advanced colorectal cancer, according to a new Canadian study.
University of Ottawa researchers tested vanoxerine in mice and tumour samples taken from human patients and found that the drug was able to effectively block the activity of colorectal cancer stem cells.
The findings of this research — seven years in the making — were published in the Nature Cancer journal on Tuesday.
“It seems like the drug is rewiring the genome of the cancer cells in a way that it makes them more obvious or easier to detect by the immune system, which is quite an impactful finding in terms of future treatment of colon cancer,” said Dr. Yannick Benoit, lead study author and associate professor in the department of cellular and molecular medicine at the University of Ottawa.
Cancer stem cells are the “nastiest or most aggressive cells” found inside of tumours, Benoit said, and suppressing this cell population could increase the likelihood of successfully treating patients.
“We think that having vanoxerine combined in the future with the standard drugs of chemotherapy that are used, we could have, higher chances of success in treating patients,” he told Global News in an interview Wednesday.
Vanoxerine, which is given via an intramuscular injection, is currently not approved for use in Canada or the United States.
It has been tested in various clinical trials for Parkinson’s disease, depression and cocaine dependence.
Health Canada is warning anyone who may have used these counterfeit drugs to immediately stop using them and safely dispose the product.
There are grunts and growls, knocks and croaks but the wild sounds detected by a team of British Columbia researchers don't belong to any of the province's famous forest creatures.
A total of 2,144 confirmed measles cases were reported in the United States in 2025, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday.
Tied for top spot on the list of endangered rivers in B.C., this year are the Heart of the Fraser, between Hope and Mission, and the Cowichan River on Vancouver Island.
Americans are being asked to avoid highly processed foods in general, including those with added sugars and artificial additives, according to the new U.S. dietary guidelines.
Canada now requires a front package nutrition symbol on many products high in sugar, sodium or saturated fat to help consumers make healthier choices.
In one notable case, a Toronto lawyer is facing a criminal contempt of court proceeding after including cases invented by ChatGPT in her submissions earlier this year.
Crude oil prices will hover around US$58. per barrel in 2026, according to the latest energy price forecast from consulting firm Deloitte.
The pill was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month, a boon to Novo Nordisk as it looks to regain ground lost to U.S. rival Eli Lilly.
More water restrictions will be part of the 'new reality of water usage' warned Mayor Jeromy Farkas, as the city provided an update Monday on the rupture of a major water main.
'This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health,' Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement.
To date, there have been six confirmed cases of chronic wasting disease in B.C. after it was first detected in B.C.'s Kootenay region in 2024.
In the week ending Dec. 20, one in four (25.6 per cent) of every influenza test conducted in the U.S. came back positive, the U.S. CDC said.