'Switch' for Skeletal muscle atrophy

As we know, muscle weakness caused by atrophy during aging can lead to serious falls and bone loss. Exercise is the most beneficial strategy to treat atrophy, but for people who are too ill to participate in these physical activities, a chemical has been discovered that 'switches' the atrophy off! Astemizole is the chemical that inhibits atrophy in skeletal muscles in mice. Through drug treatment, researchers were able to retain 97% of their original fiber size. This method has been proven harmful in humans as it gives them cardiovascular problems but they have found the protein that is capable of sensing muscle disuse.

http://news.uns.purdue.edu/html4ever/2006/060524.Pond.atrophy.html