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Foreign drug repackager complies with FDA order

The Food and Drug Administration today announced the settlement of a court case against an Illinois firm involved last year in FDA's seizure of thousands of imported unapproved drugs, including those that were labeled in foreign languages and/or labeled as repacked.

13 Apr 2004

FDA makes moves to block foreign drug imports

The Food and Drug Administration today announced a new partnership with the Virginia Pharmacists Association to distribute consumer educational materials outlining the risks of purchasing medicines outside of FDA’s regulatory scope. Over the past month, FDA has co-sponsored agreements with state pharmacists associations in Illinois, California, Texas, Maryland, New York, and Nebraska, and the Agency anticipates that additional agreements will be signed in the weeks ahead.

13 Apr 2004

Coronary stent drives Johnson & Johnson to record profits

Johnson & Johnson today announced sales for the first quarter of $11.6 billion, an increase of 17.7% over the prior year. The increase represented operational growth of 12.3% and a currency impact of 5.4%. Domestic sales were up 15.1%, while international sales increased 21.8%, including operational growth of 7.8% and a positive currency impact of 14.0%.

13 Apr 2004

Pfizer's files lawsuit against unapproved copy of cholesterol drug Lipitor

Pfizer announced that it has filed a lawsuit against the operator of "look4generics.com," an internet site selling an unapproved copy of Pfizer's cholesterol drug, Lipitor. The suit was filed today in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

12 Apr 2004

New and Generic Drug Approvals from FDA

This newly approved or tentatively approved drug listing from the FDA is an interim page intended to provide timely information on new drug products as a more comprehensive page is developed.

12 Apr 2004

Diabetic retinopathy population will quadruple by 2012

Decision Resources, Inc., one of the world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and health care issues, finds that the drug-treated diabetic retinopathy population will quadruple by 2012.

12 Apr 2004

FDA approval of stomach acid suppressant

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth, has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the reformulation of the stomach acid suppressant, PROTONIX(R) I.V. (pantoprazole sodium) for Injection.

12 Apr 2004

Medicare to launch website showing comparative drug pricing

Medicare has announced it will be publishishing detailed information comparing the prices of most prescription drugs, which is set to shake up the pharmaceutical industry.

12 Apr 2004

Birth of First Deadly Jellyfish In Captivity Could Lead To Anti-Venom

The first Irukandji jellyfish to be bred in captivity have been born in Townsville, Australia. ‘Irukandji syndrome' is a painful and debilitating set of symptoms that has caused the deaths of at least two people on the Great Barrier Reef. Up to seven species of jellyfish found in northern Australian waters are thought to be responsible for the syndrome, but only one, Carukia barnesi , is a proven culprit.

11 Apr 2004

Sponsors of Medicare-approved discount cards will begin marketing their cards

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) announced last week that 28 private sponsors will offer 49 different Medicare-sponsored drug discount cards, beginning June 1. Additionally, 43 private health plans have received CMS approval to offer Medicare drug discount cards to their members only.

11 Apr 2004

Bush Administration Undermining World Health Organisation Guidelines

Since the release of President George W. Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the U.S. global AIDS coordinator and former CEO of Eli Lilly, Randall Tobias, and other Bush administration officials have made public remarks that question the quality of generic antiretroviral drugs and undermine international quality standards set by the World Health Organization.

11 Apr 2004

Ephedra - herbal stimulant sales illegal as of Monday

Sales of the herbal stimulant ephedra become illegal in the United States on Monday, barring a last-minute reprieve from a federal judge.

11 Apr 2004

Indevus announces agreement with Pliva for overactive bladder treatment drug

Indevus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that it has entered into a co-promotion and licensing agreement with PLIVA d.d. through its specialty branded subsidiary, Odyssey Pharmaceuticals Inc., for the U.S. commercialization of SANCTURA™ (trospium chloride), under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a treatment for overactive bladder.

10 Apr 2004

Generic ribavirin product launched in the United States

Schering-Plough Corporation has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Warrick Pharmaceuticals has launched a generic ribavirin product in the United States.

9 Apr 2004

Rare Burkina Faso strain of meningitis under control

A rare strain of meningitis, which re-emerged recently in Burkina Faso, would have left health authorities helpless just two years ago. Now, thanks to two years of work orchestrated by the World Health Organization (WHO), the strain (known as W135) has been rapidly identified and a mass action campaign is now controlling the outbreak.

8 Apr 2004

Hepatitis C wonder drug Ribasphere gets approval from FDA

The President and CEO of Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals, Donald J. Kerrish, RPh., stated, “The approval of Ribasphere™ marks a milestone in the treatment of HCV. Ribasphere™ is positioned to break down the economic barriers that have existed for the past decade in treating this chronic and potentially deadly disease.” Traditionally the cost of treatment for HCV can range from $20,000 – $25,000 annually. “Our aim is to bring affordable medicine to all individuals infected with this dreadful disease.” Mr. Kerrish continued.

8 Apr 2004

African summit on treatment of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria

In Gaborone, Botswana, government officials and representatives of drug regulatory agencies from 23 nations, the research-based and generic pharmaceutical industries, public health leaders, health care providers, advocacy groups (including persons living with HIV/AIDS), academia and members of non-governmental organizations held discussions from March 29-31 on the scientific and technical principles for fixed-dose combination drug products (FDCs) for use in the treatment of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, the most serious infectious disease threats facing the world today.

8 Apr 2004

New microgel could potentially recover any enzyme and save manufacturers considerable money

Carnegie Mellon University scientists have employed biological molecules to create a microgel that could recover costly enzymes for repeated use in catalyzing commercially important reactions. The microgel could potentially recover any enzyme and theoretically save manufacturers considerable money.

8 Apr 2004

The Cambridge-MIT Institute has launched a project to tackle the bottlenecks that slow development of new drugs

The Next-Generation Drug Discovery Community will unite researchers at Cambridge University and MIT with partners from the information technology, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to find ways to speed up development of the next generation of drugs--particularly those that treat diseases with complex causes such as cancers, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and diabetes.

7 Apr 2004

A new technique for engineering protein crystals is helping scientists figure out the three-dimensional structures of some important biological molecules

A new technique for engineering protein crystals is helping scientists figure out the three-dimensional structures of some important biological molecules, including a key plague protein whose structure has eluded researchers until now. The technique, developed with support from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), promises to help pharmaceutical companies develop more effective drugs to treat various diseases by tailor-making molecules to "fit" a protein's shape.

6 Apr 2004