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Employers take action to improve medication adherence

More employers are taking steps to improve their employees' health by making sure they take their medicines as prescribed, a move that could stave off more serious and costly health consequences, according to a new report sponsored by the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC).

21 Nov 2009

PhRMA reaffirms its commitment to support the health reform

POLITICO recently published an editorial by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Senior Vice President Ken Johnson. In the editorial, Johnson makes the case for health reform and reaffirm's PhRMA's commitment to supporting this historic effort.

21 Nov 2009

Publication serves as a guide to build productive partnerships and overcome global health challenges

Meaningful and lasting progress in addressing global health challenges cannot be achieved without partnerships and collaboration, according to a publication released today, Case Studies for Global Health.

21 Nov 2009

FDA approves sNDA for pediatric autism drug ABILIFY

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for ABILIFY® (aripiprazole) for the treatment of irritability associated with autistic disorder in pediatric patients ages 6 to 17 years, including symptoms of aggression towards others, deliberate self-injuriousness, temper tantrums, and quickly changing moods.

20 Nov 2009

FDA Warning Letter for Deconsal: Cornerstone Therapeutics preparing a response

Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, developing and commercializing significant products primarily for the respiratory and related markets, today reported that it had received a Warning Letter from the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") alleging that its Deconsal CT chewable tablets (Phenylephrine HCl 10 mg, Pyrilamine Maleate 16 mg) and Deconsal DM chewable tablets (Phenylephrine HCl 10 mg, Pyrilamine Maleate 16 mg, Dextromothorphan HBr 15 mg) are new drugs lacking an approved application and as such should not be introduced into interstate commerce.

20 Nov 2009

Evidence does not connect H1N1 vaccine to patient deaths, WHO says

The deaths of 41 people from six countries who had received the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine were not directly linked to the vaccine, the WHO said Thursday, the Associated Press/MSNBC reports (11/19).

20 Nov 2009

Impax Laboratories implements IBM's business analytics technology

IBM announced today that Impax Laboratories, Inc., a technology-based specialty pharmaceutical company, is using IBM business analytics technology to gain stronger insights into their business and better predict risks and market opportunities.

20 Nov 2009

Genta announces preliminary results from study of Genasense Injection for advanced melanoma

Genta Incorporated announced preliminary results that show a high objective response rate in a pilot study of patients with advanced melanoma that incorporates the Company’s lead oncology product, Genasense® (oblimersen sodium) Injection, administered for the first time as a 1-hour high-dose intravenous (IV) infusion.

20 Nov 2009

Ligand Pharmaceuticals' SARM LGD-4033 study data presented at the Gerontology Society of America meeting

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that data from a preclinical study on its selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) LGD-4033 was featured in a poster presentation at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Gerontology Society of America in Atlanta. LGD-4033 exhibited desirable in vivo efficacy on skeletal muscle and bone measurements in animal models of male hypogonadism and postmenopausal osteoporosis.

20 Nov 2009

FDA extends Exalgo NDA review by three months

CombinatoRx, Incorporated and Neuromed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued Neuromed a letter extending its review of the New Drug Application (NDA) for the product candidate Exalgo™ (hydromorphone HCl) extended-release tablets by three months.

20 Nov 2009

Positive results from recently completed phase II clinical study of ToleroMune therapy announced

Circassia Ltd, a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on allergy, today announced positive results from a recently completed phase II clinical study of its ToleroMune(R) cat allergy therapy, which successfully identified the optimal dosing regimens to progress into late-stage development.

20 Nov 2009

Study examines temporal association between media coverage and opioid-related deaths

Increases in deaths from opioid drugs such as OxyContin may be linked to the volume of coverage such deaths receive in the news, according to a study from Children's Hospital Boston and the University of North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill. The study compared patterns of opioid deaths and patterns of news coverage between 1999 and 2005, during which time mortality rates from opioid abuse doubled.

20 Nov 2009

EIF enters into co-investment agreement with Karolinska Development

Karolinska Development AB today announced that the European Investment Fund (EIF) has entered into a co-investment agreement with the company. The co-investment fund will be managed by Karolinska Development and used to invest in the company's portfolio of early-stage pharmaceutical and medical technology companies.

20 Nov 2009

Deloitte Consulting offers new sales strategy for pharmaceutical companies

Pharmaceutical companies face a fundamental decision about the best way to sell their products. Even if they could find a way to make the current sales model work, pharma companies still face sky-high commercial costs. So, the question is, should pharma companies stick with their traditional sales approach or blow it up and try something new?

20 Nov 2009

Global initiative battles online supply of dangerous and illegal medicines

In response to an ever-increasing number of websites supplying dangerous and illegal medicines, Operation Pangea II, involving 24 countries, was coordinated by INTERPOL and the World Health Organization's International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT) to highlight the dangers of buying medicines online.

20 Nov 2009

Significant increases in IT use have not reduced drug review process

Drug approvals are taking just as long as they ever did despite increased expenditure on new information technology at the Food and drug Administration. So says a statistical analysis of approval intervals from 1997 to 2006, published in the International Journal of Electronic Healthcare.

20 Nov 2009

Health care reform will not impact America's pharmaceutical research industry

A recent Reuters article reported that America's pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies don't expect an industry increase as a result of broader insurance coverage proposed in health care reform.

20 Nov 2009

Advocacy groups team up to offer personalized education about clinical trials for lung cancer patients

Leading patient advocacy organizations announced today that they are teaming up for the first time on an initiative to encourage patients with lung cancer to take charge of their diagnosis and learn about clinical trials, which are an important part of treatment innovation.

20 Nov 2009

Sugar-coated polymer may offer a new solution for allergy and asthma

Scientists at Johns Hopkins and their colleagues have developed sugar-coated polymer strands that selectively kill off cells involved in triggering aggressive allergy and asthma attacks. Their advance is a significant step toward crafting pharmaceuticals to fight these often life-endangering conditions in a new way.

20 Nov 2009

TGen Drug Development and IPC collaborate to speed up research discoveries for cancer patients

TGen Drug Development (TD2) and the Institut Paoli-Calmettes (IPC) have forged a strategic alliance that will enable both to maximize their worldwide contributions in the treatment of cancer patients.

20 Nov 2009