Pharmaceuticals News and Research

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Department of Justice, HHS boosts number of investigators, prosecutors looking at Medicare, Medicaid fraud

HHS and the Department of Justice on Wednesday launched the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team to detect and prevent fraud in Medicare and Medicaid, the Washington Post reports (Johnson, Washington Post, 5/21).

22 May 2009

Aspirin and an anti-clotting drug ‘combo’ reduces risk of dialysis access failure

For the first time, a combination of aspirin and the anti-platelet drug dipyridamole has been shown to significantly reduce blockages and extend the useful life of new artery-vein access grafts used for hemodialysis, according to a study by the Dialysis Access Consortium (DAC).

21 May 2009

ChemGenex’s Omacetaxine to be showcased in three oral oresentations at EHA

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited announced today that new data from two clinical studies and one pre-clinical study with omacetaxine will be presented at oral sessions during the forthcoming 14th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) in Berlin, Germany.

21 May 2009

Vermont Legislature passes law regulating all drug/device company marketing, requiring disclosure of gifts to doctors

The Vermont Legislature has passed legislation (S 48) that bans nearly all gifts from pharmaceutical and medical device companies to health care providers, administrators and facilities in the state, the New York Times reports.

20 May 2009

New Democrat coalition proposes independent panel to oversee comparative effectiveness research

Members of the moderate New Democrat Coalition on Tuesday proposed legislation (HR 2502) that would establish a non-governmental, independent office to oversee research efforts to compare the effectiveness of medical treatments, CQ HealthBeat reports.

20 May 2009

NIH to develop therapeutics for rare and neglected diseases

The National Institutes of Health is launching the first integrated, drug development pipeline to produce new treatments for rare and neglected diseases. The $24 million program jumpstarts a trans-NIH initiative called the Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases program, or TRND.

20 May 2009

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals initiates phase 3 trial of Lubiprostone for chronic idiopathic constipation in Japan

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary, Sucampo Pharma, Ltd., has initiated enrollment and completed the randomization of the first patient into the pivotal phase 3 efficacy trial of lubiprostone for chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in Japan.

20 May 2009

Experts warn of dangers of swine flu with almost 10,000 now infected, forecasts 4.9 billion doses needed

The latest figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO) has the worldwide influenza A H1N1 (swine flu) tally fast approaching 10,000 human cases.

19 May 2009

Cancer Research UK and Glaxosmithkline join forces to trial new anti-cancer drug

Cancer Research UK and Cancer Research Technology (CRT) today announced they will begin a phase I clinical trial of an anti-cancer drug from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

19 May 2009

Molecular clues to halting HIV virus

Rice University's Andrew Barron and his group, working with labs in Italy, Germany and Greece, have identified specific molecules that could block the means by which the deadly virus spreads by taking away its ability to bind with other proteins.

19 May 2009

Intradigm issued RNA interference (RNAi) patent covering potent siRNA sequence

Intradigm Corporation has announced the issuance of United States patent 7,534,878, titled "Composition and Methods of RNAi Therapeutics for Treatment of Cancer and Other Neovascularization Diseases."

19 May 2009

Biovail acquires worldwide rights to Tetrabenazine

Biovail Corporation today announced a wholly owned subsidiary has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire worldwide development and commercialization rights to the entire portfolio of tetrabenazine products, including Xenazine/Nitoman (tetrabenazine tablets), and the associated intellectual property rights held by Cambridge Laboratories (Ireland) Ltd and its affiliates.

18 May 2009

Discovery of molecular pathway behind invasive prostate cancers

University of Cincinnati (UC) cancer and cell biologists have identified a new molecular pathway key to the development of invasive prostate cancers.

18 May 2009

New asthma treatment bronchial thermoplasty improves patient quality of life

Chronic asthma sufferers may find new relief in a simple, minimally invasive outpatient procedure known as bronchial thermoplasty, which uses controlled radiofrequency-generated heat to treat the muscles of the airways, preventing them from constricting and narrowing.

18 May 2009

Industry groups reiterate commitment to reduce health spending growth

The six industry groups that pledged to reduce health care spending growth by $2 trillion over 10 years on Friday issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to work toward the goal, Roll Call reports (Murray, Roll Call, 5/15).

18 May 2009

Onyx Pharmaceuticals files complaint against Bayer on fluoro-sorafenib

Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California asserting its rights to a Phase 2 anti-cancer compound discovered during joint research between Onyx and Bayer.

17 May 2009

Pfizer to give away 70 of its most widely prescribed drugs to those who lost jobs

Pfizer on Thursday announced a new program that would provide some of its existing customers access to more than 70 types of medications at no cost if they have recently been laid off or lost their prescription drug coverage, USA Today reports. The program -- called MAINTAIN, or Medicines Assistance for Those who Are in Need -- will begin July 1.

15 May 2009

Industry groups say White House overstated pledge to reduce health spending growth

Groups representing hospitals and insurers on Thursday said that President Obama considerably overstated their pledge to rein in health care spending, the New York Times reports.

15 May 2009

Determining success or failure in cholesterol-controlling drugs

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have discovered that a complex network of interactions between drugs and the proteins with which they bind can explain adverse drug effects. Their findings suggest that adverse drug effects might be minimized by using single or multiple drug therapies in order to fine-tune multiple off-target interactions.

15 May 2009

Swine flu preoccupies world health leaders

It is expected that the upcoming World Health Organisation's (WHO) annual assembly will be dominated this year by the emergence and spread of the new influenza virus H1N1 (swine flu).

14 May 2009

Pharmaceuticals News and Research

Department of Justice, HHS boosts number of investigators, prosecutors looking at Medicare, Medicaid fraud

Aspirin and an anti-clotting drug ‘combo’ reduces risk of dialysis access failure

ChemGenex’s Omacetaxine to be showcased in three oral oresentations at EHA

Vermont Legislature passes law regulating all drug/device company marketing, requiring disclosure of gifts to doctors

New Democrat coalition proposes independent panel to oversee comparative effectiveness research

NIH to develop therapeutics for rare and neglected diseases

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals initiates phase 3 trial of Lubiprostone for chronic idiopathic constipation in Japan

Experts warn of dangers of swine flu with almost 10,000 now infected, forecasts 4.9 billion doses needed

Cancer Research UK and Glaxosmithkline join forces to trial new anti-cancer drug

Molecular clues to halting HIV virus

Intradigm issued RNA interference (RNAi) patent covering potent siRNA sequence

Biovail acquires worldwide rights to Tetrabenazine

Discovery of molecular pathway behind invasive prostate cancers

New asthma treatment bronchial thermoplasty improves patient quality of life

Industry groups reiterate commitment to reduce health spending growth

Onyx Pharmaceuticals files complaint against Bayer on fluoro-sorafenib

Pfizer to give away 70 of its most widely prescribed drugs to those who lost jobs

Industry groups say White House overstated pledge to reduce health spending growth

Determining success or failure in cholesterol-controlling drugs

Swine flu preoccupies world health leaders

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