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FDA approves new indication for Wyeth's Tygacil (tigecycline)

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Tygacil (tigecycline), for the treatment of adult patients with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) caused by susceptible strains of indicated pathogens.

24 Mar 2009

FABLYN approved in Europe as osteoporosis treatment

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has announced that its partner, Pfizer, Inc. has received approval from the European Commission (EC) for FABLYN (lasofoxifene) Tablets, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) for the treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women at increased risk of fracture.

24 Mar 2009

Experimental Parkinson's therapy may have robust weight-loss effect

A growth factor used in clinical experiments to rescue dying brain cells in Parkinson patients may cause unwanted weight loss if delivered to specific areas of the brain, according to University of Florida researchers in the March online edition of Molecular Therapy.

24 Mar 2009

New York judge orders FDA to reconsider permitting 17-year-olds to Use Plan B emergency contraception without prescription

U.S. District Judge Edward Korman in New York on Monday ordered FDA to reconsider allowing 17-year-old girls access to the morning-after pill Plan B without a prescription within the next 30 days and consider allowing access to the pill for women of all ages (Stein, Washington Post, 3/24).

24 Mar 2009

Clotrimazole drug used to treat skin conditions is a marine pollutant

Clotrimazole is a common ingredient in over-the-counter skin creams. Recent results from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, now show that it is associated with major environmental risks. "The pharmaceuticals and chemicals in everyday use form a mixture in the ocean that has a direct impact on the growth and reproduction of organisms", says scientist Tobias Porsbring.

24 Mar 2009

Merck Serono launches strategic venture capital fund

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today the formation of 'Merck Serono Ventures', a strategic, corporate venture capital fund to invest in emerging biotechnology companies.

23 Mar 2009

p11 protein may lead to faster acting antidepressants

Research conducted by Nobel laureate Paul Greengard, Medical Director of The Michael Stern Parkinson's Research Center at The Rockefeller University, Dr. Jennifer L. Warner-Schmidt in New York and colleagues in Sweden, demonstrated in the Journal of Neuroscience that the brain protein called p11 could lead pharmaceutical companies to develop anti-depression drugs that begin working within hours or days rather than the weeks or even months required by current drugs.

23 Mar 2009

Cubist Pharmaceuticals files patent infringement case against Teva Parenteral Medicines

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has confirmed that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Teva Parenteral Medicines, Inc. (TPM), Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

23 Mar 2009

Coenzyme rare to bacteria critical to Mycobacterium tuberculosis survival

Coenzyme F420, a small molecule that helps certain enzymes transfer electrons, is found in microorganisms known as methane-producing archaea, some of which thrive in extreme environments.

23 Mar 2009

Tiny genetic change keeps nicotine from binding to muscle cells

A tiny genetic mutation is the key to understanding why nicotine--which binds to brain receptors with such addictive potency--is virtually powerless in muscle cells that are studded with the same type of receptor.

23 Mar 2009

HHS names panel of experts to advise government on spending for comparative effectiveness research

HHS on Thursday named 15 members to a panel that will advise the government on how to spend the $1.1 billion in federal stimulus funding dedicated to comparing the effectiveness of medical treatments, Reuters/Boston Globe reports.

23 Mar 2009

Sen. Grassley says compromise on public-private option health care system will be difficult

Senate Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Thursday at the Kaiser Family Foundation told reporters that although congressional Democrats and Republicans likely will not reach an agreement on health care reform legislation with a provision that would establish a public health plan to compete with private plans, he could not dismiss the possibility, the Wall Street Journal reports (Yoest, Wall Street Journal, 3/19).

23 Mar 2009

Some 'pharma' advocates want FDA split into two agencies

Some pharmaceutical industry officials and congressional lawmakers are pushing for splitting FDA into two agencies that would focus separately on food and medical products, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports.

23 Mar 2009

New nanotechnology treatment for drug addiction

A precise, new nanotechnology treatment for drug addiction may be on the horizon as the result of research conducted at the University at Buffalo.

23 Mar 2009

Discovery of ten genes linked to sudden cardiac death

You're sitting at your desk and suddenly your heart is beating in overdrive or worse, lurching along like a car on fumes.

22 Mar 2009

Carbohydrate-based medicine

Scientists from Germany today reported a major advance toward opening the doors of a carbohydrate-based medicine chest for the 21st Century.

22 Mar 2009

Nationwide alert on tainted weight loss products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expanding, for the second time, its nationwide alert to consumers about tainted weight loss products containing

22 Mar 2009

Warner Chilcott files new lawsuit for infringement of DORYX patent

Warner Chilcott Limited has announced hat one of its subsidiaries and Mayne Pharma International Pty. Ltd. ("Mayne") have filed a second lawsuit against Impax Laboratories, Inc. ("Impax") in the District Court for the District of New Jersey for infringement of Mayne's U.S. Patent No. 6,958,161 (the "'161 Patent") which covers DORYX, a tetracycline-class oral antibiotic.

20 Mar 2009

Powerful antioxidant found in a tiny plant reduce computer eye strain

Along with the computer age comes the age of eye fatigue. As we sit for endless hours staring at our computer (whether at work or leisure), we develop a host of symptoms and resulting complaints. Burning achy eyes, headache, blurry vision, stiff shoulders ... sound familiar? Well, you are not alone.

20 Mar 2009