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King Pharmaceuticals and Alpharma sign definitive merger agreement

King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Alpharma Inc. have announced that the two companies have signed a definitive merger agreement under which King will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock of Alpharma for $37.00 per share in cash for a total equity value of approximately $1.6 billion.

24 Nov 2008

New plan to tackle off-label prescribing

Physicians and policy-makers know that drugs are frequently prescribed to treat certain diseases despite a lack of FDA approval - a practice known as off-label prescribing.

24 Nov 2008

Valdoxan - a melatonergic antidepressant - receives positive European opinion for major depressive disorder

The first melatonergic antidepressant - Valdoxan/Thymanax (agomelatine) - has received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency's (EMEA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) for its use in the treatment of adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).

21 Nov 2008

New report shows the financial and social value of investing in medical research

A study commissioned by three leading scientific institutions has demonstrated substantial financial and social benefits from investment in medical research.

21 Nov 2008

FDA approves tapentadol immediate-release tablets for pain in adults

Millions of Americans with moderate to severe acute pain and their health-care providers will soon have a new treatment option.

21 Nov 2008

FDA approves GSK's Promacta (Eltrombopag)

GlaxoSmithKline has announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval for PROMACTA (eltrombopag) for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic immune (idiopathic) thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) who have had an insufficient response to corticosteroids, immunoglobulins or splenectomy.

20 Nov 2008

FDA accepts Vanda Pharmaceuticals Iloperidone resubmission

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of clinical-stage product candidates for central nervous system disorders, reported today that the FDA has accepted Vanda's resubmission of the iloperidone New Drug Application (NDA).

20 Nov 2008

EPA seeks public comment on proposal to add hazardous pharmaceutical waste to universal waste rule

To help provide a streamlined system for disposing of hazardous pharmaceutical waste that is protective of public health and the environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to add hazardous pharmaceutical waste to the Universal Waste Rule.

20 Nov 2008

Viral Genetics completes acquisition of V-Clip Pharmaceuticals

Viral Genetics, Inc. has announced it has completed its acquisition of V-Clip Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("V-Clip").

19 Nov 2008

Metabolex announces positive results from phase 2 trial of MBX-8025

The Phase 2 study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of MBX-8025, both alone and in combination with atorvastatin (marketed as Lipitor(R)), over an 8-week treatment period.

19 Nov 2008

Call for greater scrutiny of relationship between medical journalists and health care industry

The BMJ paper outlines three areas where journalists might become entangled in conflict-of-interest issues: during educational activities that may be drug company sponsored, when accepting sponsored awards, or in the day-to-day practice of reporting the news by relying too heavily on industry supplied sources.

19 Nov 2008

KAI Pharmaceuticals reports positive results for KAI-1678 in pain reduction

KAI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held drug discovery and development company, today announced preclinical results demonstrating the effectiveness of KAI-1678 in reversing pain (hyperalgesia and allodynia) in multiple preclinical models.

19 Nov 2008

Celator Pharmaceuticals enrols first patient in phase 2 study of CPX-351 in acute myeloid leukemia

Celator Pharmaceuticals today announced that the first patient has been treated in a randomized Phase 2 clinical study of CPX-351 (Cytarabine:Daunorubicin) Liposome Injection in patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

19 Nov 2008

Barr announces agreements on Nasacort AQ, Allegra D-12 and Allegra patent challenges

Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary, Barr Laboratories, Inc. has entered into separate settlement agreements related to ongoing patent challenges for Nasacort AQ (triamcinolone acetonide) nasal spray, Allegra D-12 Hour (fexofenadine hydrochloride 60mg and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride 120mg) extended-release tablets, and Allegra (fexofenadine) 30mg, 60mg and 180mg tablets.

19 Nov 2008

Amgen, Takeda and Millennium update on phase 3 trial of Motesanib in non-small cell lung cancer

Amgen and Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, a subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited , today announced that enrollment in the Phase 3 MONET1 trial evaluating motesanib (AMG 706) in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin for the first-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been temporarily suspended following a planned safety data review of 600 patients by the study's independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC). Motesanib is part of a broad co-development program between Amgen and Takeda.

19 Nov 2008

Common ADHD drugs do not cause genetic damage in children

In contrast to recent findings, two of the most common medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not appear to cause genetic damage in children who take them as prescribed, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Duke University Medical Center.

19 Nov 2008