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New drugs to combat bioterrorism

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop new drugs to combat agents of bioterrorism.

7 Aug 2007

Link identified between Alzheimer's disease and glaucoma

UK scientists have shown for the first time that key proteins involved in Alzheimer's disease are also implicated in glaucoma, the major cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.

7 Aug 2007

India rejects Novartis' drug patent claim

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which operates free AIDS treatment clinics in India (Mysore, New Delhi and in Guwahati, Assam in collaboration with the National AIDS Control Organization) has applauded the news that an Indian court rejected a legal challenge mounted by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis to a portion of India's Patent Act that restricts certain kinds of patents, a ruling that will protect access to affordable medicines in the developing world.

7 Aug 2007

GlaxoSmithKline receives bulk H5N1 antigen order for the US national stockpile

GlaxoSmithKline has announced that HHS has placed another order to purchase bulk H5N1 antigen for the US national stockpile of pre-pandemic vaccines.

6 Aug 2007

Foot and mouth disease flying on the wind?

Although tests carried out by biosafety experts in Britain have revealed the strain of foot and mouth disease found in cattle is the same as that used in vaccine production at a nearby animal health research facility, no apparent breach of biosecurity measures has been found.

6 Aug 2007

New strategy for treating allergic disorders

Ghent - Oral intake of allergens or auto-antigens via the lactic acid bacterium Lactococcus lactis might be a new strategy for treating various kinds of auto-immune and allergic disorders.

2 Aug 2007

Schizophrenia improved by mental and physical exercise

Scientists at Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute have shown that mental and physical exercise can improve behavioural deficits in schizophrenia and repair damaged chemical transmitter pathways in the brain.

1 Aug 2007

Active management of risk in pregnancy lowers Cesarean rates

At a time when national rates of cesarean delivery have climbed above 30%, a four-year study of patients receiving an alternative method of obstetric care experienced a significantly lower rate of cesarean births, according to a study published in the current issue of the Annals of Family Medicine .

1 Aug 2007

New report on HIV/AIDS globally

Thirty-nine million people have been infected by the HIV virus, and seventeen million have died as a result, mostly in the developing world.

1 Aug 2007

Coated aspirin doesn't guarantee problem-free use

Some people take aspirin without ever having a problem with their stomach. Others develop low-grade stomach pain or get an ulcer.

31 Jul 2007

Bio-engineered bladders a step closer to reality

Researchers at the University of York are using an understanding of the special cells that line the bladder to develop ways of restoring continence to patients with serious bladder conditions, including cancer.

31 Jul 2007

Maverick medics in the UK find a cheap way to save sight

The maverick medics who are ophthalmic surgeons in Manchester are prescribing the drug Avastin to victims of the most common cause of blindness in the elderly, age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

31 Jul 2007

More research needed on uterine fibroid treatment options

A systematic review of the research concerning treatment options for uterine fibroids, which affect most American women over 50, reveals surprisingly little evidence to help compare standard treatment recommendations, according to a report by researchers at the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center, which is sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

27 Jul 2007

Researchers track how a single molecule of RNA or DNA unwinds

The process by which genes are duplicated is mysterious and complex, involving a cast of characters with diverse talents and the ability to play well with others in extremely close quarters.

27 Jul 2007

Court rules in favor of Sandoz on Toprol Xl patent

Sandoz was pleased to learn this week that the U.S. Court of Appeals in St. Louis has affirmed a summary judgment by U.S. District Judge Rodney Sippel invalidating patent protection on Toprol XL(R), a beta blocker used to treat angina, heart failure, and high blood pressure.

26 Jul 2007

The future of Alzheimer's disease research

Imagine the day when a routine visit to the family doctor includes a simple blood test to predict the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD).

26 Jul 2007

New facility for biotechnology and life science companies

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) has announced the dedication of a new facility that will support the development of early stage biotechnology and life science companies.

25 Jul 2007

FDA advisory committee recommends that FDA wait for overall survival results from Satraplatin phase 3 trial

GPC Biotech AG has announced that the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended (12-0) that the FDA should wait for the final survival analysis of the SPARC trial before deciding whether the satraplatin application is approvable for the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer patients whose prior chemotherapy has failed.

25 Jul 2007

Barr confirms patent challenge of TEMODAR

Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has confirmed that its subsidiary, Barr Laboratories, Inc., has initiated a challenge of the patent listed for Schering Corporation's TEMODAR (Temozolomide) 5mg, 20mg, 100mg & 250mg capsules.

25 Jul 2007

Merck appoints David Kelley, M.D., to key role in growing Diabetes and Obesity franchise

Merck & Co., Inc. has announced that David E. Kelley, M.D., has been named vice president, franchise integrator for Diabetes & Obesity. Dr. Kelley joins Merck after 20 years on staff at the University of Pittsburgh, where he most recently served as professor of medicine and director of the Obesity & Nutrition Research Center.

24 Jul 2007