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New trial for treatment of liver disease

The Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) Clinical Research Network is launching its first two clinical trials for the study of NASH, a liver disease that resembles alcoholic liver disease but occurs in patients who drink little or no alcohol.

3 Apr 2005

Could NAADP/cholecystokinin-combo attack fat from inside and out?

One traditional approach to pharmaceutical design uses so-called “first messengers” – hormones, other natural facilitators or synthetic products – to initiate various cellular cascades for the desired physiological effect. To date, despite concerted efforts at all levels of research, this approach has failed to develop a truly successful obesity drug to address this major global health problem.

3 Apr 2005

Mesoblast moves towards adult stem cell human trials

Exciting Australian adult stem cell company, Mesoblast Limited, today announced that it is set to begin the first human clinical trials using its specialist adult stem cells for orthopaedic and cardiovascular diseases.

30 Mar 2005

AIDS threatens Russian social and economic security

At a meeting this week on the fight with AIDS, Russian Vice-Premier Alexander Zhukov said the AIDS epidemic threatens Russian social and economic security and the spread of the disease is no longer just a medical problem.

30 Mar 2005

New drug to treat chronic hepatitis B

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given approval for a new drug to treat the potentially life-threatening disease Chronic hepatitis B.

30 Mar 2005

Ranbaxy to appeal injunction against sales of Quinapril

Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (Ranbaxy) announced today that the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey hearing the preliminary injunction motion brought by Pfizer against Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. (Teva) and Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc. (RPI) enjoined Teva and RPI from selling RPI's quinapril tablets (5, 10, 20, and 40 mg).

30 Mar 2005

REPLICor to disclose unique antiviral drug

REPLICor Inc., a privately owned biopharmaceutical company, is developing a broad spectrum antiviral drug called REP 9 which has the broadest spectrum of activity in vitro ever reported for a single chemical entity.

30 Mar 2005

$20 billion in cardiovascular drug revenues soon subject to patent expiration

More than $20 billion in major cardiovascular drug revenues will be exposed to patent expiration in the next three to five years, according to a report by business intelligence firm Cutting Edge Information.

30 Mar 2005

Favorable Austrian ruling for Ranbaxy on Atorvastatin

Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (RPI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd (Ranbaxy), hasy announced that it successfully invalidated claims 1-3 (all claims sought to be invalidated) of Austrian Patent No. AT E 207 896 as anticipated by, and as lacking inventive step over, respectively, a Pfizer-owned published patent application and a Pfizer owned patent, as reflected by a decision released by the Austrian Patent Office.

30 Mar 2005

Pfizer awarded injunction blocking Teva/Ranbaxy from selling generic Quinapril

Pfizer Inc has obtained a preliminary injunction halting sales of a generic quinapril product marketed by Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc., and Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited.

30 Mar 2005

Pharmaceutical reproductive rights in the United States

The battle over reproductive rights in the United States has taken another turn with some pharmacists refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control and morning-after pills on the grounds that dispensing the medications violates their moral or religious beliefs.

29 Mar 2005

Bioniche receives European patent

Bioniche Life Sciences Inc., a research-based, technology-driven human and animal health biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has had an additional European patent granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) on its core mycobacterial cell wall technology.

29 Mar 2005

Academic medical centres need to monitor advertising

Similar advertising practices by pharmaceutical companies have been criticized for creating demand for services and failing to present balanced information, but academic medical centres have not been criticised, says Dr. Robin Larson, instructor in medicine at DAMS and lead author of the study.

28 Mar 2005

Vaccine prevents deadly pneumonia in African children

Global health leaders today presented new research showing that vaccinating infants against Streptococcus pneumoniae -- a bacterium that causes deadly pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis -- could substantially reduce death and serious illness among children in the developing world. If used widely, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine could prevent hundreds of thousands of child deaths each year.

28 Mar 2005

US Genome Project planned to beat cancer

In a project expected to cost $US1.35 billion over nine years, the United States Government's proposed "Human Cancer Genome Project", will open a new front in the battle against cancer, say US health officials.

28 Mar 2005

Risky surgery not always necessary to treat cervical disease

Revolutionary advancements in the treatment options for diseases associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) now include nonsurgical options such as chemoprevention and vaccines. A review of these methods is published in the latest issue of the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer.

28 Mar 2005

India passes the drug Patent Bill

India's parliament passed a new law Wednesday, the Patent (Amendment) Bill, prohibiting the copying of patented drugs, despite strong criticism that the legislation would prohibit the manufacture of low-cost generic drugs.

23 Mar 2005

New guidelines mean tailor-made drugs are on the way

Many experts believe a milestone has been reached with the issuing of guidelines for pharmaceutical companies to encourage them to gather and submit information about how genetic variations affect the way people respond to their drugs.

23 Mar 2005

'Flanking generics' helps pharmas hold market share

Pharmaceutical companies are finding innovative new strategies to retain market share after drug patent expiration. One of the most successful of these new strategies appears to be 'flanking.' Under this strategy, brand-name drug companies sign licensing agreements with their generic competitors to establish manufacturer- distributor relationships.

23 Mar 2005

Ranbaxy files additional Anti-Retroviral (ARV) agents with the World Health Organization

Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (RLL) announced today that the Company has made two additional filings of its Anti-Retroviral (ARV) agents with the World Health Organization (WHO) for its approval, taking the total number of Ranbaxy ARV filings submitted with the WHO to five.

23 Mar 2005