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Scientists suggest combinational therapy can improve treatment of solid tumors

Most, if not all, solid tumors contain regions that are not well oxygenated. Tumor cells in these regions, which are known as hypoxic regions, are usually resistant to the death-inducing effects of chemotherapeutics. But now, Caroline Dive and colleagues, at Manchester University, United Kingdom, have identified a compound that induces human cancer cells exposed to hypoxic conditions in vitro to undergo a form of cell death known as apoptosis.

15 Feb 2011

Scientists find molecular pathway that offers novel targets for diabetes therapies

Once people develop type 2 diabetes, high blood glucose levels alter their metabolism so much that it becomes difficult to sift through all the clues to find what might enable the disease.

15 Feb 2011

Researchers use computers to capture chemical signal structure that triggers metastatic cancer

In cancer and other pathological diseases, researchers are discovering that packaging is important: specifically, how DNA - about two meters long when unwound and stretched - coils up and compacts neatly inside the nucleus of a cell.

15 Feb 2011

2007 financial crisis linked to increase in patients seeking treatment for prescription drug and painkiller addiction

The 2007 onset of the financial crisis that upended the U.S. economy and impacted global markets correlated closely with unprecedented numbers of patients seeking treatment for prescription drug addiction and painkiller abuse, according to leading rehabilitation center Cliffside Malibu. The Cliffside Index, the percentage of patients admitted for treatment related to those medications, rose over 60 percent between 2007 and 2008, and has continued to increase each year.

15 Feb 2011

Doctors pleased with Ontario government's consideration to cover cost of smoking cessation drugs

Ontario's doctors were pleased to learn that the Ontario government is considering covering the cost of smoking cessation drugs. These medications are proven to at least double the success rates for people who want to quit when other approaches don't work.

15 Feb 2011

FDA requests $4.3 billion to protect and promote health of Americans as part of FY 2012 budget

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is requesting a budget of $4.3 billion to protect and promote the public health as part of the President's fiscal year 2012 budget — a 33 percent increase over the FDA enacted budget for FY 2010. The FY 2012 request covers the period of Oct. 1, 2011, through Sept. 30, 2012.

15 Feb 2011

Study finds GI bleeding rare outside of ICU, regardless of whether or not patients receive medication

Over the last several decades, the prophylactic use of acid-suppressive medications to help prevent gastrointestinal bleeding in hospitalized patients has increased significantly, with some studies estimating that as many as 40 to 70 percent of all medical inpatients are given these drugs at some point during their hospitalization.

15 Feb 2011

PCMA releases statement on President Obama's budget proposal for biotech medications

Pharmaceutical Care Management Association President and CEO Mark Merritt released the following statement on President Obama's budget proposal that would grant brand-name drug manufacturers seven years of market exclusivity before generic versions of biologic products can enter the market, instead of the 12 years that was passed in the health reform bill.

15 Feb 2011

TFAH applauds overall increase in disease prevention funding, expresses concern over CDC cuts

The Trust for America's Health (TFAH) applauds the President's budget for an overall increase in disease prevention funding, reflecting the new funds provided by the Prevention Fund from the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but expresses extreme concerns over the cuts to funding for core programs at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and for emergency preparedness.

15 Feb 2011

Viewpoints: Expediting SCOTUS health law review; birth control funding; budget cutting and the stock market

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take the extraordinary step of leapfrogging past federal appeals courts to decide the constitutionality of the new health-care law.

15 Feb 2011

Study shows lower success rate of FDA drug approval from 2003 to 2010

Biotechnology Industry Organization Industry Analysis and BioMedTracker announced results of a study today that shows the overall success rate for drugs moving through clinical trials to FDA approval from late 2003 to the end of 2010 is near one in 10. Previous reports, taken from earlier years, showed the rate of drug approvals is one in five to one in six.

15 Feb 2011

Ecstasy users show no signs of cognitive impairment: New study

The drug known as ecstasy has been used by 12 million people in the United States alone and millions more worldwide. Past research has suggested that ecstasy users perform worse than nonusers on some tests of mental ability. But there are concerns that the methods used to conduct that research were flawed, and the experiments overstated the cognitive differences between ecstasy users and nonusers.

15 Feb 2011

Oral bisphosphonates outweigh the risk associated with jaw disease

A commonly prescribed osteoporosis drug is associated with a slightly elevated risk of developing the rare, but serious condition, osteonecrosis of the jaw; nonetheless the risk remains extremely low. These findings are published online in the Journal of Dental Research, the official journal of the International and American Associations for Dental Research.

14 Feb 2011

Chimerix announces completion of $45 million Series F financing

Chimerix, Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing orally-available broad spectrum antiviral therapeutics, today announced the completion of a $45 million Series F financing. New Leaf Venture Partners led the round, with participation by new investors Pappas Ventures and Morningside Group, as well as existing investors Canaan Partners, Sanderling Ventures, Alta Partners, Asset Management Company and Frazier Healthcare Ventures.

14 Feb 2011

Tianyin Pharmaceutical's second quarter revenue increases 69.6% to $25.3 million

Tianyin Pharmaceutical Co., Inc., a pharmaceutical company that specializes in the patented biopharmaceutical, modernized traditional Chinese medicine, branded generics and other pharmaceuticals, announced the financial results for the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2011.

14 Feb 2011

AP: Crooks find Medicare Part D an easy target

Crooks are taking advantage of lax oversight in Medicare's Part D prescription drug program to obtain highly addictive drugs including oxycodone, Ritalin, and methadone, according to results of a federal probe.

14 Feb 2011

BioTime to merge Glycosan with OrthoCyte

BioTime, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops and markets products in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to merge Utah-based Glycosan BioSystems, Inc. (Glycosan) with BioTime's wholly-owned subsidiary, OrthoCyte Corporation. The acquisition is expected to close by March 18, 2011.

14 Feb 2011

Tarsa completes oral calcitonin Phase III trial for treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Tarsa Therapeutics, Inc. today announced completion of its global Phase III ORACAL trial testing the company's once-daily oral recombinant calcitonin for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Results from the ORACAL trial are expected in early spring. In addition, Tarsa announced initiation of a new Phase II study of its oral calcitonin for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

14 Feb 2011

Public-sector research has had an immediate effect on improving public health: Study

AUTM President Ashley Stevens, D. Phil. (Oxon), CLP is the lead author of The Role of Public Sector Research in the Discovery of Drugs and Vaccines, a paper published in the Feb. 10 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

14 Feb 2011

Study shows beneficial anti-fibrotic effects of Pentraxin-2 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Promedior, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel therapies to treat fibrotic and inflammatory diseases, announced today the publication of collaborative research in the International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology entitled, "TGF-beta driven lung fibrosis is macrophage dependent and blocked by Serum amyloid P."

14 Feb 2011

Drugs News and Research

Scientists suggest combinational therapy can improve treatment of solid tumors

Scientists find molecular pathway that offers novel targets for diabetes therapies

Researchers use computers to capture chemical signal structure that triggers metastatic cancer

2007 financial crisis linked to increase in patients seeking treatment for prescription drug and painkiller addiction

Doctors pleased with Ontario government's consideration to cover cost of smoking cessation drugs

FDA requests $4.3 billion to protect and promote health of Americans as part of FY 2012 budget

Study finds GI bleeding rare outside of ICU, regardless of whether or not patients receive medication

PCMA releases statement on President Obama's budget proposal for biotech medications

TFAH applauds overall increase in disease prevention funding, expresses concern over CDC cuts

Viewpoints: Expediting SCOTUS health law review; birth control funding; budget cutting and the stock market

Study shows lower success rate of FDA drug approval from 2003 to 2010

Ecstasy users show no signs of cognitive impairment: New study

Oral bisphosphonates outweigh the risk associated with jaw disease

Chimerix announces completion of $45 million Series F financing

Tianyin Pharmaceutical's second quarter revenue increases 69.6% to $25.3 million

AP: Crooks find Medicare Part D an easy target

BioTime to merge Glycosan with OrthoCyte

Tarsa completes oral calcitonin Phase III trial for treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Public-sector research has had an immediate effect on improving public health: Study

Study shows beneficial anti-fibrotic effects of Pentraxin-2 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Industry Focus eBook - Cell biology (5th edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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