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Transparency needed in administration of drug benefits by pharmacy benefit managers

According to a new AARP report, the average retail price of the most popular brand-name drugs increased by 8.3 percent in 2009 and by 41.5 percent over the past five years – rates well in excess of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index. At the same time, major pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) like CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, Inc. and Medco Health Solutions, Inc., hired by employers and other health plan sponsors to negotiate lower prices from drug manufacturers, experienced record profits, in some cases increasing five-fold over the past decade.

26 Aug 2010

Treating metastatic melanoma tumors with specific genetic signature shows promising results

Use of an experimental targeted drug to treat metastatic melanoma tumors with a specific genetic signature was successful in more than 80 percent of patients in a phase 1 clinical trial.

26 Aug 2010

Researchers develop magnetic nanoparticles for metallic implant drug delivery

If a drug can be guided to the right place in the body, the treatment is more effective and there are fewer side-effects. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now developed magnetic nanoparticles that can be directed to metallic implants such as artificial knee joints, hip joints and stents in the coronary arteries.

26 Aug 2010

PLX4032 therapy results in tumor shrinkage in metastatic melanoma patients

A multicenter study has concluded that treatment with a new targeted therapy called PLX4032 (also called RG7204) resulted in significant tumor shrinkage in 80 percent of patients with advanced melanoma.

26 Aug 2010

UNC Hospitals receives NCDR ACTION Registry-GWTG Silver Performance Achievement Award

UNC Hospitals has received the American College of Cardiology Foundation's NCDR ACTION Registry-GWTG Silver Performance Achievement Award for 2010 - one of only 26 hospitals nationwide to do so.

26 Aug 2010

Phase 1 CRLX101 clinical study paves way for promising innovations in cancer therapy: Cerulean Pharma

Cerulean Pharma Inc., a leader in designing and developing nanopharmaceuticals, today announced that results of a Phase 1 clinical study of CRLX101 (formerly IT-101), Cerulean's lead clinical development candidate, and pre-clinical data on Cerulean's development candidate, CRLX288, were presented at the American Chemical Society National Meeting & Exposition, ongoing in Boston, Massachusetts.

26 Aug 2010

Developing specific liver cell lines from stem cells holds promise for new liver disease treatment: Researchers

By creating diseased liver cells from a small sample of human skin, scientists have for the first time shown that stem cells can be used to model a diverse range of inherited disorders. The University of Cambridge researchers' findings, which will hopefully lead to new treatments for those suffering from liver diseases, were published today in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

26 Aug 2010

Naringenin from grape fruits initiates increased fatty acid oxidation, inhibits vLDL production

Naringenin, an antioxidant derived from the bitter flavor of grapefruits and other citrus fruits, may cause the liver to break down fat while increasing insulin sensitivity, a process that naturally occurs during long periods of fasting.

26 Aug 2010

Medicare drug plan changes and prices could surprise seniors

The Associated Press: An effort to streamline the entangled field of Medicare drug plans could mean as many as 3 million seniors "could force 3 million seniors to switch plans next year whether they like it or not, says an independent analysis," by Avalere Health: "beneficiaries will see their prescription plan eliminated as part of a new effort by Medicare to winnow down duplicative coverage and offer consumers more meaningful choices. Seniors would not lose coverage, but they could see changes in their premiums and copayments."

26 Aug 2010

Scientists create novel map of lipid locations in single cell

In real estate, location is everything. The same might be said of lipids - those crucial cellular fats and oils that serve as building blocks for cells and as key energy sources for the body.In a paper published in the September issue of the Journal of Lipid Research, a team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has mapped for the first time the actual locations of specific lipids within a single cell.

26 Aug 2010

NIH awards University of Rochester Medical Center $15M grant for study with ImmuneRegen's Homspera

ImmuneRegen BioSciences®, a wholly owned subsidiary of IR Biosciences Holdings Inc., today announced that the National Institute of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, has awarded its research partner, the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), a $15 million five-year, continuation grant for studies that will utilize ImmuneRegen's Homspera.

25 Aug 2010

Preliminary results from Phase 3 AVERROES trial in atrial fibrillation to be presented at cardiology congress 2010

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Pfizer report that preliminary results from the Phase 3 AVERROES clinical trial of the investigational drug apixaban compared with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA, or aspirin) in patients with atrial fibrillation expected to be or demonstrated to be unsuitable for warfarin therapy will be presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2010. The results will be presented during the "Hot Line" session on August 31, 2010, in Stockholm, Sweden.

25 Aug 2010

Stem cell therapy cures 12-year-old boy with diabetes

Cellonis Biotechnologies, a Beijing and HK-based medical research and application company, has recorded some remarkable results in the treatment of a twelve-year-old boy with diabetes using their stem cell therapy in a Beijing partner hospital. He has completely regained his normal life, enjoying sports and school activities just like every other person his age, and has been free from injections and drugs for more than half a year.

25 Aug 2010

Celgene to enforce REVLIMID intellectual property rights following receipt of Paragraph IV notification letter

Celgene Corporation today announced that information was posted on the FDA Web site indicating that an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) has been received by the Office of Generic Drugs (OGD) containing a "Paragraph IV" patent certification, for REVLIMID (lenalidomide) 25 mg capsules. Celgene has not yet received the Paragraph IV notification letter identifying the filer.

25 Aug 2010

Statin therapy reduces cardiovascular disease risk in patients with high sensitivity C-reactive protein

People at intermediate risk of cardiovascular disease who have high levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a blood marker for inflammation, could benefit from cholesterol-lowering therapy even if their cholesterol is already at desirable levels.

25 Aug 2010

Continuous boosting of natural painkiller shuts down brain cell receptor response

ERepeatedly boosting brain levels of one natural painkiller soon shuts down the brain cell receptors that respond to it, so that the painkilling effect is lost, according to a surprising new study led by Scripps Research Institute and Virginia Commonwealth University scientists. The study has important implications for drug development.

25 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 25, 2010

In today's headlines, news about a Medicare change that may cause an estimated three million seniors to switch their drug coverage.

25 Aug 2010

Physicians decrease LABA/ICS combination therapy for asthma treatment: Survey

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that some surveyed physicians indicate that they will decrease their overall prescribing of long-acting beta2 agonists (LABA)/inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) combination therapies over the next 12 months for the treatment of asthma in response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's new safety controls for LABA-containing medications.

25 Aug 2010

Study: No association between first-trimester exposure to antiherpetic antiviral drugs and major birth defects

An analysis of data from Denmark finds no associated increased risk of major birth defects for mothers who were exposed during the first trimester of pregnancy to the antiviral drugs acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir, often used to treat herpes simplex and herpes zoster infections, according to a study in the August 25 issue of JAMA.

25 Aug 2010

CAS researchers confirm Gleevec’s first generation drug targets chronic myelogenous leukemia

Today, leukemia patients who have struggled with cancer therapy resistance and intolerance will now have more options thanks to targeted drug therapy. Such new treatment options are due, in part, to a rapid increase in journal and patent publications following the discovery of Gleevec, as reported by Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), the world's authority for chemical information.

25 Aug 2010

Drugs News and Research

Transparency needed in administration of drug benefits by pharmacy benefit managers

Treating metastatic melanoma tumors with specific genetic signature shows promising results

Researchers develop magnetic nanoparticles for metallic implant drug delivery

PLX4032 therapy results in tumor shrinkage in metastatic melanoma patients

UNC Hospitals receives NCDR ACTION Registry-GWTG Silver Performance Achievement Award

Phase 1 CRLX101 clinical study paves way for promising innovations in cancer therapy: Cerulean Pharma

Developing specific liver cell lines from stem cells holds promise for new liver disease treatment: Researchers

Naringenin from grape fruits initiates increased fatty acid oxidation, inhibits vLDL production

Medicare drug plan changes and prices could surprise seniors

Scientists create novel map of lipid locations in single cell

NIH awards University of Rochester Medical Center $15M grant for study with ImmuneRegen's Homspera

Preliminary results from Phase 3 AVERROES trial in atrial fibrillation to be presented at cardiology congress 2010

Stem cell therapy cures 12-year-old boy with diabetes

Celgene to enforce REVLIMID intellectual property rights following receipt of Paragraph IV notification letter

Statin therapy reduces cardiovascular disease risk in patients with high sensitivity C-reactive protein

Continuous boosting of natural painkiller shuts down brain cell receptor response

First Edition: August 25, 2010

Physicians decrease LABA/ICS combination therapy for asthma treatment: Survey

Study: No association between first-trimester exposure to antiherpetic antiviral drugs and major birth defects

CAS researchers confirm Gleevec’s first generation drug targets chronic myelogenous leukemia

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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