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Unique technology identifies drug candidates, speeds up drug development

The search for new therapeutic agents is time-consuming and expensive. Pharmaceutical companies may have to screen thousands of compounds for the ability to bind a target molecule before they hit upon a promising drug candidate.

From NanoTemper Technologies 24 Feb 2010

Shire receives FDA Fast Track designation for REPLAGAL

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announces it has received Fast Track designation from the FDA for REPLAGAL(R) (agalsidase alfa), its enzyme replacement therapy for Fabry disease.

24 Feb 2010

Asparity Decision Solutions reports 50,000 federal employees become better health care consumers

Asparity Decision Solutions, a leading provider of decision support and data solutions in health care and employee benefits, reports that 50,000 federal employees used PlanSmartChoice during the 2010 federal open season to become better health care consumers.

24 Feb 2010

FDA's warning over LABA medications for asthma: AANMA offers guidance

Today Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) offered guidance to help patients understand recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warnings about Advair ® (fluticasone and salmeterol), Foradil ® (formoterol), Severent ® (salmeterol) and Symbicort ® (budesonide and formoterol), daily inhaled medications containing a long-acting beta agonist (LABA, a 12-hour bronchodilator).

24 Feb 2010

Pain-free sedation dentistry may help reduce fear of the dentist

Fear of the dentist is a huge problem in the United States. While as many as four out of five Americans admit being afraid of the dentist, it is estimated that one in seven Americans never get any dental treatment at all because of dental phobia. Sedation dentistry is a pain-free option.

24 Feb 2010

Frozen/thawed ovarian tissue transplant: Woman has two children from separate pregnancies

For the first time, a woman has given birth to two children after her fertility was restored using transplants of ovarian tissue that had been removed and frozen during her cancer treatment and then restored once she was cured.

24 Feb 2010

QR Pharma awarded patent covering use of Posiphen and analogs in treatment of DS

QR Pharma, Inc., a developer of novel drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD), announced today that it was issued U.S. Patent No. 7,625,942, a "Method of Treating Down Syndrome" by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The '942 patent covers use of Posiphen and analogs to treat cognitive impairments associated with Down Syndrome (DS). This patent valuably expands upon the original Posiphen and analog patent that claims composition of matter and use of compounds to lower amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) and thereby treat dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

24 Feb 2010

Diabetic Neuropathy: Drug having disease-modifying potential will earn 40% patient share in the U.S

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy, a drug that has disease-modifying potential would earn 40 percent patient share in the U.S., according to surveyed U.S. neurologists. Similarly, in Europe, such a drug would earn a comparable patient share of 43 percent, according to surveyed European neurologists.

24 Feb 2010

Over-produced PKC-iota oncogene linked to poor pancreatic cancer patient survival

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida have found that PKC-iota (PKC), an oncogene important in colon and lung cancers, is over-produced in pancreatic cancer and is linked to poor patient survival. They also found that genetically inhibiting PKC in laboratory animals led to a significant decrease in pancreatic tumor growth and spread.

24 Feb 2010

Emerging oral atypical antipsychotics to compete in increasingly crowded schizophrenia drug market

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, in the world's major pharmaceutical markets, emerging oral atypical antipsychotics will compete against each other and against established drugs for the same niche patient population in the treatment of schizophrenia.

24 Feb 2010

Joint science advisory issues messages for diabetics at risk for heart disease and stroke

The data are inconclusive on heart risks from a class of blood sugar-lowering drugs called thiazolidinediones (TZDs) such as pioglitazone (Actos) or rosiglitazone (Avandia), but the medications should be used with close monitoring from healthcare providers according to a joint science advisory from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

24 Feb 2010

Reporting problems associated with FDA-regulated products help protect health and safety of all Americans

Reports submitted to the Food and Drug Administration are an important part of the agency's strategy for identifying risks with products after they've reached the market. These reports help FDA protect the health and safety of all Americans—and can ultimately save lives.

24 Feb 2010

FEHBP PBM contracts: HR 4489 to reduce fraud and grant OPM greater power to audit

The House Subcommittee for the Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia heard testimony today on HR 4489, the “FEHBP Prescription Drug Integrity, Transparency, and Cost Savings Act.” The proposed bill would reform many aspects of how the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) contracts with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to provide prescription drug benefits to federal workers.

24 Feb 2010

Mouse study provides new way to test novel therapies for liver infections

How do you study-and try to cure in the laboratory-an infection that only humans can get? A team led by Salk Institute researchers does it by generating a mouse with an almost completely human liver.

24 Feb 2010

UK pharmacists overwhelmingly prefer dispensing preservative-free drugs

MeadWestvaco Corp. announced today results from an online survey of 100 pharmacists in the UK regarding their preference for dispensing preservative-free nasal medications. The survey showed that 67 percent of UK pharmacists have a preference for dispensing a preservative-free drug. This percentage increased significantly to 84 percent after the benefits of preservative-free drugs were reviewed with these pharmacists.

24 Feb 2010

Genetic link between schizophrenia and autism may help study effectiveness of drugs for both illnesses

A genetic link between schizophrenia and autism is enabling researchers to study the effectiveness of drugs used to treat both illnesses.

24 Feb 2010

Scientists identify key mechanism of drug resistance in breast cancer patients

CANCER RESEARCH UK funded scientists have discovered why some breast cancers are resistant to the commonly used drug tamoxifen, their findings are published in Cancer Research.

24 Feb 2010

State Round up: Utah struggling with state online health exchange; California cracks down on discount health plans

The Salt Lake Tribune: "Utah lawmakers this year have spared no energy trumpeting their dislike for federal health reform, passing bills asserting states' right to govern themselves. But Utah's own health care fix, an online insurance market called the Utah Health Exchange, has gotten off to a wobbly start. And legislation to repair it, sponsored by Republican House Speaker Dave Clark, came under siege last week. ...The debate left some reform advocates privately wondering if the topic has become too toxic to handle" (Stewart, 2/23).

24 Feb 2010

FDA: Invirase-Norvir combination therapy for HIV may adversely affect the heart

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced preliminary data suggesting that Invirase (saquinavir) in combination with Norvir (ritonavir) may have potentially important adverse effects on the heart.

24 Feb 2010

ViiV Healthcare highlights S/GSK1349572, SELZENTRY and EPZICOM for HIV/AIDS at 17th CROI

At the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), ViiV Healthcare presented new data across its broad range of investigational and current medicines for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Highlighted data at the conference included an oral presentation on the investigational integrase inhibitor, S/GSK1349572, as well as data presentations on SELZENTRY® (maraviroc) and EPZICOM® (abacavir/lamivudine).

24 Feb 2010

Drugs News and Research

Unique technology identifies drug candidates, speeds up drug development

Shire receives FDA Fast Track designation for REPLAGAL

Asparity Decision Solutions reports 50,000 federal employees become better health care consumers

FDA's warning over LABA medications for asthma: AANMA offers guidance

Pain-free sedation dentistry may help reduce fear of the dentist

Frozen/thawed ovarian tissue transplant: Woman has two children from separate pregnancies

QR Pharma awarded patent covering use of Posiphen and analogs in treatment of DS

Diabetic Neuropathy: Drug having disease-modifying potential will earn 40% patient share in the U.S

Over-produced PKC-iota oncogene linked to poor pancreatic cancer patient survival

Emerging oral atypical antipsychotics to compete in increasingly crowded schizophrenia drug market

Joint science advisory issues messages for diabetics at risk for heart disease and stroke

Reporting problems associated with FDA-regulated products help protect health and safety of all Americans

FEHBP PBM contracts: HR 4489 to reduce fraud and grant OPM greater power to audit

Mouse study provides new way to test novel therapies for liver infections

UK pharmacists overwhelmingly prefer dispensing preservative-free drugs

Genetic link between schizophrenia and autism may help study effectiveness of drugs for both illnesses

Scientists identify key mechanism of drug resistance in breast cancer patients

State Round up: Utah struggling with state online health exchange; California cracks down on discount health plans

FDA: Invirase-Norvir combination therapy for HIV may adversely affect the heart

ViiV Healthcare highlights S/GSK1349572, SELZENTRY and EPZICOM for HIV/AIDS at 17th CROI

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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