Drugs News and Research

RSS

Also in Global Health news: PEPFAR in Swaziland; GSK HIV patent pool; Pediatric ARVs in Uganda; PNG declares health emergency; Israeli, ECOWAS agreement; Somali children

PEPFAR on Wednesday donated eight computers to Swaziland's Ministry of Health to aid in the country's ability to track the progress of the nation's HIV/AIDS programs, the Swazi Observer reports. According to the newspaper, the computers will be distributed to regional clinics across the country (Masilela, 9/10).

10 Sep 2009

UCSB researchers use lasers to deliver drugs into cancer cells

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have developed a new way to deliver drugs into cancer cells by exposing them briefly to a non-harmful laser. Their results are published in a recent article in ACS Nano, a journal of the American Chemical Society.

10 Sep 2009

PinnacleCare and Champions Biotechnology collaborate to offer personalized oncology services worldwide

Champions Biotechnology, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: CSBR), a company whose personalized oncology services division assists physicians by providing personalized treatment options for their cancer patients, has entered into a collaboration agreement with PinnacleCare, the pioneer and the leading private health advisory company in the world.

10 Sep 2009

Quatrx' second phase 3 study of ospemifene tablets provides positive results

QuatRx Pharmaceuticals Company, a privately-held biopharmaceutical company, today announced positive efficacy results from the second of two patient cohorts in the second pivotal Phase 3 study for Ophena(TM) (ospemifene tablets), the company's investigational compound in development for the treatment of postmenopausal vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA).

10 Sep 2009

METOZOLV drug approved for treating gastroesophageal reflux disease

Wilmington Pharmaceuticals announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval for METOZOLV ODT (metoclopramide HCl), an orally disintegrating formulation of metoclopramide for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and diabetic gastroparesis.

10 Sep 2009

PDR merges with Health Care Notification Network

The iconic Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR®) found in every physician's office, clinic and hospital is merging with the Health Care Notification Network (HCNN), the only network that delivers FDA-required drug Alerts to physicians and other prescribers online.

From Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR) 10 Sep 2009

Inspire Pharmaceuticals to increase production of azithromycin ophthalmic solution

Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has been communicating with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is increasing its production of AzaSite® (azithromycin ophthalmic solution) 1% in response to the manufacturing supply shortage of erythromycin ophthalmic ointment (0.5%).

10 Sep 2009

New treatment strategies for multiple sclerosis

The drawback in the new immunotherapies in multiple sclerosis (MS) includMe severe infections that can be fatal. For example, treatment with natalizumab, which reduces the immune surveillance of the brain, can lead to the development of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a typically fatal form of viral encephalitis.

10 Sep 2009

Affymax to complete Hematide Phase 3 clinical study by the end of 2009

Affymax, Inc. today announced that it has notified clinical trial sites to complete treatment of patients in the Phase 3 clinical program for the investigational drug, Hematide, by the end of 2009.

10 Sep 2009

IBM study reveals the need for smart drug manufacturer supply chain systems

Reducing the risk of counterfeit drugs and contaminated medications amidst the complexity of global manufacturing are among the top concerns of the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries today, according to a new IBM (NYSE: IBM) study. More than 50 percent of executives polled say their companies fail to respond quickly enough to pandemics and other emergencies because of lapses in their supply chain.

10 Sep 2009

Efficacy of Ore Pharmaceuticals' lead drug candidate discussed

Ore Pharmaceuticals Inc., announced today the publication of an article in the online version of the journal Inflammation Research titled, “Effects of the ACE2 inhibitor GL1001 on acute dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis in mice.”

10 Sep 2009

Cempra commences Phase 2/3 clinical study of CEM-102 for treating acute bacterial skin structure infections

Cempra Pharmaceuticals today announced that enrollment is underway in an adaptive design Phase 2/3 clinical study with CEM-102 for patients suffering from acute bacterial skin structure infections (ABSSI). CEM-102 is an oral antibiotic with an established record of treating staphylococcal infections outside the United States, including those due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

10 Sep 2009

New form of malarial infection identified

Researchers in Malaysia have identified key laboratory and clinical features of an emerging new form of malaria infection. The research, funded by the Wellcome Trust, confirms the potentially deadly nature of the disease.

10 Sep 2009

WHO's Chan says swine flu will 'test' world on 'fairness'

Addressing a meeting of South East Asian health ministers Tuesday, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the H1N1 (swine) flu pandemic will "test the world on the issue of fairness" and "reveal in a measurable and tragic way the consequences of decades of failure to invest adequately in basic health systems and infrastructure,"

10 Sep 2009

Oral GLP-1 Analog approved for human clinical trial

Oramed Pharmaceticals, Inc., a developer of oral drug delivery systems, announced today that it has received approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to commence human clinical trials of an oral GLP-1 Analog.

10 Sep 2009

New study highlights the competitive nature of drug development

Marketing exclusivity periods for first-in-class drugs have fallen dramatically in recent decades -- from a median of 10.2 years in the 1970s to 2.5 years in the early part of this decade -- underscoring the competitive nature of drug development, a new study recently completed by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development has found.

10 Sep 2009

Patient enrollment completed in Phase 2b clinical trial for Pyridorin

NephroGenex, Inc., a privately held drug development company focusing on kidney disease, today announced the completion of patient enrollment in its Phase 2b clinical trial (PYR-210) studying the safety and efficacy of its lead drug candidate Pyridorin (pyridoxamine dihydrochloride) in type 2 diabetic patients with overt diabetic nephropathy. Three hundred and seventeen (317) patients have been randomized.

10 Sep 2009

Free, online self-assessment quiz helps assess health and lifestyle risks for PAD

As recent medical studies continue to highlight the seriousness of peripheral arterial disease (or PAD) and its association with heart attack, stroke and early mortality, the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation recommends that older Americans, smokers and diabetics take its free, online self-assessment quiz.

10 Sep 2009

Society of Interventional Radiology's resources emphasize on PAD

The Society of Interventional Radiology offers numerous resources just in time for September's national peripheral arterial disease (or PAD) awareness month. As recent medical studies continue to highlight the seriousness of PAD, these resources are welcome additions to libraries for interventional radiologists and primary care physicians who want to learn more about minimally invasive treatments for this disease that affects an estimated 10 million people in the United States.

10 Sep 2009

Clinical study investigates laboratory and clinical implications of proton pump inhibitor drugs

Fears about the cancer causing effects of the second most prescribed group of drugs in the Western world have been put to rest, following the largest ever study into their use.

10 Sep 2009