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Ipsen grants license to Debiopharm for developing and commercialising cancer treatment

Ipsen (Euronext:IPN), an innovation-driven global specialty pharmaceutical Group and Debiopharm Group (Debiopharm), a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies with a focus on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs, announced today the signature of an agreement under which Debiopharm is granted an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialise Ipsen's first-in-class inhibitor of the CDC25 phosphatase enzyme (now Debio 0931), for the treatment of various human cancers.

7 Sep 2009

Debiopharm granted license to develop and commercialise CDC25

Ipsen, an innovation-driven global specialty pharmaceutical Group and Debiopharm Group (Debiopharm), a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies with a focus on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs, announced today the signature of an agreement under which Debiopharm is granted an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialise Ipsen’s first-in-class inhibitor of the CDC25 phosphatase enzyme (now Debio 0931), for the treatment of various human cancers.

7 Sep 2009

Bacterium's S-layer secretes many therapeutic proteins

By adapting a single protein on the surface of the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus, researchers at the University of British Columbia have turned it into a protein production factory, making useful proteins that can act as vaccines and drugs. Dr. John Smit presented the findings at the Society for General Microbiology's meeting at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, today (7 September).

7 Sep 2009

Scientists identify new genetic variations that are associated with type 2 diabetes

Scientists have identified a genetic variation in people with type 2 diabetes that affects how the body's muscle cells respond to the hormone insulin, in a new study published today in Nature Genetics.

7 Sep 2009

Opinion: Local drug production in developing countries; Obama's PEPFAR changes

The international community focuses on lowering drug prices as a means of improving access and "today its idea is local pharmaceutical production .

5 Sep 2009

Researchers study tumor diversity to improve breast cancer treatment

One person's breast cancer is not the same as another person's, because the gene mutations differ in each tumor. That makes it difficult to match the best therapy with the individual patient.

5 Sep 2009

Securities class action lawsuit filed against Repros Therapeutics

Feazell & Tighe, L.L.P. announces that a securities class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas on behalf of all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired the common stock of Repros Therapeutics Inc. (“Repros” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq:RPRX), between July 1, 2009 and August 3, 2009, inclusive (the “Class Period”).

5 Sep 2009

New approach for understanding how drug resistance occurs in leukemia

UCSF researchers have developed a new approach to identify specific genes that influence how cancer cells respond to drugs and how they become resistant. This strategy, which involves producing diverse genetic mutations that result in leukemia and associating specific mutations with treatment outcomes, will enable researchers to better understand how drug resistance occurs in leukemia and other cancers, and has important long-term implications for the development of more effective therapies.

5 Sep 2009

RAC certification for 263 regulatory professionals

The Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) has announced that 263 regulatory professionals achieved Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC) during the most recent exam period. The RAC credential is administered by RAPS and is the only certification specifically for regulatory professionals in the healthcare product sector.

5 Sep 2009

New role discovered for sphingosine-1-phosphate

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have discovered a new role for the bioactive lipid messenger, sphingosine-1-phosphate, or S1P, that is abundant in our blood - a finding that could lead to a new generation of drugs to fight cancer and inflammatory disease.

5 Sep 2009

Alcohol is harmful for unborn babies

Learning disabilities, mental health issues and behavior problems are just some of the issues that afflict babies exposed to alcohol in the womb, yet some doctors still tell their patients it is safe to have a drink now and then while pregnant.

5 Sep 2009

Spectrum's ZEVALIN expanded label receives FDA approval for treating non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NasdaqGM:SPPI), a commercial-stage biotechnology company with a focus in oncology, today announced ZEVALIN® (ibritumomab tiuxetan), a CD20-directed radiotherapeutic antibody, received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an expanded label for the treatment of patients with previously untreated follicular non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL), who achieve a partial or complete response to first-line chemotherapy.

5 Sep 2009

American mayapple contains anticancer compounds: Study

A common weed called American mayapple may soon offer an alternative to an Asian cousin that's been harvested almost to extinction because of its anti-cancer properties.

5 Sep 2009

Bloodstream infections can be avoided with a daily scrub solution bath

Giving critically ill hospital patients a daily bath with a mild, soapy solution of the same antibacterial agent used by surgeons to "scrub in" before an operation can dramatically cut down, by as much as 73 percent, the number of patients who develop potentially deadly bloodstream infections, according to a new study by patient safety experts at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and five other institutions.

5 Sep 2009

Researchers discover the causes for the severity of RSV illness

Approximately one-half of all infants are infected with the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during the first year of life, and almost all children have been infected at least once by the time they reach their second birthday. Researchers at West Virginia University have discovered what makes RSV such a severe and persistent illness.

4 Sep 2009

Delcath Systems to present abstract at ILCA Annual Conference

Delcath Systems, Inc., a medical technology company testing its proprietary treatment method for primary and metastatic cancers to the liver, announced that Dr. James F. Pingpank, Associate Professor of Surgery for the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine will present an abstract at the International Liver Cancer Association's (ILCA) Third Annual Conference on Saturday, September 5, 2009 in Milan, Italy.

4 Sep 2009

Fixing health care costs by changing patient behavior

Patient behavior plays a central role in fixing health. NPR reports: "Economists have long said health care, as a market, is a strange animal. A large part of this is because patients don't act like regular consumers."

4 Sep 2009

Drive to collect unused prescription drugs starts on October 3

In an effort to keep unused prescription drugs out of the hands of pre-teens and teenagers, DDN executive Joe Otto enlisted the support of Menomonee Falls Police Chief Anna Ruzinski, Community Memorial Hospital, and his company. As a result, Community Memorial Hospital will serve as collection site when Waukesha County kicks off its first drug collection program on October 3.

4 Sep 2009

Dr Lluis Quintana-Murci from the Institut Pasteur in France honoured with the Debiopharm Life Sciences Award

Debiopharm Group, SA (Debiopharm), a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies with a focus on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs, today presented the 'Debiopharm Life Sciences Award' to Dr Lluis Quintana-Murci from the Institut Pasteur in France, for his outstanding innovative research in the emerging field of evolutionary genetics of infection.

4 Sep 2009

FDA review on postmarketing studies for approved drugs and biologics

Makers of approved drugs and biologics generally are meeting their regulatory obligations and complete their postmarketing studies in a timely manner, according to a study released today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

4 Sep 2009