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ThromboView gets positive results in study evaluating accuracy and safety

Drug and diagnostic company Agenix Limited (ASX: AGX), today announced the positive results of a study to evaluate the efficacy and accuracy

7 Jul 2011

Heartworm medication Ivermectin prevents malaria transmission in Africa

A cheap, common heartworm medication that is already being used to fight other parasites in Africa could also dramatically interrupt transmission of malaria, potentially providing an inexpensive tool to fight a disease that kills almost 800,000 people each year, according to a new study published in the July edition of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

7 Jul 2011

Fused indolines made by asymmetrical carbon–carbon coupling

Many drugs are based on natural substances. Because it is usually difficult, if not impossible, to isolate these in sufficient quantities from plants or microorganisms, they must be synthesized in the laboratory. This requires linking carbon atoms – with the right spatial orientation (stereochemistry) relative to each other. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, E. Peter Kündig and a team from the University of Geneva (Switzerland) have now introduced a palladium-catalyzed synthesis that allows them to produce indoline derivatives with the correct spatial arrangement.

7 Jul 2011

GEN article reports on new drug research and development costs

A policy specialist and a healthcare economist both say that the oft-quoted cost of $1.32 billion to bring a new drug to market does not hold up to close scrutiny, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News.

7 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Preserving Medicaid; drug risks, headlines; health law flaw

The poor and disabled people who rely on Medicaid to pay their medical bills could be in grave jeopardy in this sour I've-got-mine political climate. Older Americans, a potent voting bloc, have made clear that they won't stand for serious changes in Medicare. Medicaid, however, provides health insurance for the most vulnerable, who have far less political clout.

7 Jul 2011

New technologies could bring innovative sensors, devices for 'lab-on-a-chip' applications

Researchers are developing new technologies that combine a laser and electric fields to manipulate fluids and tiny particles such as bacteria, viruses and DNA for a range of potential applications, from drug manufacturing to food safety.

6 Jul 2011

High-dose aspirin could help prevent cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients

In some cases, an apple a day may keep the doctor away, but for people with diabetes, regular, over-the-counter Aspirin may also do the job.

6 Jul 2011

Nanoscientist to develop new microsystem for more efficient drug-testing

A University of Southampton nanoscientist is working on a new microsystem for more efficient testing of pharmaceutical drugs to treat diseases such as cystic fibrosis, MG (myasthenia gravis) and epilepsy.

6 Jul 2011

Drug companies' desires to maintain status quo are 'lethal'

In the second of a two-part Al Jazeera opinion piece series "examining the methods by which multinational drug corporations inflate their expenses and justify their pricing strategies," Khadija Sharife, a journalist and visiting scholar at the Center for Civil Society, looks at U.S. tax laws, lax oversight of international clinical trials, the cost of research on new pharmaceutical compounds, and vaccine manufacturing.

6 Jul 2011

Novel drug delivery device can treat diabetes-related retinal damage

A team of engineers and scientists at the University of British Columbia has developed a device that can be implanted behind the eye for controlled and on-demand release of drugs to treat retinal damage caused by diabetes.

1 Jul 2011

Novel cerebrospinal fluid proteins found in greater concentrations in Alzheimer's patients

Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, have identified a series of novel proteins in human cerebrospinal fluid. The proteins, which carry specific sugar molecules, are found in greater concentrations in patients with dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease than in patients with dementia caused by other diseases. This gives hope for new forms of treatment in the future.

1 Jul 2011

New book explores research into viral nanoparticles

Viruses that attack plants, insects, mammals and bacteria are proving effective platforms for delivering medicines and imaging chemicals to specific cells in the body, as building blocks for tiny battery electrodes and computer data storage devices, and other nanotechnologies.

1 Jul 2011

Positive results from Nexavar Phase 2b trial on breast cancer presented at ASCO

Accelerated Community Oncology Research Network, Inc., reported positive results of a large double-blind, randomized Phase 2b trial in patients with breast cancer at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 47th annual meeting in Chicago, June 3-7.

1 Jul 2011

Some generic anti-epilepsy drugs may not be effective

30 Jun 2011

Auxilium reports three year data from XIAFLEX CORDLESS study in Dupuytren's contracture

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced three year recurrence data from the Collagenase Optimal Reduction of Dupuytren's - Long-term Evaluation of Success Study (CORDLESS) for XIAFLEX® (collagenase clostridium histolyticum) in the treatment of adult Dupuytren's contracture patients with a palpable cord.

30 Jun 2011

PENNSAID Viscous Solution Phase 2 clinical trial for osteoarthritis pain meets primary endpoint

Nuvo Research Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to building a portfolio of products primarily for the treatment of pain, today announced receipt from Mallinckrodt Inc., a Covidien company (Covidien), of top-line results from a Phase 2 study conducted by Covidien, of twice-daily administration of PENNSAID Viscous Solution (topical diclofenac sodium viscous solution) 2% w/w, previously referred to as PENNSAID Gel.

30 Jun 2011

Sorbent expands $36M Series B financing

Sorbent Therapeutics, a private biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for cardiovascular and renal disorders, announced today that it has expanded the Company's Series B financing from September 2010 by $36 million.

30 Jun 2011

New medical contrast agent could play important role in diagnosing colon cancer

Colon cancer could become easier to detect, thanks to a newly developed medical contrast agent and advanced optics that illuminate dangerous, invisible polyps.

30 Jun 2011

Research raises questions about some generic epilepsy drugs

Generic anti-epilepsy drugs, pharmaceutical products similar to brand-name versions, save consumers billions of dollars each year, but some are different enough from branded formulations that they may not be effective, particularly if patients switch between two generic drugs, a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests. A report on the study, published online and in an upcoming issue of Annals of Neurology, raises questions about whether some generic products are safe and effective when a narrow dose range separates patients from help and harm.

30 Jun 2011

Valeant to acquire rights relating to Elidel and Xerese from Meda

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. announced today that its subsidiary, Valeant International SRL (VIB), has signed an agreement to acquire rights to both Elidel and Xerese from Meda, an international specialty pharmaceutical company for the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

30 Jun 2011