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European positive for Cymbalta and Xeristar

Eli Lilly and Company and Boehringer Ingelheim have announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products in Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has issued a positive opinion recommending approval of duloxetine for the treatment of major depressive episodes.

20 Sep 2004

Immunoglobulins may help patients with Alzheimer’s

Immunoglobulins which are already being used to treat multiple sclerosis may also be able to help patients with Alzheimer’s. This, at least, is the finding of a pilot study on five patients at the University of Bonn.

20 Sep 2004

Botox injections may ease the irritation of tinnitus

A preliminary study indicates that Botox injections may ease the irritation of tinnitus, otherwise know as ringing in the ears, for some patients. Researchers say more study is needed, but initial results are promising.

18 Sep 2004

Israeli clinicians keen on using placebos in treating patients

Three out of five Israeli clinicians report using placebos – inactive treatments or drugs – in treating patients, despite the medical profession's official disapproval of their use, say the authors of a BMJ Online First paper this week.

17 Sep 2004

Wyeth supports FDA recommendation to strengthen antidepressant labeling

Statement by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals supporting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Joint Advisory Committee’s recommendation to strengthen the product labels across the antidepressant category regarding use in the pediatric population.

16 Sep 2004

Celacade shown to reduce risk of death and hospitalization in patients with advanced chronic heart failure

Vasogen has announced that comprehensive results from the Company's phase II trial of Celacade (immune modulation therapy) in advanced chronic heart failure patients were published in the September 15 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).

16 Sep 2004

Treatment with vitamin A and an omega-3 fatty acid slows down the progression of retinitis pigmentosa

Patients with retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive eye disease that can cause vision loss, who were treated with vitamin A and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a kind of omega-3 fatty acid, did not experience slowing of the progression of their disease

12 Sep 2004

Cancer drug may reduce kidney disease in lupus

A drug that is already being tested as an anticancer agent, especially in lymphoma, may also reduce the kidney disease that is a result of systemic lupus, according to a researcher at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

10 Sep 2004

Phase I clinical trial of new drug for severe asthma

Cambridge Antibody Technology today announced that it is starting a Phase I clinical trial of CAT-354, a human anti-IL-13 monoclonal antibody, which is a potential treatment for severe asthma, following recent approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

8 Sep 2004

Cymbalta approved for diabetic peripheral neuropathy pain

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Eli Lilly's Cymbalta, a balanced and potent serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. Cymbalta is the first and only FDA-approved treatment for pain caused by diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

8 Sep 2004

The drug galantamine has been shown to be ineffective in treating chronic fatigue syndrome

The drug galantamine (used for treatment of mild to moderate dementia) did not demonstrate a clinical benefit in treating chronic fatigue syndrome when compared with placebo, according to a study in the September 8 issue of JAMA.

8 Sep 2004

Ramipril reduces rate of sudden cardiac death and nonfatal cardiac arrest by 21 percent

Ramipril, a high blood pressure and heart failure drug, can reduce the rate of sudden cardiac death and nonfatal cardiac arrest by 21 percent in people at high risk for heart attack or stroke, according to a study reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

7 Sep 2004

Sinovac completes dosing in phase 1 human clinical testing of SARS vaccine

Sinovac Biotech Ltd. has announced that all 36 subjects of the Phase I human clinical trial for its inactivated SARS vaccine have now been vaccinated with two doses of either SARS vaccine or placebo.

7 Sep 2004

Topiramate help patients with alcohol dependence

The drug topiramate helps reduce drinking and improves overall quality of life among patients with alcohol dependence, according to an article in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

7 Sep 2004

Ezetrol co-administration with statin therapy lowers LDL cholesterol in diabetics

Results from two new clinical trials show that patients with diabetes and metabolic syndrome who are treated with ezetimibe (EZETROL®) co-administered with a statin experience greater reductions in LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, compared to patients taking a statin alone.

7 Sep 2004

Benefit of using clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for ischemic stroke

An independent review of data from a landmark clinical trial has validated the benefit of using the clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for ischemic stroke, when given within three hours of symptom onset under a strict treatment protocol.

2 Sep 2004

MGI PHARMA acquires Aesgen for $32 million

MGI PHARMA today announced that they have signed a definitive merger agreement under which MGI PHARMA will acquire all outstanding equity of Aesgen for $32 million in cash.

1 Sep 2004

Study suggests that patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension may benefit from Thelin therapy

Encysive Pharmaceuticals today announced the presentation of data from a clinical study of Thelin(TM) (sitaxsentan) in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), at the European Society of Cardiology Annual Congress in Munich.

31 Aug 2004

Angina drug nifedipine safe for long-term use

Calcium antagonists such as nifedipine are used to relieve the symptoms of angina, but there have been doubts about their long-term safety. However, ACTION--A Coronary disease Trial Investigating Outcome with Nifedipine GITS--provides new information on the drug's long-term use. GITS (gastrointestinal therapeutic system) modifies the release of the drug to provide stable long-term concentrations of nifedipine in blood.

30 Aug 2004

Early use of aggressive statin therapy may offer some benefit for coronary patients

Statins initiated early after a patient experiences an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) event at dosages above the typical starting dose may help reduce subsequent cardiovascular events, but the high dose regimen used may increase the risk for muscle-related complications, according to the results from the Phase Z portion of the A to Z Trial released on the JAMA website today.

30 Aug 2004

Placebo News and Research

European positive for Cymbalta and Xeristar

Immunoglobulins may help patients with Alzheimer’s

Botox injections may ease the irritation of tinnitus

Israeli clinicians keen on using placebos in treating patients

Wyeth supports FDA recommendation to strengthen antidepressant labeling

Celacade shown to reduce risk of death and hospitalization in patients with advanced chronic heart failure

Treatment with vitamin A and an omega-3 fatty acid slows down the progression of retinitis pigmentosa

Cancer drug may reduce kidney disease in lupus

Phase I clinical trial of new drug for severe asthma

Cymbalta approved for diabetic peripheral neuropathy pain

The drug galantamine has been shown to be ineffective in treating chronic fatigue syndrome

Ramipril reduces rate of sudden cardiac death and nonfatal cardiac arrest by 21 percent

Sinovac completes dosing in phase 1 human clinical testing of SARS vaccine

Topiramate help patients with alcohol dependence

Ezetrol co-administration with statin therapy lowers LDL cholesterol in diabetics

Benefit of using clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for ischemic stroke

MGI PHARMA acquires Aesgen for $32 million

Study suggests that patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension may benefit from Thelin therapy

Angina drug nifedipine safe for long-term use

Early use of aggressive statin therapy may offer some benefit for coronary patients

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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