Pharmaceuticals News and Research

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JDRF, Amylin collaborate to support metreleptin study for type 1 diabetes

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that they entered into a research collaboration agreement to provide financial support for a clinical proof-of-concept study to investigate the effects of metreleptin, an analog of the human hormone leptin, in patients with type 1 diabetes. Researchers at The University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center will conduct the study.

17 Nov 2010

Medicare roundup: Payment cuts irk healthcare industry; officials mull new prostate-cancer treatment

Doctors across the United States are taking a wait-and-see approach while Congress decides whether or not to allow a scheduled 23% cut in Medicare reimbursement rates to take effect on Dec. 1.

17 Nov 2010

AVEO commences enrollment in Phase 1b combination trial of tivozanib with oral capecitabine in advanced tumors

AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing cancer therapeutics, today announced that it has initiated patient enrollment in an open-label, multi-center Phase 1b clinical trial evaluating tivozanib in combination with oral capecitabine (Xeloda®) in patients with certain advanced solid tumors.

17 Nov 2010

Progenics initiates ONO-3849 phase 2 clinical trial for OIC in Japan

Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the initiation of a phase 2 clinical trial of subcutaneous methylnaltrexone in Japan by its collaborator, Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The drug, designated ONO-3849 in Japan, is being evaluated for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in patients with advanced illness such as cancer.

17 Nov 2010

Optivia, UCSF receive SBIR grant to develop transporter-based assay system

Optivia Biotechnology Inc., a leading provider of in vitro transporter assay services, today announced that the company and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), have received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop an innovative system for characterizing the role transporter proteins play in the disposition of drugs by the liver.

16 Nov 2010

Isis, Xenon enter collaboration to discover and develop antisense drugs for AI

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today a new collaboration to discover and develop antisense drugs as novel treatments for the common disease anemia of inflammation (AI).

16 Nov 2010

Verastem closes $16 million Series A financing

Verastem, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat cancer by targeting cancer stem cells, today announced the closing of a $16 million Series A financing. Founding investor, Longwood Founders Fund, was joined by Bessemer Venture Partners, Cardinal Partners, and MPM Capital.

16 Nov 2010

FDA grants Impax final approval for generic Allegra-D ANDA

Impax Laboratories, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted final approval of the Company's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for the generic version of Allegra-D® (Fexofenadine Hydrochloride and Pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride Extended-release) 60mg/120mg tablets. The Company is preparing for product launch through Global Pharmaceuticals, Impax's generic division.

16 Nov 2010

Color of tablet appears to be integral component for OTC product

According to recent research the color, shape, taste and even name of a tablet or pill can have an effect on how patients feel about their medication. Choose an appropriate combination and the placebo effect gives the pill a boost, improves outcomes and might even reduce side effects. Now, researchers at the University of Bombay, New Mumbai, India, have surveyed users of over-the-counter (OTC) medication to find out just how much the color of a tablet influences patient choice.

16 Nov 2010

NovAliX enters agreement to acquire Graffinity

NovAliX SAS today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a majority interest in Graffinity Pharmaceuticals GmbH of Heidelberg, Germany, a leading fragment based drug discovery services company.

16 Nov 2010

Researchers discover circadian rhythms regulate fat metabolism

UC Irvine researchers have discovered that circadian rhythms the internal body clock regulate fat metabolism. This helps explain why people burn fat more efficiently at certain times of day and could lead to new pharmaceuticals for obesity, diabetes and energy-related illnesses.

16 Nov 2010

Dutch government awards Innovation Credit of EUR 1.3 million to InteRNA

InteRNA Technologies B.V., a biopharmaceutical company developing pathway targeted microRNA (miRNA)-based therapeutics for cancer, today announced that it was awarded an Innovation Credit of EUR 1.3 million from the Dutch government.

16 Nov 2010

Hospira launches two-gram vial of gemcitabine hydrochloride for injection

Hospira, Inc., the world leader in generic injectable pharmaceuticals, today announced it has launched a two-gram vial of gemcitabine hydrochloride for injection.

16 Nov 2010

District Court judgment favors Otsuka in Abilify patent litigation

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Otsuka Holdings, Co., Ltd., the parent company of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., announced today that the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey issued its judgment dated November 15, 2010 in favor of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in its patent litigation against several companies seeking FDA approval to market generic copies of Abilify.

16 Nov 2010

New inhalable dry powder treatment for lung cancer shows significant increase in survival rates: Research

A new inhalable dry powder treatment for lung cancer shows a significant increase in survival rates and is far less invasive than current treatment options, which frequently include radiation and surgery. This research is being presented at the 2010 International Pharmaceutical Federation Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress in association with the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans, La., Nov. 14-18.

16 Nov 2010

Infinity announces Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of IPI-926 in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer

Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that enrollment is ongoing locally for a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of IPI-926, Infinity's oral molecule that inhibits Smoothened, a key component of the Hedgehog pathway, in combination with Gemzar (gemicitabine) in patients with previously untreated, metastatic pancreatic cancer.

16 Nov 2010

Diffusion Pharmaceuticals presents positive results of TSC study for PAD at American Heart Association

Diffusion Pharmaceuticals LLC today announced positive results of its Phase I/II proof-of-concept study of Trans Sodium Crocetinate (TSC) in patients suffering from walking impairment due to peripheral artery disease (PAD).

16 Nov 2010

Oramed presents ORMD-0801 Phase IIb results for Type II diabetes at Annual Meeting in Bethesda

Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a developer of oral drug delivery systems, presented the results of its recently completed Phase IIb trial. The multicenter, placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind study conducted in 29 patients with Type II diabetes assessed the safety of ORMD-0801 in patients with Type II diabetes.

16 Nov 2010

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals to present ZEVALIN data at ASH Meeting

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company with fully integrated commercial and drug development operations with a primary focus in oncology, today announced a total of 11 ZEVALIN related data presentations (five oral, six posters) at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), being held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, December 4-7, 2010.

15 Nov 2010

Teva presents QNAZE Phase III study results for SAR at ACAAI Meeting

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced results from a Phase III study of QNAZE (beclomethasone dipropionate [BDP]) HFA, a nasal aerosol corticosteroid in development for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR), that demonstrated significantly greater symptom relief compared with placebo.

15 Nov 2010