Pharmaceuticals News and Research

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A.P. Pharma receives Nasdaq non-compliance notice

A.P. Pharma, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that, on May 18, 2010, the Company received a letter from The Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq) indicating that the minimum closing bid price of its common stock had fallen below $1.00 for 30 consecutive trading days, and therefore, A.P. Pharma was not in compliance with Marketplace Rule 5550(a)(2).

20 May 2010

Healthiest Companies in America for 2010

Amid the glaring spotlight focused on healthcare reform in the U.S., Interactive Health Solutions today announced a list of the "Healthiest Companies in America" for 2010, a group of thirty-four corporations who have significantly reduced healthcare costs through employee participation in a prevention-based health program in the workplace.

20 May 2010

Treatment costs higher for CVD patients readmitted after leaving hospitals against medical advice

A University of Maryland School of Pharmacy study shows that among patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) who discharged themselves from the hospital early the treatment cost if they are readmitted runs 9 percent higher compared to CVD patients who had been formally discharged.

20 May 2010

US subsidiary of Novartis disputes claims of discrimination

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NPC), a US subsidiary of Novartis AG, strongly disputes the claims of past discrimination in the sales force during the period of 2002 to 2007.

20 May 2010

Update on Phase I clinical trials of Oncopore for treatment of cancer

The Norwegian pharmaceutical company Lytix Biopharma AS provided an update at the recent BIO conference in Chicago on Phase I clinical trials of Oncopore (LTX-315) for the treatment of cancer.

20 May 2010

Scientists present data on denufosol tetrasodium for CF at ATS 2010 International Conference

Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that Inspire scientists and collaborators will present data on denufosol tetrasodium, an investigational therapy for cystic fibrosis, during an oral presentation at the American Thoracic Society 2010 International Conference May 14 - 19, 2010 in New Orleans, LA.

20 May 2010

Apotex launches generic Lipitor

Apotex Inc, a Canadian owned pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Toronto, launched today Apo-Atorvastatin, a generic version of 'Lipitor(R)' produced by Pfizer(R). This is the largest product to be genericized in Canadian history with approximate yearly sales of $1.2 billion. This last patent on Lipitor(R) will not expire until 2022. Apotex Inc. invented its own crystal form, thus overcoming the patents, 12 years ahead of time, which will result in close to $7 billion of cost-savings for the Canadian healthcare system.

20 May 2010

World Health Assembly news

Media outlets continue to track news emerging from the 63rd annual World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva.

20 May 2010

Novartis to pay additional $250 million for gender discrimination inflicted on 5,600 working women

After delivering a unanimous verdict against Novartis on all counts and awarding 12 former Novartis sales reps $3.36 million in compensatory damages yesterday, a New York jury today delivered a stronger dose of the same medicine. Announcing the amount of punitive damages to be awarded, the jury determined that Novartis must pay an additional $250 million for the gender discrimination it inflicted on 5,600 working women in the class. The case was the largest gender discrimination matter ever to go to verdict in the U.S.

20 May 2010

Quest PharmaTech net consolidated loss for 2010 increases to $517,799

Quest PharmaTech Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing products for the treatment of cancer, today announced financial and operational results for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2010.

20 May 2010

Abbott named one of Best Workplaces in Europe

The Great Place to Work Institute today named Abbott one of the Best Workplaces in Europe at its European Conference in Madrid. The company was specifically honored for workplace leadership in Denmark, Ireland and Norway.

20 May 2010

Cobalt Pharmaceuticals receives Notice of Compliance from Health Canada to market Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Cobalt Pharmaceuticals has received a Notice of Compliance from Health Canada to market Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets in the 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg strengths. Watson has initiated shipments of this product.

20 May 2010

EPO rules in favor of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals’ Kreutzer-Limmer '945 patent

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that the Board of Appeals of the European Patent Office (EPO) has ruled that claims of the Kreutzer-Limmer '945 (EP 1214945) patent meet needed requirements under European patent law. The '945 patent comprises broad claims covering the length and certain structural requirements for siRNAs that are important for advancement of RNAi therapeutics.

20 May 2010

Gene therapy shows positive effects in rat models of PAH: Researchers

Gene therapy has been shown to have positive effects in rat models of pulmonary arterial hypertension, according to researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia.

20 May 2010

Lawsuit fears hinder physician adoption of medical innovations

According to a new national survey on defensive medicine by Jackson Healthcare, the threat of a lawsuit causes many physicians to delay the adoption of medical innovations. More than half (53%) of survey respondents reported they had delayed adopting medical innovations such as new pharmaceuticals, procedures and medical devices due to fear of litigation.

19 May 2010

Targacept commences Phase 2 clinical proof of concept trial of TC-5619 in adults with ADHD

Targacept, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel NNR Therapeutics (TM), today announced that it has initiated a Phase 2 clinical proof of concept trial of TC-5619 in adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). TC-5619 is a novel small molecule that is highly selective for the alpha7 neuronal nicotinic receptor, which Targacept refers to as NNR, and was discovered by Targacept scientists using Targacept's proprietary drug discovery platform known as Pentad (TM).

19 May 2010

Results from Phase 1 clinical trials of TRC105, TRC102, and TRC093 to be presented at ASCO 2010

TRACON Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company that develops targeted therapies for oncology and ophthalmology, announced today that results from Phase 1 clinical trials of TRC105, TRC102, and TRC093 will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on June 5-7, 2010 in Chicago, IL.

19 May 2010

BioTeknica, AccuReg help companies achieve realistic FDA compliance goals

Every year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), asks hundreds of life science companies to improve their design and manufacturing systems – or risk receiving the ultimate penalty – a Consent Decree; whereby a company must remove its products from the marketplace. It's not easy to navigate FDA regulations because they aren't always "black and white" – in fact; they're often "gray" and open to interpretation depending upon the circumstances.

19 May 2010

SBANE recognizes Isis Biopolymer with 2010 Rising Star Award

Isis Biopolymer has been awarded the 2010 Rising Star Award by SBANE (Smaller Business Association of New England). The Rising Star is a coveted annual award that honors innovative products and services offered by early-stage companies in New England.

19 May 2010

USPTO issues Soligenix patent for use of beclomethasone dipropionate in treatment of IBS

Soligenix, Inc., a late-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today that the United States Patent Office (USPTO) has issued a patent (US 7,704,985) entitled "Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Related Bowel Diseases." The patent claims the use of beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a painful gastrointestinal condition that affects approximately 15% of the population in the industrialized world.

19 May 2010