Drug Discovery News and Research

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The drug discovery process begins with recognizing a disease or clinical condition in which there is a lack of adequate medical treatment. Once a potential drug has been identified, pre-clinical research can begin. This process includes several stages; the first of which involves identifying and validating the prospective drug’s target through assay development, high throughput screening, hit identification and finally, lead optimization. Once the pre-clinical process is complete, the newly synthesized drug candidate is selected for future clinical development.

Ranbaxy receives tentative FDA approval for Tamsulosin capsules

Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals has announced that RLL has received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to manufacture and market Tamsulosin Hydrochloride Capsules, 0.4 mg.

23 Jun 2007

New drug target for the treatment of Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MGH-MIND) have identified a potential new drug target for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and possibly for other degenerative neurological disorders.

23 Jun 2007

First genome-scale model of microbe that causes tuberculosis

Tuberculosis remains one of the biggest killers in the world today being responsible for nearly ten million cases and one and a half million deaths each year.

23 Jun 2007

WHO-based tropical disease research programme to focus on emerging diseases

The World Health Organization (WHO) based Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) has adopted a new strategy for strengthening and expanding research to prevent and control 'infectious diseases of poverty.'

22 Jun 2007

New area of stroke drug discovery for the 22nd century

A new therapy to re-activate silenced genes in patients who suffer from neurodegenerative diseases or stroke is being developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Cornell University.

17 Jun 2007

Discovery of new survival mechanism in common bacteria

Researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health, have discovered a survival mechanism in a common type of bacteria that can cause illness.

8 Jun 2007

New understanding of anti-malarial drug resistance

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center say they are moving closer to understanding why the most lethal form of human malaria has become resistant to drug treatment in the past three decades.

8 Jun 2007

BioGenex settles patent case with Ventana

BioGenex Laboratories announced a settlement of patent litigation with Ventana Medical Systems (VMSI), ending the dispute between the two companies.

3 Jun 2007

New findings on microRNAs

Over 30% of our genes are under the control of small molecules called microRNAs.

17 May 2007

Radically different approach to nuclear magnetic resonance

Detecting the molecular structure of a tiny protein using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) currently requires two things: a million-dollar machine the size of a massive SUV, and a large sample of the protein under study.

16 May 2007

Researchers develop first antibody that detects gene mutations that cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Researchers at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Medicine have developed the first antibody that detects the only known cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease.

9 May 2007

Current approach to drug discovery for Lou Gehrig's disease be re-examined

Most research on Lou Gehrig's disease therapeutics has been based on the assumption that its two forms (sporadic and hereditary) are similar in their underlying cause.

8 May 2007

Ranbaxy receives approval to manufacture Pravastatin Sodium tablets in U.S.

Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals has announced that RLL has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to manufacture and market Pravastatin Sodium Tablets (Pravastatin), 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg and 80 mg, with 180-day market exclusivity in the U.S. healthcare system for the 80 mg strength.

27 Apr 2007

Burnham awarded $7.39 million for study on Neuron-Glia communication in development

A team of researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (“Burnham”) has been awarded $7.39 million from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.

24 Apr 2007

Lexicon-Genentech reveals potential therapeutic targets

Lexicon Genetics Incorporated has announced that data was presented highlighting potential therapeutic targets related to its collaboration with Genentech, Inc. at the Society for Biomolecular Sciences 13th Annual Conference & Exhibition in Montreal, Canada.

19 Apr 2007

Lexicon Reports on anti-angiogenesis target discoveries

Lexicon Genetics has presented results from the company's genetic screen to identify proteins involved in blood vessel formation and organization.

18 Apr 2007

Thrombogenics announces agreement with Millipore for commercialization of stem cell technology

ThromboGenics NV has announced that it has completed a global license agreement with Millipore Corporation under which ThromboGenics will exclusively license its technology for production of the proprietary stem cell culture medium marketed by Millipore as RESGRO(x).

17 Apr 2007

Bristol-Myers Squibb announces new results of Baraclude (entecavir) resistance monitoring program

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company has announced new results of the Baraclude (entecavir) resistance monitoring program, which found a continued low incidence of resistance in studies of nucleoside-naive chronic hepatitis B patients through four years of treatment.

16 Apr 2007

Use of computer-assisted drug design in drug discovery

Metabasis Therapeutics has announced that on March 27, 2007 at the American Chemical Society 233rd National Meeting and Exposition in Chicago, Dr. M. Rami Reddy presented, "Use of Computer-Assisted Drug Design in Drug Discovery: Limitations and Advantages of Available Computational Methods."

15 Apr 2007

Alteon expands agreement with Biorap Technologies

Alteon has announced that it has entered into an expanded licensing agreement with BioRap Technologies, the commercialization arm of the Rappaport Family Institute for Research, Technion University, Israel, for all diagnostic devices or products for predictive purposes in vascular or cardiac diseases, including diagnostic assays for the measurement of the haptoglobin protein (Hp).

7 Apr 2007