Drugs News and Research

RSS

PharmaDirections congratulates Orexigen on FDA Advisory approval for Contrave

PharmaDirections congratulates Orexigen Therapeutics on achieving FDA Advisory Board approval for their anti-obesity drug Contrave™. PharmaDirections is proud to have been Orexigen's pharmaceutical development partner and to have developed and produced the first Contrave™ product to undergo full clinical development.

10 Dec 2010

Researchers find new light-activated platinum-based compound to kill cancer cells

When it comes to health care blue lights, are usually most useful on the top of ambulances but now new research led by the University of Warwick has found a way to use blue light to activate what could be a highly potent platinum-based cancer treatment.

10 Dec 2010

NCCN announces new guidelines for patients with multiple myeloma

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network recently announced the latest addition to the library of NCCN Guidelines for Patients, the NCCN Guidelines for Patients: Multiple Myeloma. This new resource is a patient-friendly translation of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Multiple Myeloma, which physicians use when determining appropriate cancer treatment.

10 Dec 2010

Some key molecular events in immune system contribute to inflammatory bowel disease: Scientists

Scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have discovered some of the key molecular events in the immune system that contribute to inflammatory bowel disease. The results, which help researchers move one step further in their efforts to develop new drugs to treat inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases, are reported in the November 2010 edition of the journal Mucosal Immunology from the Nature Publishing Group.

10 Dec 2010

VCP gene causes some instances of familial ALS: Researchers

Using a new gene sequencing method, a team of researchers led by scientists from Johns Hopkins and the National Institutes of Health has discovered a gene that appears to cause some instances of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The finding could lead to novel ways to treat the more common form of this fatal neurodegenerative disease, which kills the vast majority of the nearly 6,000 Americans diagnosed with ALS every year.

10 Dec 2010

Aromatase inhibitors raise risk of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal breast cancer patients

Postmenopausal women who take aromatase inhibitors as a treatment for breast cancer may be at an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease, according to the results of a meta-analysis.

10 Dec 2010

Scientists determine 500 three-dimensional protein structures from bacterial and protozoan pathogens

Scientists at Seattle Biomedical Research Institute and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have reached a major milestone in the effort to wipe out some of the most lethal diseases on the planet.

9 Dec 2010

Zealand receives EUR 500,000 milestone payment from Helsinn Healthcare for ZP1846 development program

Zealand Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative peptide drugs that recently listed on NASDAQ OMX, today announces the receipt of a EUR 500,000 (DKK 3.73 million) milestone payment as part of its license agreement with Helsinn Healthcare for the development of ZP1846 for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced diarrhoea. This milestone payment has no impact on the Company's outlook for 2010.

9 Dec 2010

Research sheds new light on dopamine's role in brain's reward system

Researchers have shed new light on dopamine's role in the brain's reward system, which could provide insight into impulse control problems associated with addiction and a number of psychiatric disorders.

9 Dec 2010

Results of proteomics study performed utilizing plasma samples from ADNI now available

The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health's Biomarkers Consortium announced today that the results of a proteomics study performed utilizing plasma samples from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative are ready to be shared with scientists worldwide for further analysis.

9 Dec 2010

Excreted antibiotics become potential sources of antibiotic resistant genes

When an antibiotic is consumed, researchers have learned that up to 90 percent passes through a body without metabolizing. This means the drugs can leave the body almost intact through normal bodily functions.

9 Dec 2010

Insulin related calls to poison centers increase 279%

Annual calls to poison centers regarding insulin have skyrocketed by 279 percent over the past 10 years, according to a new study authored by medical professionals at four U.S. poison centers.

9 Dec 2010

Enbrel outperforms Humira in treating newly diagnosed RA patients: Report

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that Amgen/Pfizer's Enbrel is the leading tumor necrosis factor -alpha inhibitor prescribed in newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis patients, outpacing Abbott's Humira in the first three lines of treatment.

9 Dec 2010

Media examines efforts to protect patients in Africa from counterfeit medications

HP and the African social enterprise mPedigree on Monday announced a new service that will enable patients in Ghana and Nigeria to verify the authenticity of their medications, Fast Company reports. "Counterfeit drugs are estimated to be a $75-billion-per-year business, [and are] implicated in the deaths of something like 700,000 people around the world annually," according to the article (Zax, 12/6).

9 Dec 2010

Personalized medicine advocates push for better reimbursement system

The U.S. reimbursement for diagnostic tests is outdated and inhibits the development of more personalized tests for patients, according to a report released Tuesday by the Personalized Medicine Coalition.

9 Dec 2010

Docs distrust hospitals; Americans divided over health law; Children's hospitals lose discounts on orphan drugs

"The successful implementation of the new health care reform law will hinge on physicians and hospitals working out trust issues with one another," according to a new PricewaterhouseCoopers survey. "The reform law requires increased collaboration and information sharing between physicians and hospitals, including through new accountable care organization arrangements, to reduce costs and increase quality."

9 Dec 2010

India, EU trade agreement will not restrict ability for India's pharmaceutical firms to export generic drugs, official says

"India and the European Union (EU) have agreed that the comprehensive bilateral trade agreement being negotiated by the two will not result in an intellectual property regime that restricts the ability of Indian pharmaceutical firms to export generic or off-patent drugs by being far more stringent than the TRIPS [Trade-Related Aspects of International Property Rights] regime of the World Trade Organization," LiveMint.com reports in an article that describes recent debates over the agreement.

9 Dec 2010

Estrogen receptor beta inactivates critical genes, arrests cancer cell growth

Bionovo, today announced the publication of a study demonstrating that ERb causes cancer cell growth arrest by inactivating critical genes and enzymes responsible for cell growth. These results provide evidence that drugs that stimulate the production of or activate ERb are potential new therapies to prevent breast cancer.

9 Dec 2010

Three drug companies to pay $421 million in fraud settlement

Los Angeles Times: Three pharmaceutical firms — Roxane, Abbott Laboratories and B. Braun Medical — "agreed to pay more than $421 million to settle claims of defrauding Medicare and Medicaid — the latest in a string of large healthcare fraud settlements announced by the Justice Department. The drug companies charged one set of prices to doctors and pharmacies but reported another set of inflated figures that were used as benchmarks by government insurers reimbursing healthcare providers, authorities said" (Zajac, 12/8).

9 Dec 2010

e-cigarettes spark debate in U.S.

Electronic cigarettes have been seen as a tobacco product but not as drugs. The US Food and Drug Administration had appealed to the court to treat these cigarettes as drugs but the court says this is an oversight. The FDA cited five e-cigarette distributors for poor manufacturing practices and falsely claiming that the products help people stop smoking.

8 Dec 2010

Drugs News and Research

PharmaDirections congratulates Orexigen on FDA Advisory approval for Contrave

Researchers find new light-activated platinum-based compound to kill cancer cells

NCCN announces new guidelines for patients with multiple myeloma

Some key molecular events in immune system contribute to inflammatory bowel disease: Scientists

VCP gene causes some instances of familial ALS: Researchers

Aromatase inhibitors raise risk of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal breast cancer patients

Scientists determine 500 three-dimensional protein structures from bacterial and protozoan pathogens

Zealand receives EUR 500,000 milestone payment from Helsinn Healthcare for ZP1846 development program

Research sheds new light on dopamine's role in brain's reward system

Results of proteomics study performed utilizing plasma samples from ADNI now available

Excreted antibiotics become potential sources of antibiotic resistant genes

Insulin related calls to poison centers increase 279%

Enbrel outperforms Humira in treating newly diagnosed RA patients: Report

Media examines efforts to protect patients in Africa from counterfeit medications

Personalized medicine advocates push for better reimbursement system

Docs distrust hospitals; Americans divided over health law; Children's hospitals lose discounts on orphan drugs

India, EU trade agreement will not restrict ability for India's pharmaceutical firms to export generic drugs, official says

Estrogen receptor beta inactivates critical genes, arrests cancer cell growth

Three drug companies to pay $421 million in fraud settlement

e-cigarettes spark debate in U.S.

Drug Discovery - Second Edition eBook

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

Latest News