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States worry about Medicaid stimulus money drying up under scaled-back health bill

News outlets report on health care funding gaps in state budgets, including Massachusetts, Maryland, Georgia and Wisconsin, and the possible impact of a scaled-back federal health bill.

23 Jan 2010

PhRMA funds a two-year research initiative to evaluate the safety and benefits of existing drugs

The Pink Sheet recently reported that the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and individual drug firms, through the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, are funding a two-year public/private research initiative to evaluate the safety and benefits of drugs that are currently on the market.

23 Jan 2010

MACI/ACI therapies could prevent total joint replacement in OA patients

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the ten most disabling diseases in the developed world and is set to become more of a financial burden on health services as average life expectancy increases.

23 Jan 2010

FDA approves fampridine-SR drug for treatment of multiple sclerosis

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug fampridine-SR for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) have been evaluating the effects of the drug in MS for more than 10 years- it is the first medication shown to enhance some neurological functions in people with the disease - and their efforts helped pave the way for today's action by the FDA.

23 Jan 2010

Study shows certain heart medications may decrease risk of Parkinson's disease

UCLA researchers have discovered that a specific type of medication used to treat cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension, angina and abnormal heart rhythms may also decrease the risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

22 Jan 2010

Acorda Therapeutics receives marketing approval from FDA for AMPYRA

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that it has received marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for AMPYRA™ (dalfampridine), an oral treatment to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

22 Jan 2010

ACS Chemical Biology report supports zebrafish for drug development

By combining the tools of medicinal chemistry and zebrafish biology, a team of Vanderbilt investigators has identified compounds that may offer therapeutic leads for bone-related diseases and cancer.

22 Jan 2010

BioTech Medics begins creating TV and radio commercials for SHBAN Alcohol Free Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer

BioTech Medics, Inc. announced today that they have begun the pre-production stage of creating two minute, sixty second and thirty second direct response TV and radio commercials for nationwide distribution for its proprietary SHBAN™ Alcohol Free Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer.

22 Jan 2010

New study indicates viruses employ a novel mechanism to spread more quickly than thought possible

New video footage of a virus infecting cells is challenging what researchers have long believed about how viruses spread, suggesting that scientists may be able to create new drugs to tackle some viruses.

22 Jan 2010

Physicians take measures to treat ADHD on college campuses across the country

In college, students with attention deficit/hyperactive disorder face an array of challenges—long days and nights of classes, studying and activities, all of which require increasing amounts of concentration.

22 Jan 2010

Controversy around Merck's pricing for its AIDS drug Isentress

The controversy around Merck and Co. Pharmaceuticals’ pricing for its key AIDS drug Isentress — at nearly $13,000 per patient yearly, the most expensive first line AIDS therapy on the US market today — continued this week following Merck’s reaction to recent public criticism of its AIDS drug pricing. Merck ramped up its damage control PR efforts, issuing a press release that sought to rewrite the history of Isentress and deflect attention by claiming AIDS Healthcare Foundation has been unfairly attacking them.

22 Jan 2010

AARP launches Idaho Budget Hotline to oppose budget cuts on healthcare and critical services

Bracing for the impact of more budget cuts from the Governor, the worst may still be ahead for the growing number of Idaho families and the elderly forced to turn to the state for the basics.

22 Jan 2010

Heilongjiang Tianlong Pharmaceutical changes R&D focus to antibiotics and cardiac drugs

China Sky One Medical, Inc., a leading fully integrated pharmaceutical company developing and producing over-the-counter drugs in the People's Republic of China ("PRC"), today announced that Heilongjiang Tianlong Pharmaceutical Company ("Tianlong"), the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, will change its R&D focus from external use medicines to antibiotics and cardiac drugs.

22 Jan 2010

Findings may aid in developing therapeutic drugs for stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases

Biomedical scientists from the University of Central Florida and Louisiana State University have identified a way to block a "cell death signal" that they believe triggers brain damage during strokes.

22 Jan 2010

Mice study shows obesity can increase risk of developing liver cancer

Obesity comes with plenty of health risks, but there's one that's perhaps not so well known: an increased risk of developing cancer, and especially certain types of cancer like liver cancer. Now, a group of researchers reporting in the January 22nd issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, have confirmed in mice that obesity does indeed act as a "bona fide tumor promoter." They also have good evidence to explain how that happens.

22 Jan 2010

FDA accepts ACT Biotech's ACTB1003 IND

ACT Biotech Inc., a privately held biotechnology company developing a portfolio of oral kinase inhibitors as anti-cancer drugs, today announced the acceptance of the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for ACTB1003 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company has now assembled a complete preclinical package, including manufacturing and toxicology studies, allowing ACTB1003 to enter a clinical trial.

22 Jan 2010

Consistent pattern of cognitive deficits during childhood leads to adult schizophrenia

Years before adults develop schizophrenia, there is a pattern of cognitive difficulties they experience as children, including problems with verbal reasoning, working memory, attention and processing speed.

22 Jan 2010

New study shows VBID program can save money

Value-based insurance design programs — which reduce patient co-payments for highly effective treatments — can break even financially or possibly save money, according to a new study from University of Michigan, Harvard and other researchers.

22 Jan 2010

Reuters examines chronic disease in developing countries, future of drug prices

"Global health projections leave little doubt that chronic diseases are rapidly overtaking infectious diseases, such as malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis (TB), as the world's biggest killers - a shift emphasized by a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report on global health risks," Reuters writes in a story analyzing the future of drug pricing in the developing world. Longer life-spans in developing countries "and changing patterns of food, alcohol and tobacco consumption are creating a 'double burden' for poor nations, piling chronic diseases on top of infectious diseases," the news service writes.

21 Jan 2010

Depomed receives second $500,000 milestone payment from Covidien

Depomed, Inc. announced today that it has received a second $500,000 milestone payment under its worldwide license agreement with Covidien focusing on the exclusive development of four acetaminophen/opioid analgesic combination products utilizing Depomed’s Acuform® gastric retentive drug delivery technology. The most recent payment from Covidien, which was received in December 2009, relates to the development of a formulation for the second product candidate under the collaboration.

21 Jan 2010

Drugs News and Research

States worry about Medicaid stimulus money drying up under scaled-back health bill

PhRMA funds a two-year research initiative to evaluate the safety and benefits of existing drugs

MACI/ACI therapies could prevent total joint replacement in OA patients

FDA approves fampridine-SR drug for treatment of multiple sclerosis

Study shows certain heart medications may decrease risk of Parkinson's disease

Acorda Therapeutics receives marketing approval from FDA for AMPYRA

ACS Chemical Biology report supports zebrafish for drug development

BioTech Medics begins creating TV and radio commercials for SHBAN Alcohol Free Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer

New study indicates viruses employ a novel mechanism to spread more quickly than thought possible

Physicians take measures to treat ADHD on college campuses across the country

Controversy around Merck's pricing for its AIDS drug Isentress

AARP launches Idaho Budget Hotline to oppose budget cuts on healthcare and critical services

Heilongjiang Tianlong Pharmaceutical changes R&D focus to antibiotics and cardiac drugs

Findings may aid in developing therapeutic drugs for stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases

Mice study shows obesity can increase risk of developing liver cancer

FDA accepts ACT Biotech's ACTB1003 IND

Consistent pattern of cognitive deficits during childhood leads to adult schizophrenia

New study shows VBID program can save money

Reuters examines chronic disease in developing countries, future of drug prices

Depomed receives second $500,000 milestone payment from Covidien

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

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