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WHO to take action against fake drug racket

The World Health Organization (WHO) has appealed for international action against fake and mislabelled medicines.

16 Feb 2006

Rituximab maintenance therapy dramatically improves survival for patients with lymphoma

Two years of maintenance therapy with rituximab dramatically improves the chances of survival for patients suffering from one of the most frequent forms of lymphoma, indolent non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL).

14 Feb 2006

Microbia and DuPont collaborate to develop novel biomanufacturing process

Microbia, Inc. has announced the formation of a collaborative research and development program between DuPont Central Research & Development (CR&D) and Microbia's Precision Engineering business unit.

7 Feb 2006

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceutical announce availability of 2 mg Abilify (aripiprazole) tablet

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. today announced two newly available options of Abilify (aripiprazole) -- a 2 mg tablet strength and a nonrefrigerated oral solution (1 mg/mL).

7 Feb 2006

Molecular Devices introduces a high-speed, laser-scanning, confocal imager

This system is the latest addition to its Total Imaging Solution which includes the ImageXpressMICRO imaging system, MetaXpress Software Application Modules, AcuityXpress Data Analysis software and the Transfluor Assay for GPCRs.

7 Feb 2006

Rotavirus vaccine will protect children against a major killer worldwide

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the licensing of a new vaccine against a disease responsible for tens of thousands of hospitalizations in the United States and hundreds of thousands of deaths around the world each year.

7 Feb 2006

Share of pharmaceutical spending in total healthcare expenditure remains high across most EU countries

Most EU member states have publicly funded healthcare systems and the proportion of pharmaceutical expenditure, as a portion of GDP remains high, particularly in countries such as Italy, Portugal, France, Spain and Greece.

2 Feb 2006

Student doctors call for ban on drug company bribes

Medical students in the U.S. are applauding a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which calls for a ban on gifts to doctors from drug companies.

26 Jan 2006

Patent losses open up $30 billion biologics market to generic competition

With powerhouse biologics, such as human growth hormone and insulin, losing their U.S. patent protection in 2005 and many more set to expire within the next 4 years, generic competition in the lucrative biopharmaceutical market is imminent, according to a new study from Kalorama Information.

25 Jan 2006

Breakthrough in lupus research

A major breakthrough in lupus research - one that may fundamentally change thinking on how the disease affects behavior and cognition - was reported in the January 17, 2006 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

25 Jan 2006

Aricept, Razadyne and Exelon can help people with mild Alzheimer's

The Alzheimer's drugs Aricept, Razadyne and Exelon can lead to small improvements in mental functioning and the ability to carry out everyday activities in people with mild to moderate forms of the disease, according to a new review of recent studies.

25 Jan 2006

Undamaged nerve fibres cause ongoing pain not damaged

New research shows that it is undamaged nerve fibres that cause ongoing spontaneous pain, not those that are injured.

25 Jan 2006

Injection of EU funds for a microdose project

A new EU-funded project kicked off this month which aims to bridge the gap between the laboratory and the clinic. The EU Microdose AMS Partnership Programme (EUMAPP) aims to boost Europe’s expertise in micodosing and its application of AMS, or accelerator mass spectrometry, to developing new candidate drugs for treating diseases the world over.

23 Jan 2006

Bristol-Myers Squibb agrees to record securities litigation settlement with sweeping drug disclosure requirements announces Labaton Sucharow

After prosecuting the securities litigation claims against Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMS) for over five years, Labaton Sucharow, Lead Counsel representing the class and Lead Plaintiff, the LongView Collective Investment Fund of the Amalgamated Bank, reached an agreement in principle to settle the claims for $185 million in addition to meaningful corporate governance reforms that will affect future consumers and investors alike.

23 Jan 2006

New method to find new metabolites

Ever since penicillin, a byproduct of a fungal mold, was discovered in 1929, scientists have scrutinized fungi for other breakthrough drugs. As reported Jan. 20 in the Journal of Chemistry and Biology, a team led by a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher has developed a new method that may speed the ongoing quest for medically useful compounds in fungi.

23 Jan 2006