Pharmaceuticals News and Research

RSS

Biota makes major antiviral discovery

Biota Holdings Limited announced today that it has discovered a new class of orally-effective, potent antivirals against RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) infection.

7 Jun 2005

One-a-day tablet treats common infection

A bioadhesive tablet containing the antifungal drug miconazole is an effective and convenient means of treating oropharyngeal candidiasis, which is the most frequently occurring infection in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy, scientists reported at the 2nd ESMO Scientific & Educational Conference (ESEC) in Budapest, Hungary.

6 Jun 2005

Chemicals in Cannabis may help mentally ill

Smoking cannabis which has previously been shown to damage mental health, now according to a new study may be useful in relieving the symptoms of severe mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder.

6 Jun 2005

New vaccine against whooping cough is effective in teens and adults

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has announced that a study to be published in the June 22/29 issue found that a new vaccine against whooping cough is effective in teens and adults, carriers of the contagious respiratory disease so dangerous to infants.

3 Jun 2005

Survey reveals more than half of all Americans have first-hand experience with serious infections

A national survey sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) to assess consumer awareness of serious infections found a majority of consumers (66 percent) have either heard or read about the problem of antibiotic resistance in treating serious infections.

2 Jun 2005

Helix opens additional sites for its Topical Interferon Alpha-2b Phase II clinical study

Helix BioPharma announced today the opening of two additional German sites for the Phase II clinical trial of its Topical Interferon Alpha-2b product at the Charité Berlin, one of the largest university hospitals in Europe.

2 Jun 2005

The bacteria that cause food poisoning, bubonic plague, and whooping cough all deploy the same weapon to infect the body

A molecular "syringe" sticks out of the bacteria, pokes a hole in a nearby cell, and squirts in venomous proteins that hijack the cell's machinery.

2 Jun 2005

Fast track drugs - FDA too slow to check on drugmakers who do not complete follow up studies

A U.S. congressman is claiming that the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) system of rapidly approving new drugs is failing to ensure patient safety because drug companies are not doing the required follow-up studies.

1 Jun 2005

Organon obtains license for Merck's novel oral contraceptive

Akzo Nobel's human healthcare business, Organon, has been granted worldwide development and marketing rights by Merck KGaA affiliate Laboratoire Théramex for its novel oral contraceptive EMM 310066.

1 Jun 2005

Nearly one out of two visits to a doctor's office for help with a sleep disorder result in the prescription of potentially addictive medications

The drugs, called benzodiazepines, are often a cheaper alternative to some newer types of medicines that don't have the same potentially addictive side effects, said Rajesh Balkrishnan, the study's lead author and the Merrell Dow professor of pharmacy at Ohio State University.

1 Jun 2005

New Calcitonin drug delivery research holds promise for osteoporosis sufferers

Calcitonin, a hormone that lowers calcium levels in the blood and prevents bone loss, has only been available in an injectable and nasally-administered format to date.

1 Jun 2005

La Jolla Pharmaceutical provides update on Riquent

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company today announced that it has received "fast track" designation for Riquent (abetimus sodium) for the treatment of lupus renal disease from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

31 May 2005

Nastech Pharmaceutical awarded new breast cancer patent

Nastech Pharmaceutical Company today announced that it has been awarded U.S. patent No. 6,894,026, entitled, "Long-acting Oxytocin Analogues for the Treatment and Prevention of Breast Cancer and Psychiatric Disorders."

31 May 2005

Targepeutics issued new U.S patent

Targepeutics has announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 6,884,603 for its genetically modified, mutated Interleukin 13 (IL-13) technology platform for the treatment of malignant glioma, a brain tumor (17,500 people annually; $200 million annual market).

31 May 2005

U.S. pharmaceutical industry is overlooking as much as $16 billion in cash

The pressured U.S. pharmaceutical industry is overlooking as much as $16 billion in cash tied up in excess working capital or the equivalent of up to a full 2.1% of the current total enterprise value, according to the results of a new study by REL Consultancy Group.

31 May 2005

Exposure to pharmaceutical estrogen during fetal development can permanently "reprogram" tissue in a way that determines whether tumors will develop in adulthood

Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center may have uncovered the reason why some people who are genetically predisposed to hormone-dependent cancers develop the disease as an adult, while others who are similarly susceptible don't.

30 May 2005

Ranbaxy makes further three filings of its Anti-Retroviral (ARVs) formulations

Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited has announced that the Company has made further three filings of its Anti-Retroviral (ARVs) formulations, to the World Health Organization (WHO) for its approval under the latter's pre-qualification project for HIV/AIDS drugs.

30 May 2005

Flavonols in food, key to healthy eating?

University of Melbourne scientists may have found the secret of the fresh fruit and vegetables centred ‘Mediterranean diet’.

29 May 2005

Doubts cast over India's AIDS figures

A controversy has erupted after Indian health workers have, expressed doubts over the new HIV/AIDS figures released by the government, they says the figures are too good to be true.

29 May 2005

Bill Clinton urges U.S. drug companies to be more flexible on generic drugs

Bill Clinton, the former U.S. president, is urging the United States to be more flexible in allowing money pledged for AIDS prevention to be used for low-cost generic drugs, and he has criticized U.S. drug manufacturers for pressuring the government to restrict use of those funds.

26 May 2005