Pharmaceuticals News and Research

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Potential new therapies for cancer and bleeding disorders

Lexicon Genetics announced today that it has advanced two of its drug discovery programs into preclinical development in preparation for investigational new drug (IND) applications.

10 Jan 2005

Velcade (bortezomib) phase III clinical trial initiated in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma

Millennium Pharmaceuticals today announced, in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, LLC, the initiation of VISTA (Velcadeas Initial Standard Therapy in multiple myeloma: Assessment with melphalan and prednisone), a multicenter, international phase III clinical trial of Velcadein combination with melphalan and prednisone versus melphalan and prednisone in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) who are not transplant candidates.

10 Jan 2005

Government should plough drug savings into Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)

Doctors and medicine-makers today called for an expected $280 million Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) windfall to be ploughed into bringing down the price of new cancer and HIV drugs.

9 Jan 2005

FDA approves Abraxane for metastatic breast cancer

American Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. and American Bioscience, Inc. (ABI) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Abraxane for Injectable Suspension (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin-bound) in metastatic breast cancer.

9 Jan 2005

Fallout from Vioxx and Celebrex market recall challenges industry

The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries face further marketing and sales challenges in 2005 as the fallout from the Vioxx and Celebrex market recall and warning make it increasingly challenging for companies across the industry to reach physicians and consumers with effective campaigns without the distractions of the unfavorable press these recent events have generated.

7 Jan 2005

First program to apply RNA interference (RNAi) technology to asthma

Sirna Therapeutics, Inc. has announced the first program to apply RNA interference (RNAi) technology to asthma, a highly prevalent, chronic disease accounting for an estimated $13 billion in healthcare costs in the United States, a number which is forecast to grow considerably by the end of the decade.

7 Jan 2005

Researchers want to see physicians reevaluate the drugs their elderly patients take to determine if they are appropriate

Just as our bodies physically slow down as we age, changes occur in the way that older bodies handle pharmaceuticals, and prescribing physicians need to be aware of those medications inappropriate for the elderly.

6 Jan 2005

Antibiotics protect nerves in mice by turning on genes

A family of antibiotics that includes penicillin may help prevent nerve damage and death in a wide variety of neurological diseases, including Lou Gehrig's disease, dementia, stroke, and epilepsy, Johns Hopkins researchers have found.

6 Jan 2005

States to explore putting restrictions on AIDS drug Trizivir

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has sent a letter dated October 20, 2004, to the heads of all state Medicaid programs asking them put in use treatment authorization request (TAR) procedures on GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) fixed-dose combination AIDS drug, Trizivir, as a standalone regimen for treatment naïve patients.

6 Jan 2005

Chamomile tea shown to boost the immune system and fight infections associated with colds

For centuries, people who’ve felt sick or stressed have tried drinking chamomile tea as a medicinal cure-all. Now, researchers in England have found new evidence that the popular herbal tea may actually help relieve a wide range of health ailments, including colds and menstrual cramps.

5 Jan 2005

Genaissance patent for novel methods to correlate genetics with drug safety and efficacy

Genaissance Pharmaceuticals received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a patent claiming methods for identifying correlations between the safety and efficacy of drugs and patients' unique genetic signatures.

4 Jan 2005

First new leukemia treatment approved specifically for children in more than a decade

Ash Stevens was approved to manufacture the bulk drug substance Clofarabine, the active ingredient in Genzyme Corp.'s Clolar (clofarabine) for the treatment of children with refractory or relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). This is the first new leukemia treatment approved specifically for children in more than a decade.

4 Jan 2005

The rise in over the counter drugs, why?

Switching of prescription drugs to over the counter availability is increasingly common, but what are the motives behind this trend, ask US researchers in this week's BMJ?

3 Jan 2005

Is open source the answer for finding cures for tropical diseases?

Only about 1% of newly developed drugs are for tropical diseases, such as African sleeping sickness and dengue fever. While patent incentives have driven commercial pharmaceutical companies to make Western health care the envy of the world, the commercial model only works if companies can sell enough patented products to cover their R&D costs and produce profits for shareholders.

28 Dec 2004

Information submitted via new drug applications could easily be made accessible to the public

A researcher at Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center is calling upon the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to share more information provided by pharmaceutical companies regarding their clinical drug trials.

28 Dec 2004

Paclitaxel may benefit Alzheimer's and Parkinson's movement disorders

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals have announced that a preclinical study published in today's early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences highlights the positive effects of Paxceed on movement disorders commonly seen in diseases known as taupathies, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

27 Dec 2004

FDA issues not approvable letter to Cellegy Pharmaceuticals

Cellegy Pharmaceuticals has announced receipt of a communication from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the form of a Not Approvable Letter for its product Cellegesic(TM) (nitroglycerin ointment).

26 Dec 2004

FDA approves Enablex for the treatment of overactive bladder

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Enablex® (darifenacin) extended-release tablets (7.5mg and 15mg) for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) with symptoms of urge urinary incontinence, urgency and frequency.

22 Dec 2004

Pharmacogenomics, has the potential to spark a major, technology-driven restructuring of the health care and pharmaceuticals industries

Pharmacogenomics, the study of genetic variability in the way individuals respond to medicines, has the potential to spark a major, technology-driven restructuring of the health care and pharmaceuticals industries

21 Dec 2004

Tasty polymeal cuts heart disease by 76 per cent

A combined meal of seven foods including wine and chocolate could reduce cardiovascular disease by 76 per cent, a team of researchers has found.

21 Dec 2004

Pharmaceuticals News and Research

Potential new therapies for cancer and bleeding disorders

Velcade (bortezomib) phase III clinical trial initiated in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma

Government should plough drug savings into Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)

FDA approves Abraxane for metastatic breast cancer

Fallout from Vioxx and Celebrex market recall challenges industry

First program to apply RNA interference (RNAi) technology to asthma

Researchers want to see physicians reevaluate the drugs their elderly patients take to determine if they are appropriate

Antibiotics protect nerves in mice by turning on genes

States to explore putting restrictions on AIDS drug Trizivir

Chamomile tea shown to boost the immune system and fight infections associated with colds

Genaissance patent for novel methods to correlate genetics with drug safety and efficacy

First new leukemia treatment approved specifically for children in more than a decade

The rise in over the counter drugs, why?

Is open source the answer for finding cures for tropical diseases?

Information submitted via new drug applications could easily be made accessible to the public

Paclitaxel may benefit Alzheimer's and Parkinson's movement disorders

FDA issues not approvable letter to Cellegy Pharmaceuticals

FDA approves Enablex for the treatment of overactive bladder

Pharmacogenomics, has the potential to spark a major, technology-driven restructuring of the health care and pharmaceuticals industries

Tasty polymeal cuts heart disease by 76 per cent

Drug Discovery - Second Edition eBook

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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