Pharmaceuticals News and Research

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Ingenium's acquisition of US patents may lead to drug discovery and development

Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG has acquired outright US patents no. 5,994,075 and no. 6,015,670 from Incyte Corporation, the company announced today.

12 May 2004

New patent has potential for the treatment of obesity

Two researchers have announced receipt of a patent on the use of MSH analogs--chemicals that regulate fat storage and metabolism in the body.

11 May 2004

What's the fourth biggest killer in America? Over 51% of Americans don't know either

More than half of Americans (51 percent) have never even heard of a disease that is the fourth leading killer in this country, according to results of a nationwide survey released today by the National Women’s Health Resource Center (NWHRC).

11 May 2004

Increasing number of cases of wet age-related macular degeneration

Nearly all retina specialists are greatly alarmed by the increasing number of cases of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of severe vision loss and blindness in people over the age of 50, and believe the disease will have a serious impact on the public.

11 May 2004

Country Industry Forecast - European Union Healthcare Industry

The accession of ten more central and east European countries to the European Union (EU) -15 in 2004 has created a single European market, the largest market and trading zone for the healthcare industry with almost 500 million consumers. The total healthcare industry comprising pharmaceuticals and drugs, medical devices and equipment, and health services is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.4 per cent from 2003 to 2008.

11 May 2004

Indicators identify shingles patients who have an increased risk of developing persistent pain

Researchers have recently confirmed a set of indicators that, alone and in combination, identify shingles patients who have an increased risk of developing persistent pain after the shingles rash heals. Results and implications of their study will be presented in the May 11 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

10 May 2004

PPD, Inc. has announced the launch of PPD Medical Device Division

PPD, Inc. has announced the launch of PPD Medical Device, a division of PPD Development, providing services to the medical device industry with experience in developing stents, devices and therapies in the areas of interventional cardiology, endovascular, neurology and orthopedic disorders as well as wound care.

10 May 2004

Australia's aged population is increasing faster than the government realises

Forecasting expert Professor Rob Hyndman, from the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics, said the number of elderly people was increasing faster than official estimates and warned that the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) was underestimating the future number of people aged over 85.

10 May 2004

Department of Health and Senior Services selects Medicare drug discount card provider

Health and Senior Services Commissioner Clifton R. Lacy, M.D. today announced the selection of Medco’s Preferred Prescriptions Discount Card Program to provide federal Medicare drug discount services to 81,000 beneficiaries in the state’s Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD) program.

8 May 2004

Call for consumers to legally and safely import prescription drugs

In testimony before the Department of Health and Human Services Drug Importation Task Force, CVS/pharmacy Chairman, President and CEO Tom Ryan called on Congress and the Administration to quickly establish a means for consumers to legally and safely import prescription drugs.

8 May 2004

Differing views on discount drug pricing

Medicare drug discount cards are now available for purchase. The US government estimates, the cards could save seniors as much as 25 percent of their prescription drug costs. According to a Harvard study

8 May 2004

Crime & prescription drug use in Australia

Research regarding the illicit use of prescription drugs in the Northern Territory and how this compares to other Australian states is the focus of the next presentation of Charles Darwin University’s Faculty of Education, Health and Science 2004 Seminar Program.

7 May 2004

Graduate program to address US nursing shortage

Jennifer Thompson, 38, left behind a lucrative career in pharmaceutical sales to become a nurse. She is one of 21 students enrolled in the University of New Hampshire's new direct entry master's in nursing program that is answering the call to fill the state and national need for more nurses prepared at higher levels of education.

6 May 2004

Antidepressant drugs prescription to children and adolescents increased 300% in the nineties

The rate at which antidepressant drugs are prescribed for the nation’s children and adolescents increased more than three fold between the early 1990s and 2001, according to a review of medical office survey data completed recently by researchers at Washington State University.

6 May 2004

The world generic drug market is expected to grow 10-15% annually

Currently, the world generic drug market is approaching $40 billion. Over the next five years, the market is expected to grow 10-15% annually.

6 May 2004

Vitrase has been approved for use as an adjunct to rehydrating agents

The Food and Drug Administration approved Vitrase (hyaluronidase for injection). Vitrase is an injectable drug approved as an adjunct to (in combination with) other injected drugs to increase their absorption and dispersion. Hyaluronidase has been used most commonly in combination with local anesthetics in the setting of ophthalmic (eye) surgery.

6 May 2004

Experimental sleep drug eszopiclone helps elderly to sleep better

Older people with insomnia slept better and longer after taking an experimental sleep medication, according to research at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

6 May 2004

A second-generation targetted antibody for potential cancer therapy

The overproduction, or 'overexpression', of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is one of the most common aberrations in cancer, and subsequently agents that inhibit EGFR are among the most hotly-pursued potential products in the pharmaceutical industry.

6 May 2004

New guidelines for using new antiepileptic drugs to treat epilepsy

The number of drugs available to treat epilepsy have more than doubled in the last decade. The American Academy of Neurology and the American Epilepsy Society have assembled the top experts in the field to evaluate the available data of 1,462 research articles in order to create a guideline for the treatment of epilepsy with the new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs).

6 May 2004

Ritalin drug used to treat hyperactive children boosts the potency of Parkinson's drug levodopa

A well-known drug used to treat hyperactive children boosts the potency of another drug that reduces Parkinson's disease symptoms, an Oregon Health & Science University study has found.

6 May 2004