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Morphotek announces first therapeutic monoclonal antibody for clinical development

Morphotek, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., today announced that a monoclonal antibody has been selected for advancement to clinical development under the terms of its March 2009 collaboration agreement with Human Genome Sciences, Inc.

29 Sep 2010

New topical microbicide gel can prevent HIV transmission

Amyloid protein structures are best known for the troubles they pose in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. Now researchers are trying to exploit their presence in a very different place in semen to find a new way to stop HIV.

29 Sep 2010

Ready-to-Use Cardene I.V. lowers acutely elevated blood pressure: CLUE study

Results from the CLUE study, a head-to-head comparison between Ready-to-Use Cardene I.V. (nicardipine) and labetalol in the emergency room, showed that Ready-to-Use Cardene I.V. lowers acutely elevated blood pressure more effectively than labetalol. These data were presented today at the annual meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

29 Sep 2010

New genetic screening program to reduce risk associated with Plavix

Beginning this month, all patients undergoing cardiac catheterization at Vanderbilt University Medical Center will be tested for a genetic variation that can affect their response to Plavix, the most commonly prescribed clot-preventing drug for heart patients and one of the most commonly prescribed drugs worldwide.

29 Sep 2010

KINAXO, Daiichi Sankyo enter long-term partnership in cancer research

KINAXO Biotechnologies GmbH and Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited entered a long-term partnership in cancer research. Under the agreement, Daiichi Sankyo will employ KINAXO's technology platform to support the development of Daiichi Sankyo's targeted cancer drugs.

29 Sep 2010

Researchers identify biomarker to predict tivozanib drug resistance

Researchers believe there may be a way to predict, based on individual tumors, those patients that are more likely to respond to the investigational new drug tivozanib.

29 Sep 2010

National Jewish Health's liposome-based vaccine receives US patent

National Jewish Health has received a US patent for a new kind of vaccine, which uses a small lipid bubble to deliver an antigen and DNA adjuvant. Chairman of Pediatrics Erwin Gelfand, MD, and former National Jewish Health Professor of Medicine Steve Dow, PhD, developed the new liposome-based adjuvant.

29 Sep 2010

Computer-assisted decisions can sometimes cause problems for prescribing

Experts hoped computers could help doctors make treatment safer for patients, but it turns out they have side effects, too. The Wall Street Journal's Health Blog reports, for one study,the anti-clotting drug warfarin and a certain antibiotic can produce hazardous effects when taken together.

29 Sep 2010

Hypertension drug market to decline by $3 billion in 2019: Decision Resources

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues finds that, owing to increasing generic availability of antihypertensive agents, the hypertension drug market will decline from $26 billion in 2009 to $23 billion in 2019 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Japan.

29 Sep 2010

USFDA approves Sun Pharmaceutical's ANDA to market Rilutek tablets

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced that USFDA has granted a tentative approval for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) to market a generic version of Sanofi Aventis's Rilutek® tablets 50 mg.

29 Sep 2010

Researchers find genetic variants that cause arthritis in breast cancer patients taking aromatase inhibitors

Mayo Clinic researchers and their international colleagues have discovered genetic variants that lead to severe arthritis for a subset of women when taking aromatase inhibitors to treat their breast cancer. This serious side effect is so painful that many women halt their lifesaving medication. The findings appear today in the online issue of Journal of Clinical Oncology.

28 Sep 2010

Venous thromboembolism drugs to experience robust growth by 2019

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, driven primarily by the launch and widespread uptake of novel oral anticoagulants, the combined markets for drugs used in the treatment and prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism will experience robust growth, increasing from $2.9 billion in 2009 to more than $5 billion in 2019 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Japan.

28 Sep 2010

Mucosis collaborates with PATH to pursue use of Mimopath technology in diarrhea vaccines

Dutch biotechnology company Mucosis B.V. announced today that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with the global health nonprofit organization PATH to pursue the use of the company's Mimopath technology in oral vaccines to prevent and treat severe diarrhea.

28 Sep 2010

Clinical study results for patient-specific vaccine therapy to treat metastatic melanoma announced

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian recently announced encouraging clinical study results for patient-specific vaccine therapy to treat metastatic melanoma. The study is ongoing, but the report concludes that patient-specific vaccines can sometimes induce durable complete regression of progressing soft-tissue melanoma metastases, as demonstrated in one particular patient who participated in the trial.

28 Sep 2010

Japanese Patent Office issues patent for ZIOPHARM Oncology's darinaparsin

ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc. today announced that the Japanese Patent Office has issued a patent, Patent No. 4,571,408, with claims covering pharmaceutical compositions, including oral formulations, of various organic arsenic compounds, including darinaparsin (Zinapar or ZIO-101), and the use of these compositions and the organic arsenic compounds for the treatment of cancer, including as part of a combination therapy.

28 Sep 2010

Bayer’s new oral contraceptive receives FDA approval

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new oral contraceptive, Beyaz (drospirenone / ethinyl estradiol / levomefolate calcium tablets and levomefolate calcium tablets).

28 Sep 2010

Many adults skip vaccines because of costs

The New York Times' Patient Money column examines the importance of vaccines for adults.

28 Sep 2010

LIMK inhibition blocks collective invasion of tumor cells: Researchers

Researchers have shown that LIM kinase, an important regulator of actin cytoskeleton dynamics, plays a key role in cancer metastasis. The study appears online on September 27 in The Journal of Cell Biology www.jcb.org.

28 Sep 2010

Novel therapies for HCV treatment can precipitate several changes: Report

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that the launch of novel therapies for the treatment of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), including Vertex/Johnson & Johnson/Mitsubishi Tanabe's telaprevir and Merck's boceprevir, will precipitate several changes in HCV treatment.

28 Sep 2010

Amira submits IND application for AM152 antagonist

Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for AM152, a novel LPA1 antagonist. If accepted, the IND will enable Amira to begin Phase 1 safety studies with the compound in healthy subjects.

28 Sep 2010