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Johnson & Johnson in talks to buy Crucell

Johnson & Johnson is in advanced negotiations to buy Dutch biotechnology company Crucell NV for €1.75 billion ($2.29 billion), the two companies said today. Giles Somers, senior healthcare analyst at Datamonitor comments:

19 Sep 2010

Study examines effects of AEDs on nicotine metabolite levels in smokers

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School researchers have determined that carbamazepine and oxycarbamazepine, medications commonly used to treat neurologic and psychiatric conditions, increase nicotine metabolism in smokers. As nicotine metabolism increases, cravings for nicotine return more quickly which could lead to more frequent cigarette consumption among individuals who also take these medications.

18 Sep 2010

CytoGenix initiates novel liner DNA technology testing on ferrets for vaccine development

CytoGenix, Inc. today announced that it has initiated the process of testing CytoGenix's novel liner DNA technology on ferrets, with the expectations of a positive result, furthering the development of the vaccine candidate.

18 Sep 2010

Pazopanib drug reduces thyroid cancer progression: Study

The drug pazopanib may help revolutionize the care of patients with metastatic, rapidly progressive differentiated thyroid cancers, say researchers at Mayo Clinic who are publishing findings of a phase II clinical trial in The Lancet Oncology.

18 Sep 2010

Walgreens pharmacists in California offer immunizations that protect against pertussis

With the state of California on pace for the worst epidemic of pertussis, or whooping cough, in nearly five decades, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the California Department of Public Health continue to strongly encourage vaccination to help increase immunity and stop the spread of the disease for all Californians.

18 Sep 2010

HRA Pharma, Watson enter licensing agreement for ulipristal acetate emergency contraceptive commercialization

HRA Pharma, a privately-held, European pharmaceutical company that develops healthcare solutions in reproductive health and endocrinology and makes them available worldwide, and Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that they have entered into a licensing agreement for the commercialization of HRA Pharma's next generation emergency contraceptive ulipristal acetate in Canada.

18 Sep 2010

Researchers suggest potentially valuable role for minocycline plus N-acetylcysteine to treat TBI

Traumatic brain injury is a serious public health problem in the United States. Recent data show that approximately 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury annually. While the majority of TBIs are concussions or other mild forms, traumatic brain injuries contribute to a substantial number of deaths and cases of permanent disability.

18 Sep 2010

CMB initiates first human trial for plant-produced H1N1 influenza vaccine

Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology (CMB) announced today it has initiated the first human trial of plant-produced H1N1 influenza vaccine at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Clinical Trials Center (WRAIR-CTC).

18 Sep 2010

Ligand Pharmaceuticals transfers license rights to Proximagen for CXCR4 target

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today that it has transferred exclusive license rights to Proximagen Limited for a series of compound hits related to the CXCR4 target with application for a number of indications including those related to the central nervous system. Ligand will receive an upfront payment and continue to be entitled to receive potential future milestone and royalty payments.

18 Sep 2010

Emergent BioSolutions signs contract with HHS to develop rPA anthrax vaccine

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced today that it has signed a contract, valued at up to $186.6 million, with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority of the Department of Health and Human Services, for the development of a recombinant protective antigen anthrax vaccine.

18 Sep 2010

Emisphere’s SNAC drug successful in reducing food intake; increasing satiety

Emisphere Technologies, Inc. today announced that a clinical study found that the company's proprietary oral SNAC (Sodium N-[8-(2-hydroxybenzoyl) Amino] Caprylate ("SNAC") additive, in combination with two digestive hormones, was successful in reducing food intake and increasing satiety in healthy male subjects.

18 Sep 2010

CBO finds generic drugs save Medicare $33 billion in 2007

A new government report finds that the use of generic medications saved the Medicare program and its beneficiaries about $33 billion in 2007, The Associated Press/BusinessWeek report. The Congressional Budget Office report "says an additional $14 billion is expected as first-time generics enter the market through 2012. Medicare Part D is Medicare's prescription drug program" (9/15).

18 Sep 2010

Use of oral medications for diabetes increases among Americans: Report

The proportion of Americans reporting treatment for diabetes who took oral medications to treat their condition increased from 60 percent in 1997 to 77 percent in 2007, a 28 percent increase according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. During the same period, the proportion taking insulin to control their diabetes fell from 38 percent to 24 percent.

18 Sep 2010

FDA accepts to review Aricept NDA for Alzheimer's disease

Teikoku Pharma USA, Inc., an international specialty pharmaceutical company, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the New Drug Application (NDA) for a new weekly transdermal patch of Aricept, a leading medication for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

18 Sep 2010

FDA reviews Actos drug for bladder cancer risk

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it has begun a safety review of the diabetes drug Actos (pioglitazone), after receiving preliminary results from a long-term observational study designed to evaluate the risk of bladder cancer associated with use of this drug.

18 Sep 2010

BARDA awards contract to Emergent BioSolutions for anthrax vaccine development

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) awarded a $51 million contract to Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., of Rockville, Md., for the development of a new anthrax vaccine using the protective antigen (rPA) to stimulate a protective immune response that neutralizes the anthrax toxins.

18 Sep 2010

FDA decides to review information on Avastin for advanced HER2-negative breast cancer

Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, today announced that information submitted by the company to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during the review of the supplemental Biologics License Applications (sBLAs) for Avastin (bevacizumab) for previously untreated (first-line) advanced HER2-negative breast cancer has been deemed a major amendment.

18 Sep 2010

New iPhone application tracks drug safety updates

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Children's Hospital Boston have developed a new iPhone application to encourage health-care professionals and patients to send and receive information about the use and side effects of prescription medications.

17 Sep 2010

Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers to strengthen alliance with GAVI

Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN), a voluntary public health driven alliance of state owned and private vaccine manufacturers from developing countries, now intends to strengthen its collaboration with Global Alliance for Vaccine Immunization (GAVI) to increase its bandwidth in immunization for the developing countries.

17 Sep 2010

Opiate usage increases in workplace and ER

More American workers and job applicants are testing positive for prescription opiates, according to U.S. general workforce data in the 2009 annual Drug Testing Index™ (DTI) released today by Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the nation's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services. Results from more than 5.5 million urine drug tests reveal an 18 percent jump in opiate positives in the general U.S. workforce in a single year (2008 to 2009), and a more than 40 percent climb from 2005 to 2009.

17 Sep 2010