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Abbott to acquire Piramal's Healthcare Solutions business

Abbott announced a definitive agreement with Piramal Healthcare Limited to acquire full ownership of Piramal's Healthcare Solutions business (Domestic Formulations), a leader in the Indian branded generics market, for an up-front payment of $2.12 billion, plus $400 million annually for the next four years, giving Abbott the No. 1 position in the Indian pharmaceutical market.

21 May 2010

British Columbia first in Canada to include Prevnar 13 in routine child immunization program

British Columbia is leading the way in vaccinations to protect children from serious disease. The province is the first in Canada to include Prevnar 13, the vaccine that provides the broadest coverage available against Streptococcus pneumoniae that may cause invasive pneumococcal disease, in the routine child immunization program.

21 May 2010

Dementia patients treated with neuroleptic drugs instead of anti-dementia medication: Study

Demented patients are often treated nonspecifically with psychoactive medications. Neuroleptic drugs are given even when they are not specifically indicated, as Tomislav Majic and his colleagues from the Charité Hospital, Berlin, show in the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107[18]: 320-7).

21 May 2010

Medco: Big jump in kids' prescription drug use last year

Children's prescription drug use rose "several times faster" than adult use last year, "due in part to swine flu drugs and Type 2 diabetes medications, according to Medco Health Solutions Inc," The Associated Press reports. The "pharmacy benefits manager said a 5 percent increase in prescription drug use for children contributed to a 10.8 percent spending increase last year. In contrast, overall prescription drug use rose 1.3 percent, and drug spending climbed 3.7 percent. Medco released its annual drug trend report Wednesday" (Murphy, 5/19).

21 May 2010

EpiCept launches Ceplene in Germany

EpiCept Corporation today announced the commercial launch of Ceplene (R) (histamine dihydrochloride) in Germany. The launch is being conducted by Meda AB, as part of an exclusive commercialization agreement for Ceplene signed by the two companies in January 2010.

21 May 2010

WHA addresses counterfeit medicines

Discussions about combatting counterfeit medicines continued at the 63rd World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva on Wednesday, Agence France-Press reports

21 May 2010

Research and movement in future towards universal influenza virus vaccine

Researchers at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine have developed a novel influenza vaccine that could represent the next step towards a universal influenza vaccine eliminating the need for seasonal immunizations. They report their findings today in the inaugural issue of mBio-, the first online, open-access journal published by the American Society for Microbiology.

20 May 2010

New study uses NMR in drug design

A new study by a team of researchers led by Jeffrey Peng, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame, is using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, to move drug design into groundbreaking consideration of the dynamic flexibility of drugs and their targets.

20 May 2010

Grifols reaches agreement with Pharmalink to acquire PPS drug development project

Today, Grifols SA announced that it has reached an agreement with the Swedish company Pharmalink AB to acquire various forms of intellectual property associated with the treatment of post-polio syndrome. The acquisition is expected to be finalized in the next few weeks and will include documentation, know-how, and Swedish regulatory approvals under the trade name Xepol.

20 May 2010

New IRMA report outlines the growing field of rectal microbicide R&D

International Rectal Microbicide Advocates will officially release its third landmark report -- "From Promise to Product: Advancing Rectal Microbicide Research and Advocacy" -- at the 2010 International Microbicides Conference in Pittsburgh, PA taking place May 22-25, 2010.

20 May 2010

Drug trend for children increased 10.8% in 2009 across America

In growing numbers, children across America are adding a dose of medicine to their daily routine. In 2009, drug trend for children – a measure of prescription spending growth – increased 10.8 percent, driven by a 5 percent increase in drug utilization and higher medication costs, according to the Medco 2010 Drug Trend Report. The growth in prescription drug use among children was nearly four times higher than the rise seen in the overall population.

20 May 2010

Seniors, low-income earners more likely to be long-term users of benzodiazepines: Study

Drugs to treat anxiety and sleep disorders are still being prescribed for extended periods to British Columbian patients - and increasingly so for baby boomers - despite warnings against long-term use, according to a University of British Columbia study.

20 May 2010

Saint Louis University conducts research to find safe, effective vaccination for dengue

Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, Saint Louis University's Center for Vaccine Development is conducting research of an investigational vaccine designed to prevent people from contracting dengue, a potentially lethal virus that has rapidly spread around the world.

20 May 2010

Scientists present data on denufosol tetrasodium for CF at ATS 2010 International Conference

Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that Inspire scientists and collaborators will present data on denufosol tetrasodium, an investigational therapy for cystic fibrosis, during an oral presentation at the American Thoracic Society 2010 International Conference May 14 - 19, 2010 in New Orleans, LA.

20 May 2010

Apotex launches generic Lipitor

Apotex Inc, a Canadian owned pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Toronto, launched today Apo-Atorvastatin, a generic version of 'Lipitor(R)' produced by Pfizer(R). This is the largest product to be genericized in Canadian history with approximate yearly sales of $1.2 billion. This last patent on Lipitor(R) will not expire until 2022. Apotex Inc. invented its own crystal form, thus overcoming the patents, 12 years ahead of time, which will result in close to $7 billion of cost-savings for the Canadian healthcare system.

20 May 2010

World Health Assembly news

Media outlets continue to track news emerging from the 63rd annual World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva.

20 May 2010

New study shows preoperative statin therapy protects patients undergoing elective AAA repair

Preoperative statin therapy has a protective effect on patients undergoing elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair that reduces risk and subsequent total hospital costs according to a new study from researchers at the East Carolina Heart Institute in Greenville, North Carolina.

20 May 2010

Cobalt Pharmaceuticals receives Notice of Compliance from Health Canada to market Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Cobalt Pharmaceuticals has received a Notice of Compliance from Health Canada to market Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets in the 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg strengths. Watson has initiated shipments of this product.

20 May 2010

FDA approves ZYMAXID ophthalmic solution for treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis

Allergan, Inc. today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved ZYMAXID (gatifloxacin ophthalmic solution) 0.5%, a topical fluoroquinolone anti-infective indicated for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis caused by susceptible strains of the following organisms; Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus mitis group, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus pneumonia.

20 May 2010

USPTO issues Soligenix patent for use of beclomethasone dipropionate in treatment of IBS

Soligenix, Inc., a late-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today that the United States Patent Office (USPTO) has issued a patent (US 7,704,985) entitled "Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Related Bowel Diseases." The patent claims the use of beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a painful gastrointestinal condition that affects approximately 15% of the population in the industrialized world.

19 May 2010

Pharmaceutical News

Abbott to acquire Piramal's Healthcare Solutions business

British Columbia first in Canada to include Prevnar 13 in routine child immunization program

Dementia patients treated with neuroleptic drugs instead of anti-dementia medication: Study

Medco: Big jump in kids' prescription drug use last year

EpiCept launches Ceplene in Germany

WHA addresses counterfeit medicines

Research and movement in future towards universal influenza virus vaccine

New study uses NMR in drug design

Grifols reaches agreement with Pharmalink to acquire PPS drug development project

New IRMA report outlines the growing field of rectal microbicide R&D

Drug trend for children increased 10.8% in 2009 across America

Seniors, low-income earners more likely to be long-term users of benzodiazepines: Study

Saint Louis University conducts research to find safe, effective vaccination for dengue

Scientists present data on denufosol tetrasodium for CF at ATS 2010 International Conference

Apotex launches generic Lipitor

World Health Assembly news

New study shows preoperative statin therapy protects patients undergoing elective AAA repair

Cobalt Pharmaceuticals receives Notice of Compliance from Health Canada to market Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets

FDA approves ZYMAXID ophthalmic solution for treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis

USPTO issues Soligenix patent for use of beclomethasone dipropionate in treatment of IBS

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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