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High blood pressure drugs may be useful in preventing and treating diabetic retinopathy: Study

Scientists in Massachusetts are reporting new evidence that certain high blood pressure drugs may be useful in preventing and treating diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of vision loss in people with diabetes. The study, the largest to date on proteins in the retina, could lead to new ways to prevent or treat the sight-threatening disease, they say.

25 Feb 2010

EpiCept provides business update and fourth-quarter financial highlights

EpiCept Corporation today announced operating and financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2009, and provided an update on Ceplene® and several of the Company’s key product candidates.

25 Feb 2010

SSRIs exhibit anti-inflammatory effects and may provide drug development opportunities for RA

A new study found that fluoxetine (Prozac-) and citalopram (Celexa-) treatment significantly inhibited disease progression of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. Research led by Sandra Sacre, Ph.D. from the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) in the UK studied the anti-arthritic potential of these drugs, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), most commonly used to treat depression.

25 Feb 2010

Genetic Disorder Tracker introduced by Guidepoint Global

Guidepoint Global, LLC, a leading primary research firm, today announced the launch of their Genetic Disorder Tracker, a monthly longitudinal data release that captures commercial trends, on a worldwide basis, associated with the treatment of eight rare genetic disorders: Gaucher's disease, Fabry's disease, PKU, MPS I (Hurler Syndrome), MPS II (Hunter Syndrome), MPS VI (Maroteaux-Lamy Syndrome), Niemann-Pick disease and Pompe disease.

25 Feb 2010

FDA approves Pfizer's Prevnar 13 pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for Prevnar 13™ (Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine [Diphtheria CRM197 Protein]), the Company’s 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

25 Feb 2010

Unique technology identifies drug candidates, speeds up drug development

The search for new therapeutic agents is time-consuming and expensive. Pharmaceutical companies may have to screen thousands of compounds for the ability to bind a target molecule before they hit upon a promising drug candidate.

From NanoTemper Technologies 24 Feb 2010

FDA approves Wyeth Pharmaceuticals' Prevnar 13 pneumococcal disease vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Prevnar 13, a pneumococcal 13-valent conjugate vaccine for infants and young children ages 6 weeks through 5 years. Prevnar 13 will be the successor to Prevnar, the pneumococcal 7-valent conjugate vaccine licensed by the FDA in 2000 to prevent invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and otitis media. The new vaccine extends the protection to six additional types of the disease causing bacteria.

24 Feb 2010

FDA accepts Arena Pharmaceuticals' lorcaserin NDA

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that its New Drug Application (NDA) for lorcaserin, Arena's internally discovered and developed drug candidate for weight management, including weight loss and maintenance of weight loss, has been accepted for filing by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Arena submitted the lorcaserin NDA on December 22, 2009, and expects to learn the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date in the next few weeks. The PDUFA date is the target date for the FDA to complete its review of an NDA.

24 Feb 2010

Shire receives FDA Fast Track designation for REPLAGAL

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announces it has received Fast Track designation from the FDA for REPLAGAL(R) (agalsidase alfa), its enzyme replacement therapy for Fabry disease.

24 Feb 2010

Nutrition 21: Health Canada approves chromium picolinate for sale as a natural health product

Nutrition 21, Inc., the developer and marketer of nutritional ingredients for the dietary supplement, functional food and beverage markets announced today that chromium picolinate has been officially approved for sale in Canada as a natural health product by Health Canada, the Canadian federal agency devoted to maintaining and improving the health of the nation's citizens. As a result of this approval, Nutrition 21 can now sell its Chromax® brand of chromium picolinate to Canadian manufacturers, marketers, and importers of natural health products.

24 Feb 2010

FDA's warning over LABA medications for asthma: AANMA offers guidance

Today Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) offered guidance to help patients understand recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warnings about Advair ® (fluticasone and salmeterol), Foradil ® (formoterol), Severent ® (salmeterol) and Symbicort ® (budesonide and formoterol), daily inhaled medications containing a long-acting beta agonist (LABA, a 12-hour bronchodilator).

24 Feb 2010

PharmAthene awarded total of $78.4M in additional funding to develop SparVax vaccine

PharmAthene, Inc. a biodefense company specializing in the development and commercialization of medical countermeasures against chemical and biological threats, announced today that the Department of Health and Human Services, through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority has modified its existing research and development contract with PharmAthene providing for up to a total of $78.4 million in additional funding, provided that certain milestones are achieved and that all contract options and extensions are exercised by the government, to support the continued advanced development of SparVax™, a second generation recombinant protective antigen (rPA) anthrax vaccine targeted for future procurement in the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile.

24 Feb 2010

ONDCP, HHS announce availability of over $1.1M for new Drug Free Communities Support programs

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing the availability of more than $1.1 million for new Drug Free Communities Support Mentoring program (DFC Mentoring) grants. An estimated 15 new Mentoring grants will be awarded (up to $75,000 per grant, per year) to drug and alcohol prevention community coalitions from across the nation. The length of the project period is up to two years.

24 Feb 2010

Diabetic Neuropathy: Drug having disease-modifying potential will earn 40% patient share in the U.S

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy, a drug that has disease-modifying potential would earn 40 percent patient share in the U.S., according to surveyed U.S. neurologists. Similarly, in Europe, such a drug would earn a comparable patient share of 43 percent, according to surveyed European neurologists.

24 Feb 2010

Emerging oral atypical antipsychotics to compete in increasingly crowded schizophrenia drug market

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, in the world's major pharmaceutical markets, emerging oral atypical antipsychotics will compete against each other and against established drugs for the same niche patient population in the treatment of schizophrenia.

24 Feb 2010

Sentry BioPharma Services to warehouse and distribute influenza vaccines for CDC

Sentry BioPharma Services announced today that The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) selected Sentry to store and distribute influenza vaccine in support of its national strategic reserve. Sentry will warehouse and distribute vaccine from its cGMP, FDA-registered facility located in Indianapolis, Ind. Sentry's vast experience storing and transporting regulated, temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products will ensure product integrity, supply chain security and fast, efficient distribution of the disease-preventing vaccines.

24 Feb 2010

Joint science advisory issues messages for diabetics at risk for heart disease and stroke

The data are inconclusive on heart risks from a class of blood sugar-lowering drugs called thiazolidinediones (TZDs) such as pioglitazone (Actos) or rosiglitazone (Avandia), but the medications should be used with close monitoring from healthcare providers according to a joint science advisory from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

24 Feb 2010

FEHBP PBM contracts: HR 4489 to reduce fraud and grant OPM greater power to audit

The House Subcommittee for the Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia heard testimony today on HR 4489, the “FEHBP Prescription Drug Integrity, Transparency, and Cost Savings Act.” The proposed bill would reform many aspects of how the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) contracts with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to provide prescription drug benefits to federal workers.

24 Feb 2010

UK pharmacists overwhelmingly prefer dispensing preservative-free drugs

MeadWestvaco Corp. announced today results from an online survey of 100 pharmacists in the UK regarding their preference for dispensing preservative-free nasal medications. The survey showed that 67 percent of UK pharmacists have a preference for dispensing a preservative-free drug. This percentage increased significantly to 84 percent after the benefits of preservative-free drugs were reviewed with these pharmacists.

24 Feb 2010

FDA recommends H1N1 for inclusion in next year's flu vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday recommended that the H1N1 (swine flu) strain be added to next year's seasonal flu vaccine, "putting an end to separate shots deployed against the pandemic," Bloomberg reports. The FDA committee voted unanimously to make the H1N1 strain one of the three strains included in the shot, according to the news service. "The panel's recommendations are routinely adopted and used to guide vaccine manufacturers," Bloomberg writes (Randall, 2/22).

24 Feb 2010

Pharmaceutical News

High blood pressure drugs may be useful in preventing and treating diabetic retinopathy: Study

EpiCept provides business update and fourth-quarter financial highlights

SSRIs exhibit anti-inflammatory effects and may provide drug development opportunities for RA

Genetic Disorder Tracker introduced by Guidepoint Global

FDA approves Pfizer's Prevnar 13 pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

Unique technology identifies drug candidates, speeds up drug development

FDA approves Wyeth Pharmaceuticals' Prevnar 13 pneumococcal disease vaccine

FDA accepts Arena Pharmaceuticals' lorcaserin NDA

Shire receives FDA Fast Track designation for REPLAGAL

Nutrition 21: Health Canada approves chromium picolinate for sale as a natural health product

FDA's warning over LABA medications for asthma: AANMA offers guidance

PharmAthene awarded total of $78.4M in additional funding to develop SparVax vaccine

ONDCP, HHS announce availability of over $1.1M for new Drug Free Communities Support programs

Diabetic Neuropathy: Drug having disease-modifying potential will earn 40% patient share in the U.S

Emerging oral atypical antipsychotics to compete in increasingly crowded schizophrenia drug market

Sentry BioPharma Services to warehouse and distribute influenza vaccines for CDC

Joint science advisory issues messages for diabetics at risk for heart disease and stroke

FEHBP PBM contracts: HR 4489 to reduce fraud and grant OPM greater power to audit

UK pharmacists overwhelmingly prefer dispensing preservative-free drugs

FDA recommends H1N1 for inclusion in next year's flu vaccine

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