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FDA: Plavix-Prilosec combination may reduce anti-clotting effect

Patients should avoid using the stomach acid reducer Prilosec/Prilosec OTC (omeprazole) with the anti-clotting drug Plavix (clopidogrel), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned on Nov. 17.

19 Nov 2009

Data from Phase 1 safety study of SB-728-T announced

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. announced today that data from the University of Pennsylvania investigator sponsored Phase 1 safety study of Sangamo's zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) based product, SB-728-T, for HIV/AIDS were inadvertently and prematurely disclosed on the internet.

19 Nov 2009

FDA issues complete response for Rituxan, a drug for treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Genentech, Inc., a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), and Biogen Idec announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a complete response on the companies’ applications for Rituxan® (rituximab) plus fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC) for the treatment of people with previously untreated and previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

19 Nov 2009

New radical approach to test chemo drugs for potential toxic effects

Jackson Laboratory Professor Gary Churchill wants to change that. With a new two-year, $1 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, Churchill is launching a radical new approach to testing three chemotherapeutic drugs for potential toxic effects.

19 Nov 2009

Halifax researcher wins Prix Galien Research Award

Dr. Donald Weaver, a Halifax researcher with unmatched credentials, received the Prix Galien Research Award at a ceremony in Ottawa last night. Known as the Nobel Prize of pharmaceutical research, this award is the highest distinction worldwide for biopharmaceutical work, and the most prestigious in the field of Canadian pharmaceutical research and innovation.

19 Nov 2009

Pfizer and DNDi to battle against HAT, VL and Chagas disease

Pfizer Inc and Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) have signed an agreement that is designed to facilitate advancements in the battle against human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and Chagas disease, which afflict vulnerable populations in the developing world.

19 Nov 2009

Xeomin receives approval for post-stroke spasticity of upper limb in European countries

Today, Merz Pharmaceuticals announced Xeomin®, the first botulinum toxin type A free from complexing proteins has been granted an extension of indication for post-stroke spasticity of the upper limb presenting with flexed wrist and clenched fist in adults in various European countries.

19 Nov 2009

Opiate-based painkillers can increase tumor-cell proliferation, says new study

Although morphine has been the gold-standard treatment for postoperative and chronic cancer pain for two centuries, a growing body of evidence is showing that opiate-based painkillers can stimulate the growth and spread of cancer cells.

19 Nov 2009

Sildenafil drug improves cardiac performance in young adults with congenital heart disease

Heart function significantly improved in children and young adults with single-ventricle congenital heart disease who have had the Fontan operation following treatment with sildenafil, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension, say researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

19 Nov 2009

People with egg allergy can have H1N1 flu vaccine in graded doses

As flu season got underway this fall, Dr. Catherine Monteleone, an allergist, noticed that her office started to receive an unusually high number of calls from people with egg allergy. They previously had avoided flu vaccines because of their sensitivity to eggs. This year, with all the attention being paid to the novel H1N1 influenza, those patients want to be protected against flu, and they contacted her to find out if they are candidates for inoculation.

19 Nov 2009

Experimental study shows beneficial effects of Vardenafil on NSAID-induced gastric ulcer

Indomethacin has been proved by epidemiological and experimental studies to be closely associated with peptic ulcer development. Vardenafil is a potent phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor and its effects on the gastric mucosa havenot been reported.

19 Nov 2009

Results from Phase IIa clinical trial evaluating VT-111 reported by Viron Therapeutics

Viron Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering the development of immune-modulating protein therapeutics derived from pathogens, today reported results from a Phase IIa clinical trial evaluating VT-111 (Serp-1), an anti-inflammatory protein derived from the myxoma virus.

19 Nov 2009

Dual niacin-statin therapy improves blood cholesterol levels but does not diminish plaque buildup

The routine prescription of extended-release niacin, a B vitamin (1,500 milligrams daily), in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease, a new vascular imaging study from Johns Hopkins experts shows.

19 Nov 2009

Once-a-day dosing clinical study of udenafil for erectile dysfunction completed

Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Dong-A PharmTech, Co. Ltd. announced today that it has completed a 240 patient once-a-day dosing clinical study of udenafil, its new long acting phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitor for erectile dysfunction (ED).

19 Nov 2009

WHO to launch yellow fever vaccination campaign in West Africa

The WHO on Tuesday announced it would lead a week-long, multi-country vaccination campaign in Africa next week to protect those "deemed at highest risk from yellow fever," Reuters reports.

19 Nov 2009

Humana to commence 'Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition' program for CMS

Effective Jan. 1, 2010, Humana will begin administering the Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition (LI-NET) program for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This program allows individuals who receive Medicare’s low-income subsidy to also receive immediate prescription drug coverage at the point of sale if they are not already enrolled in a Part D plan.

19 Nov 2009

Interim data from an ongoing phase 1 dose-escalation trial of XL147 reported

Exelixis, Inc. today reported interim data from an ongoing phase 1 dose-escalation trial of XL147 (SAR245408) in combination with the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib in patients with advanced solid tumors.

19 Nov 2009

New non-alcohol germ protection spray now available in Greater Cleveland

MyClyns, the new non-alcohol germ protection spray, is now available to consumers over the counter throughout Greater Cleveland, one of two cities in the nation chosen as initial test market cities prior to a nationwide product launch.

19 Nov 2009

GAVI Alliance drives down pentavalent vaccine costs, data shows

The "co-ordinated buying policy" of the GAVI Alliance has driven down "[t]he price of a vaccine that helps babies fight off killer diseases," according to data released by the group, Reuters reports. In 2010, the price of pentavalent vaccine, which protects against Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b), diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and hepatitis B, will fall "below $3.0 - a drop of almost $0.50 cents per dose on the 2009 price," according to the news services.

19 Nov 2009

Nicardipine Hydrochloride Injection for short-term treatment of hypertension launched

Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Ltd. has launched Nicardipine Hydrochloride Injection immediately following Sun Pharma's final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

19 Nov 2009