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Cost increases for branded drugs outpace inflation

U.S. price increases on popular branded drugs in the past year have been more than six times the overall rate of inflation for consumer goods, while spending on specialty medications is up nearly 23 percent, according to data compiled by Express Scripts for its first quarterly drug trend report.

29 Nov 2012

Bend Research, PATH and FhCMB develop new technology for thermostable vaccine production

Bend Research Inc., PATH, and Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology (FhCMB) announce the development of a new technology for the production of thermostable vaccines. Utilizing novel formulation and spray-drying processing methods, the technology has enabled scientists at Bend Research, PATH, and FhCMB to develop a spray-dried influenza vaccine product that is stable at 50°C for over 2 months. The technology can also be applied to emerging influenza and other vaccines.

29 Nov 2012

SLU study to use various assays for new TB vaccine development

A pilot study at Saint Louis University Center for Vaccine Development could shape the future of tuberculosis vaccine research by developing tests to identify the most promising vaccine candidates to address this global health crisis.

29 Nov 2012

New antifungal drugs could be developed based on substance bacteria use to decompose mushrooms

Soft rot diseases cause a great deal of damage in agriculture, and turn fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms to mush. By using imaging mass spectrometry together with genetic and bioinformatic techniques (genome mining), German researchers have now discovered the substance the bacteria use to decompose mushrooms.

29 Nov 2012

Study: Tdap vaccination safe for seniors

A new study of the safety of the tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine supports the recommendation that those 65 and older get the vaccine to protect themselves and others, particularly young babies, from pertussis.

29 Nov 2012

Tufts University researchers demonstrate silk-based implantable optics

Tufts University School of Engineering researchers have demonstrated silk-based implantable optics that offer significant improvement in tissue imaging while simultaneously enabling photo thermal therapy, administering drugs and monitoring drug delivery. The devices also lend themselves to a variety of other biomedical functions.

29 Nov 2012

Pharma companies improving access to medicines but lack oversight of outsourced clinical trials, analysis says

Pharmaceutical companies are showing "greater accountability in the boardroom today over access to medicines, with more openness, targets and investment in drugs relevant to the poor," but they "show no evidence that they adequately supervise the conduct of outsourced clinical drug trials, according to a new analysis released on Wednesday," the Financial Times reports.

29 Nov 2012

Review: Omega-3 fatty acids may still help prevent heart disease

Literally hundreds of clinical trials, including some that have gained widespread attention, have been done on the possible benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for the prevention of heart disease - producing conflicting results, varied claims, and frustrated consumers unsure what to believe.

29 Nov 2012

Omega-3 fatty acids can benefit women at risk of postpartum depression

The "feel-good" hormone serotonin, depleted by pregnancy, can be replenished by adding sources of omega-3 to the diets of pregnant women and new mothers - a development particularly beneficial to the 10 to 15 percent of women at risk for postpartum depression, according to a recent University of Montreal study published in the latest edition of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

29 Nov 2012

$ACE-inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers can treat heart failure with preserved ejection fraction$

ACE-inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers can treat heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

A novel study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden suggests that commonly used drugs to treat heart failure and high blood pressure may have a wider range of application than earlier known, and also can be used against so called HFPEF - a type of heart failure that until now has been impossible to treat.

29 Nov 2012

Forest, Alkem and Torrent settle generic BYSTOLIC patent infringement litigation

Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Forest Laboratories Holdings, Ltd. announced today that they have entered into settlement agreements with Alkem Laboratories, Ltd., Indchemie Health Specialties Pvt. Ltd., and Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Torrent Pharma Inc. in patent infringement litigation brought by Forest in response to abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) filed by Alkem, Indchemie and Torrent each seeking approval to market generic versions of Forest's BYSTOLIC (nebivolol) tablets.

29 Nov 2012

Solvias, Hovione partner to develop and supply pharmaceutical co-crystals

Hovione and Solvias today announced the establishment of a collaboration focused on the development and GMP supply of pharmaceutical co-crystals. This strengthens Hovione's expertise and experience in overcoming drug delivery challenges and also the supply of GMP materials from phase I to commercial scale, with Solvias' excellence in solid state chemistry.

28 Nov 2012

Warfarin treatment after aortic valve replacement reduces risk of cardiovascular death

Although current guidelines recommend 3 months of anticoagulation treatment after bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement surgery, a study that included more than 4,000 patients found that patients who had warfarin therapy continued between 3 and 6 months after surgery had a lower rate of cardiovascular death, according to a study in the November 28 issue of JAMA.

28 Nov 2012

Injecting Wnt7a protein could prevent Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Scientists have discovered that injecting a novel human protein into muscle affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy significantly increases its size and strength, findings that could lead to a therapy akin to the use of insulin by diabetics.

28 Nov 2012

Prevalence of mental health diagnoses increases with long duration of opioid use

Most patients taking opioids for low back pain or other pain syndromes are prescribed low-to moderate doses, but a substantial number are given higher doses. Although there is no consensus on an absolute limit because tolerance varies over time among individual patients, what is known, however, is higher does are associated with elevated risks for side effects, addiction, overdoses and death.

28 Nov 2012

Off label atypical antipsychotic use lacks safety and effectiveness in patients over 40

In older adults, antipsychotic drugs are commonly prescribed off-label for a number of disorders outside of their Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved indications - schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The largest number of antipsychotic prescriptions in older adults is for behavioral disturbances associated with dementia, some of which carry FDA warnings on prescription information for these drugs.

28 Nov 2012

Digoxin increases risk of death in patients with atrial fibrillation

Digoxin, a drug widely used to treat heart disease, increases the possibility of death when used by patients with a common heart rhythm problem − atrial fibrillation (AF), according to new study findings by University of Kentucky researchers. The results have been published in the prestigious European Heart Journal, and raises serious concerns about the expansive use of this long-standing heart medication in patients with AF.

28 Nov 2012

Intramyocardial injection of organ-derived stem cells after AMI improves left ventricle function

A study published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation, now freely available on-line, has found that when mesenchymal cells derived from skeletal muscle (SM-MSCs) or adipose tissue (ADSCs) were injected into the heart muscle (myocardium) of separate groups of laboratory rats that had suffered a myocardial infarction, rats in both groups experienced significantly improved left ventricle function and smaller infarct size after cell therapy.

28 Nov 2012

Carnosic acid promotes eye health

Herbs widely used throughout history in Asian and early European cultures have received renewed attention by Western medicine in recent years. Scientists are now isolating the active compounds in many medicinal herbs and documenting their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. In a study published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Stuart A. Lipton, M.D., Ph.D. and colleagues at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) report that carnosic acid, a component of the herb rosemary, promotes eye health.

28 Nov 2012

State roundup: Conn. official says bulk buying prescription drugs could help budget

The state's chief fiscal watchdog is asking legislators and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's administration to take a second look at how government purchases prescription medication -- and a proposal he believes could save more than $65 million over the next fiscal year.

28 Nov 2012

Pharmaceutical News

Cost increases for branded drugs outpace inflation

Bend Research, PATH and FhCMB develop new technology for thermostable vaccine production

SLU study to use various assays for new TB vaccine development

New antifungal drugs could be developed based on substance bacteria use to decompose mushrooms

Study: Tdap vaccination safe for seniors

Tufts University researchers demonstrate silk-based implantable optics

Pharma companies improving access to medicines but lack oversight of outsourced clinical trials, analysis says

Review: Omega-3 fatty acids may still help prevent heart disease

Omega-3 fatty acids can benefit women at risk of postpartum depression

ACE-inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers can treat heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Forest, Alkem and Torrent settle generic BYSTOLIC patent infringement litigation

Solvias, Hovione partner to develop and supply pharmaceutical co-crystals

Warfarin treatment after aortic valve replacement reduces risk of cardiovascular death

Injecting Wnt7a protein could prevent Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Prevalence of mental health diagnoses increases with long duration of opioid use

Off label atypical antipsychotic use lacks safety and effectiveness in patients over 40

Digoxin increases risk of death in patients with atrial fibrillation

Intramyocardial injection of organ-derived stem cells after AMI improves left ventricle function

Carnosic acid promotes eye health

State roundup: Conn. official says bulk buying prescription drugs could help budget

Exploring the nanoscale: How AFM is transforming cosmetic science

Innovating Texture and Culture in Plant-Based Foods

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

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