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GlobalPost examines debate surrounding PrEP

GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog examines questions surrounding the use of the antiretroviral Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of HIV infection among people at high risk, as studies released and panel discussions held last week at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) "raised concerns about the drug's effect on the future of the AIDS fight."

31 Jul 2012

McKesson settles Rx drug pricing case with 29 states

The nation's largest drug wholesaler by revenue will pay $151 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged the company inflated prescription drug prices for state Medicaid programs.

31 Jul 2012

Diverted medical marijuana use more common among adolescents in substance abuse treatment

A study published in the July 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that diverted medical marijuana use among adolescents receiving treatment for substance abuse is very common.

31 Jul 2012

DECISION+2 can reduce antibiotic use for acute respiratory infections

A training tool that helps physicians involve patients in decision-making can reduce the use of antibiotics for acute respiratory infections, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

31 Jul 2012

Traditional cures provide economic benefits

For millions of people around the world being sick doesn't mean making a trip to the local pharmacy for medicines like Advil and Nyquil. Instead it means turning to the forest to provide a pharmacopeia of medicines to treat everything from tooth aches to chest pains.

31 Jul 2012

Researchers identify new genetic target for diuretic therapy

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have identified a new genetic target for diuretic therapy in patients with fluid overload-like those with congestive heart failure, liver cirrhosis or kidney failure.

31 Jul 2012

Biovest receives Rapporteur and Co-Rapporteur designation for BiovaxID personalized cancer vaccine

Biovest International, Inc., a majority-owned subsidiary of Accentia Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has notified Biovest regarding the official designation of the Rapporteur and Co-Rapporteur for BiovaxID, a personalized cancer vaccine for the treatment of follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

30 Jul 2012

Sunovion launches ZETONNA Nasal Aerosol for allergic rhinitis

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced the nationwide availability of ZETONNA (ciclesonide) Nasal Aerosol, 74 mcg once-daily, for the treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR), also known as hay fever or nasal allergies. ZETONNA is a corticosteroid indicated for the treatment of symptoms associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) and perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) in adults and adolescents 12 years of age and older.

30 Jul 2012

Watson seeks FDA approval to market Epiduo Gel for severe acne

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today confirmed that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc., filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seeking approval to market Epiduo (adapalene and benzoyl peroxide) Gel, 0.1% / 2.5%.

30 Jul 2012

FDA accepts Exelixis’ cabozantinib NDA for filing

Exelixis, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing the New Drug Application (NDA) for cabozantinib as a treatment for patients with progressive, unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic medullary thyroid cancer (MTC).

30 Jul 2012

Arena transfers BELVIQ NDA to Eisai

Eisai Inc. and Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that Arena has transferred the BELVIQ (lorcaserin hydrochloride) New Drug Application (NDA) to Eisai.

30 Jul 2012

New compound effective at blocking damage to the retina in diabetic retinopathy

Researchers at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center have identified a compound that could interrupt the chain of events that cause damage to the retina in diabetic retinopathy. The finding is significant because it could lead to a novel therapy that targets two mechanisms at the root of the disease: inflammation and the weakening of the blood barrier that protects the retina.

30 Jul 2012

Neurotez receives U.S. patent for Leptin to treat Alzheimer's

Neurotez, Inc. today announced the grant of U.S. Patent number 8,227,408 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering the company's lead product candidate, Leptin. The patent protects use of the hormone Leptin for treating a progressive cognitive disease, disorder or condition, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), resulting from accumulation of an amyloid peptide or for improving resilience of cognitive function by modulating the accumulation of the amyloid peptide in brain.

30 Jul 2012

Takeda resubmits alogliptin and fixed-dose combination therapy NDAs with FDA

Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today confirmed that Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Inc. has resubmitted New Drug Applications (NDAs) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for alogliptin and fixed-dose combination therapy alogliptin and pioglitazone for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults.

28 Jul 2012

Confrontation looms for big pharmaceutical companies, generic drug makers

It would seem a business executive's dream: legally pay a competitor to keep its product off the market for years. Congress has failed to stop it, and for more than a decade generic drug makers and big-name pharmaceutical companies have been winning court rulings that allowed it.

28 Jul 2012

New drug can aid in losing weight and keeping it off

A new drug could aid in losing weight and keeping it off. The drug, described in the journal Cell Metabolism on July 26, increases sensitivity to the hormone leptin, a natural appetite suppressant found in the body. Although so far the new drug has only been tested on mice, the findings have implications for the development of new treatments for obesity in humans.

28 Jul 2012

ACT receives Australian patent for human retinal pigment epithelial cells

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that it has been issued a patent in Australia, patent number 2005325753, "Improved modalities for the treatment of degenerative diseases of the retina."

28 Jul 2012

EC approves Vertex's KALYDECO for treatment of cystic fibrosis

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today that the European Commission has approved KALYDECOTM (ivacaftor) for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) ages 6 and older who have at least one copy of the G551D mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene.

28 Jul 2012

Mylan receives FDA approval for generic Sporanox ANDA

Mylan Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Itraconazole Capsules, 100 mg.

27 Jul 2012

New platform for detecting substandard and counterfeit medicines using microfluidics

A new platform for detecting substandard and counterfeit medicines using microfluidics has been recognized with a grant from Saving Lives at Birth's "Grand Challenge through Development." Dubbed PharmaCheck, the technology is a portable, field-based tool for assessing the quality of medicines in developing countries with increased accuracy, sensitivity and reliability.

27 Jul 2012