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WTG to launch ‘Early Drug Development Summit’ in Berlin

With its 15 years conference production and management experience, WTG introduces a leading pharma event: "Early Drug Development Summit" in December 3rd-4th 2012 in Berlin, Germany.

16 Jul 2012

UCB’s Neupro now available in U.S. pharmacies

UCB announced today that Neupro (Rotigotine Transdermal System) is now available in U.S. pharmacies. Neupro was approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration in April to treat the signs and symptoms of early and advanced stage idiopathic Parkinson's disease and moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome.

16 Jul 2012

DMAA stimulant does not originate from natural substances

A new study published in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis found that DMAA, a stimulant often found in many nutritional and sports supplements, does not originate from natural substances and is actually comprised of synthetic compounds.

14 Jul 2012

Trade agreements could harm access to antiretroviral drugs in Asia, Pacific, experts and activists warn

"Pressure on developing countries to adopt clauses affecting intellectual property rights could limit access to generic antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in Asia and the Pacific, experts and activists warn," PlusNews reports.

14 Jul 2012

Donor governments need to conduct more post-market oversight of generic medicines

The WHO and FDA approve drugs to treat malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases in low- and middle-income countries, but "some of the manufacturers, predominantly Chinese and Indian firms, may be knowingly producing" poor quality medicines, according to "the conclusion of my research teams' studies, published this week in the journal Research and Reports in Tropical Medicine," Roger Bate, resident scholar with the American Enterprise Institute and lead author of the studies, writes in a Washington Post opinion piece.

14 Jul 2012

EU-funded researchers develop new antimicrobial resistance monitoring solution

Every year hundreds of thousands of people die because of infections that have become resistant to treatment. A new data-mining, clinical monitoring and decision-support system, developed by EU-funded researchers, offers a powerful new weapon in the war on resistance to antibiotics.

14 Jul 2012

Vitamin D deficiency may impair lung function in asthmatic children treated with budesonide

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with poorer lung function in asthmatic children treated with inhaled corticosteroids, according to a new study from researchers in Boston.

14 Jul 2012

Psychotic depression now fulfills the criteria for a valid psychiatric syndrome

The number of studies reporting significant and clinically relevant differences between psychotic depression (PD) and non-PD has increased considerably over the past decades. This summary of the current evidence suggests that PD now fulfils the criteria for a valid psychiatric syndrome.

14 Jul 2012

FDA approves Watson's ANDA for Next Choice ONE DOSE emergency contraceptive

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Watson Laboratories, Inc., has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Next Choice ONE DOSE (Levonorgestrel Tablet, 1.5 mg), the generic equivalent to Teva Women's Health's Plan B One-Step. Watson plans to launch the product immediately.

13 Jul 2012

Heart disease risk in elderly could be lowered by drugs

More patients aged 75 and over should be prescribed drugs to help lower their risk of cardiovascular disease, a study published today on bmj.com suggests.

13 Jul 2012

PLoS Medicine papers examine HIV treatment as prevention

Early treatment with antiretroviral medication can significantly reduce the risk of HIV transmission to an uninfected sexual partner, "but many logistical hurdles stand in the way of making this strategy feasible, affordable and effective, according to experts writing in Tuesday's edition of the journal PLoS Medicine," the Los Angeles Times reports.

12 Jul 2012

Many anti-malaria drugs in Africa fake or substandard, reports show

"Many of Africa's anti-malaria drugs are fake or of poor quality, weakening a crucial battle against the world's deadliest disease, a new investigation has found," GlobalPost reports, adding, "Many of the drugs -- even those approved by the World Health Organization -- are Chinese fakes or low-quality variants that failed quality tests, according to two new studies released today."

12 Jul 2012

SLU professor to study how antithrombin might prevent premature death from heart disease

Alireza "Ray" Rezaie, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, has received a $1.52 million NIH grant to study how the key blood clotting inhibitor antithrombin might be exploited to prevent premature death from heart disease.

12 Jul 2012

Obama administration's intellectual property policy inflating medical costs abroad

Noting that the Supreme Court last week upheld the Obama administration's Affordable Health Act, Huffington Post reporters Zach Carter and Sabrina Siddiqui write in this Huffington Post editorial that "while the president has focused on lowering health care costs at home, he has repeatedly sought to impose higher drug prices abroad." They add, "For pharmaceutical companies, that has meant steady profits, but for the global poor in desperate need of affordable drugs, those lofty prices are often a matter of life and death."

12 Jul 2012

Arena files lorcaserin hydrochloride MAA with Swissmedic

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the filing with the Swiss health authority, Swissmedic, of a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for lorcaserin hydrochloride, an investigational drug candidate in Switzerland.

12 Jul 2012

Many abusers switch to heroin due to new formulation of OxyContin

A change in the formula of the frequently abused prescription painkiller OxyContin has many abusers switching to a drug that is potentially more dangerous, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

12 Jul 2012

U.K. High Court rules in favor of Teva in COPAXONE patent litigation

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced that the United Kingdom High Court of Justice issued a decision in favor of Teva in a patent litigation proceeding against Generics (UK) Limited, a subsidiary of Mylan Laboratories Inc., on July 11, 2012.

12 Jul 2012

Study details how resistance to targeted drug therapy emerges in colorectal cancers

A Harvard researcher studying the evolution of drug resistance in cancer is predicting that, in a few decades, "many, many cancers could be manageable."

12 Jul 2012

FDA approves Watson’s ANDA for generic ARTHROTEC

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Watson Laboratories, Inc - Florida has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration on its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Diclofenac Sodium and Misoprostol Delayed-Release Tablets, the generic equivalent to G.D. Searle's ARTHROTEC.

12 Jul 2012

PROLOR to present data on long-acting clotting factors for hemophilia at WFH World Congress

PROLOR Biotech, Inc., announced that the company will present data today on its long-acting clotting factors for the treatment of hemophilia at the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) World Congress.

11 Jul 2012