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Health Canada approves XIAFLEX for Dupuytren's contracture

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Actelion Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. announced today that Auxilium was granted a Notice of Compliance (approval) by Health Canada for XIAFLEX (collagenase clostridium histolyticum or CCH), a novel, first-in-class biologic for the treatment of Dupuytren's contracture in adults with a palpable cord in Canada.

9 Jul 2012

Regnite to treat primary restless legs syndrome launched in Japan

Astellas Pharma Inc. and XenoPort, Inc. announced today that Regnite (gabapentin enacarbil) Extended-Release Tablets will be launched in Japan on July 10, 2012. Regnite is approved in Japan for the treatment of moderate-to-severe primary restless legs syndrome (RLS).

9 Jul 2012

KannaLife enters exclusive license with NIH-OTT for patent regarding cannabinoids

KannaLife Sciences, Inc. Signs Exclusive License Agreement With National Institutes of Health – Office of Technology Transfer for the Commercialization of U.S. Patent 6,630,507, "Cannabinoids as Antioxidants and Neuroprotectants".

9 Jul 2012

HPV vaccine shows evidence of herd protection

The HPV vaccine not only has resulted in a decrease in human papillomavirus infection in immunized teens but also in teens who were not immunized.

9 Jul 2012

JRD receives FDA priority review designation for XARELTO sNDAs to treat PE, DVT

Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Janssen R&D) announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has assigned a priority review designation to the supplemental New Drug Applications (sNDAs) filed on May 2, 2012 for XARELTO (rivaroxaban), an oral anticoagulant, seeking new indications to treat patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), and to prevent recurrent DVT and PE.

9 Jul 2012

New somatostatin vaccines promote weight loss

New vaccines promote weight loss. A new study, published in BioMed Central's open access journal, Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, assesses the effectiveness of two somatostatin vaccinations, JH17 and JH18, in reducing weight gain and increasing weight loss in mice.

9 Jul 2012

Powerful new drug to treat malaria

A powerful new drug to treat malaria - the invention of a University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy researcher -- will help take the bite out of malaria. In the United States, a mosquito bite seems harmless, but in developing countries it means more than 655,000 deaths a year - mostly in children.

7 Jul 2012

AHF calls for reasonable pricing of Gilead’s Quad AIDS drug

Today AIDS Healthcare Foundation, in response to recent press reports regarding drug manufacturer Gilead Sciences, Inc.'s new four-drug HIV/AIDS pill, known as the "Quad," renewed its call for company to price the drug reasonably, particularly in light of the fact that it represents only a marginal improvement over existing medications.

7 Jul 2012

Novel biomimetic strategy can dissolve blood clots before they cause serious damage or even death

Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have developed a novel biomimetic strategy that delivers life-saving nanotherapeutics directly to obstructed blood vessels, dissolving blood clots before they cause serious damage or even death.

6 Jul 2012

Prescription drug warning labels fail to capture patients' attention

Many patients seem to ignore prescription drug warning labels with instructions that are critical for safe and effective use, according to a study by a Kansas State University researcher working with scientists at Michigan State University.

6 Jul 2012

FDA action affects companies that manufacture and distribute unapproved oxycodone drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a Federal Register notice instructing companies to stop manufacturing and distributing certain unapproved drugs that contain oxycodone. The notice is part of the FDA's Unapproved Drugs Initiative to remove unapproved new drugs from the market.

6 Jul 2012

Researchers to use nanoscopic clay for controlled release of drugs in patients

University of Granada and the Spanish Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient-ficas (CSIC) researchers will use nanoscopic clay for the controlled release of drugs in patients, with the aim of designing more efficient and less toxic drugs. This is a pilot research study that includes CSIC and University of Granada researchers and researchers from other institutions.

6 Jul 2012

ADCT, CRT sign agreements to develop ADCs against cancer

Cancer Research Technology (CRT), the commercial arm of Cancer Research UK, and Switzerland-based ADC Therapeutics Sarl (ADCT) announce today that they have signed agreements to develop cancer treatments called Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) using CRT antibodies and peptides, and ADCT's 'warhead' and linker chemistries.

6 Jul 2012

Audit finds wrong part of Medicare was used to pay for hospice patients' drugs

The Medicare program could be paying multiple times for prescription drugs for hospice beneficiaries, a new federal report suggests.

6 Jul 2012

Metformin can activate neural stem cells to encourage brain repair

The discovery is an important step toward therapies that aim to repair the brain not by introducing new stem cells but rather by spurring those that are already present into action, says the study's lead author Freda Miller of the University of Toronto-affiliated Hospital for Sick Children. The fact that it's a drug that is so widely used and so safe makes the news all that much better.

6 Jul 2012

Scientists use antibody injections to rapidly reverse onset of Type I diabetes in mice

Scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have used injections of antibodies to rapidly reverse the onset of Type I diabetes in mice genetically bred to develop the disease. Moreover, just two injections maintained disease remission indefinitely without harming the immune system.

6 Jul 2012

Abbott, Sucampo receive Japanese approval for AMITIZA

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Abbott today announced that Sucampo Pharma, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of SPI, has received approval from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan for AMITIZA (lubiprostone), a prescription medicine for the treatment of chronic constipation.

5 Jul 2012

Medunik Canada signs exclusive distribution agreement with Orphan Europe

Medunik Canada, is an orphan drug company dedicated to helping Canadians with rare diseases access therapies currently unavailable in Canada. Medunik Canada is proud to announce that it has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Orphan Europe Recordati Group.

5 Jul 2012

Cancer Therapeutics announces validation and performance of CTx-294886 plus Avastin

Cancer Therapeutics, a company focused on translating cancer biology research into novel treatments for cancer, today announced the validation and performance of a new targeted drug, CTx-294886, in combination with Avastin (bevacizumab - Genentech/Roche) in a preclinical model of breast cancer.

5 Jul 2012

Study shows cells from different Parkinson’s patients have unique drug responses

Researchers have taken a step toward personalized medicine for Parkinson's disease, by investigating signs of the disease in patient-derived cells and testing how the cells respond to drug treatments.

5 Jul 2012