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Pfizer outlines vision for Systems-based Pharmaceutics

Leading pharmaceuticals company Pfizer outlined its vision for Systems-based Pharmaceutics, a revolutionary model-based approach linking drug process and product engineering to product quality and performance in the human body, at the recent Advanced Process Modelling Forum in London.

17 May 2012

Codexis receives U.S. patent for enzymes utilized in HCV therapeutics

Codexis, Inc., a developer of cost-advantaged processes for the production of biofuels, bio-based chemicals, and pharmaceutical intermediates, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted Codexis' patent covering the biocatalysts and biocatalytic processes used to make key pharmaceutical intermediates in the synthesis of leading hepatitis-C therapeutics.

16 May 2012

Researchers map processes that power health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids

For the first time, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have peered inside a living mouse cell and mapped the processes that power the celebrated health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. More profoundly, they say their findings suggest it may be possible to manipulate these processes to short-circuit inflammation before it begins, or at least help to resolve inflammation before it becomes detrimental.

16 May 2012

Reducing off-label antipsychotic use may generate savings with little impact on patient care

Reducing the non-FDA-approved use of antipsychotic drugs may be a way to save money while having little effect on patient care, according to a Penn State College of Medicine study.

16 May 2012

Policy Innovation Memorandum examines safety of world drug, vaccine supply

"The world is facing two immediate health crises concerning drugs and vaccines: affordable and reliable access to life-sparing medicines and the safety and reliability of those medicines," Laurie Garrett, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), writes in the council's Policy Innovation Memorandum No. 21, titled, "Ensuring the Safety and Integrity of the World's Drug, Vaccine, and Medicines Supply."

16 May 2012

Micronutrients, early food supplementation during pregnancy improve survival of newborns

Pregnant women in poor communities in Bangladesh who received multiple micronutrients, including iron and folic acid combined with early food supplementation, had substantially improved survival of their newborns, compared to women in a standard program that included usual food supplementation, according to a study in the May 16 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on Global Health.

16 May 2012

Newspapers examine concerns surrounding possible FDA approval of Truvada for PrEP

The New York Times and the Financial Times examine concerns expressed by AIDS activists and members of an FDA panel that last week recommended Gilead Sciences' antiretroviral drug Truvada be approved for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV among healthy people at risk of contracting the virus.

16 May 2012

U.N. Office on Drugs, Interpol better equipped than WHO to combat counterfeit drug trade

"The worldwide counterfeit drug market is huge and growing," Tim Mackey and Brian Liang of the Institute of Health Law Studies at the California Western School of Law and Thomas Kubic of the Pharmaceutical Security Institute write in a Foreign Policy opinion piece, noting such "drugs occupy a wide spectrum of medications, and their quality is suspect; they can be mislabeled, tainted, adulterated, ineffective, or, in the worst cases, all of the above."

16 May 2012

AAD reiterates safety and effectiveness of sunscreens against UV radiation

The American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) today reiterated the safety and effectiveness of sunscreens to protect against the damaging effects from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

16 May 2012

Bristol-Myers Squibb receives FDA approval for Devens facility to produce ORENCIA

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the company's biologics manufacturing facility in Devens, Massachusetts for commercial production of ORENCIA.

16 May 2012

Combination of vaccine and letrozole effectively improves survival from breast cancer

A vaccine that targets cancer cells in combination with the drug letrozole, a standard hormonal therapy against breast cancer, significantly increased survival when tested in mice, a team of UC Davis investigators has found.

16 May 2012

HyperBranch’s Adherus AutoSpray Dural Sealant receives CE Marking

HyperBranch Medical Technology, Inc. announced today that it has received CE Marking for Adherus AutoSpray Dural Sealant.

16 May 2012

Exendin-4 drug effectively suppresses craving for food

A drug made from the saliva of the Gila monster lizard is effective in reducing the craving for food. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, have tested the drug on rats, who after treatment ceased their cravings for both food and chocolate.

16 May 2012

Link between dietary supplements and increased risk of cancer

Beta-carotene, selenium and folic acid - taken up to three times their recommended daily allowance, these supplements are probably harmless. But taken at much higher levels as some supplement manufacturers suggest, these three supplements have now been proven to increase the risk of developing a host of cancers.

16 May 2012

Coromega introduces emulsified form of omega-3s

Premier supplements maker Coromega today announced a delicious new way to help Americans reach healthy omega-3 levels with the launch of Coromega Big Squeeze, an emulsified form of omega-3s delivered in an easy-to-use, family-size pouch with superior absorption to that of traditional fish oil capsules.

16 May 2012

Cyclophosphamide drug makes the bone marrow more tumor-friendly

Researchers found that administering a common chemotherapy drug before bone tumors took root actually fertilized the bone marrow, enabling cancer cells, once introduced, to seed and grow more easily.

15 May 2012

Ono, Scil Proteins partner to discover and develop new Affilin therapeutics

Scil Proteins GmbH, a private biotech company specializing in the research, development and production of recombinant proteins, today announced that it has signed a collaboration agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., for the joint discovery and development of new Affilin therapeutics to treat various diseases.

15 May 2012

Viewpoints: Approving drugs quickly; Berwick: In health care, cheaper can mean better; Health costs 'persistent' concern

For about 20 years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has charged pharmaceutical companies "user fees" for reviewing drug-approval applications. The revenue allows the FDA to hire more evaluators, which allows useful drugs to reach patients faster. Now the Prescription Drug User Fee Act needs reauthorization, as it does every five years. Legislators should not dillydally.

15 May 2012

Five new capabilities added to Aetna Rx Check Program

Aetna today announced that it is adding five new capabilities to Aetna Rx Check, a collection of programs designed to promote safety and prevent the misuse of various prescription drugs such as pain medications and antibiotics.

15 May 2012

Biogen Idec announces availability of two new AVONEX dosing innovations for MS

Biogen Idec announced that two new dosing innovations designed to help patients receiving once-a-week AVONEX (interferon beta-1a) for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) are now available in U.S. pharmacies.

15 May 2012