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Acetylon receives U.S. patent for ACY-1215 to treat multiple myeloma

Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that it has been granted U.S. Patent 8,148,526 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This patent contains fundamental composition of matter claims covering the Company's selective HDAC6 inhibitor, ACY-1215, which is currently being investigated in human clinical trials for the treatment of multiple myeloma.

21 Apr 2012

TPU, Eisai amend Aricept patch licensing agreement

Eisai announced today that the company has amended the licensing agreement with Teikoku Pharma USA, Inc. (TPU), a subsidiary of Teikoku Seiyaku Co., Ltd., pertaining to exclusive overseas marketing rights for the Aricept patch (once weekly donepezil HCl transdermal system).

21 Apr 2012

EMA CHMP recommends approval of AMAG’s ferumoxytol

AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued a positive opinion for the approval of ferumoxytol, an intravenous (IV) iron therapy, for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in adult patients with chronic kidney disease.

21 Apr 2012

Large doses of vitamin C may moderately reduce blood pressure

Taking large doses of vitamin C may moderately reduce blood pressure, according to an analysis of years of research by Johns Hopkins scientists. But the researchers stopped short of suggesting people load up on supplements.

21 Apr 2012

Researchers examine impact of user experience with topical vaginal gels against HIV

Are women willing to use a vaginal gel to protect themselves against HIV infection? Researchers at The Miriam Hospital say that is the million dollar question when it comes to developing products known as microbicides that can prevent the sexual transmission of HIV.

20 Apr 2012

New evidence helps explain additional health benefits of aspirin

New evidence is helping explain additional health benefits of aspirin. Researchers in Canada, Scotland and Australia have discovered that salicylate, the active ingredient in aspirin, directly increases the activity of the protein AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase), a key player in regulating cell growth and metabolism. AMPK which is considered a cellular fuel-gauge is switched on by exercise and the commonly used anti-diabetic medication metformin.

20 Apr 2012

Study supports previously reported positive links between vitamin D and testosterone

A new study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, released in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology, suggests that maintaining a high level of vitamin D supplementation increases the level of testosterone in men.

20 Apr 2012

Leahy introduces generic drug label legislation

The measure, which was introduced in the Senate and has a House companion, would permit generic drug companies to update safety information about the drugs they manufacture, enabling patients to sue the companies for failing to issue warnings about risks. It aims to address a gap in the law that allows people to sue brand-name drug makers for insufficient warnings, but not generics manufacturers.

20 Apr 2012

WHO releases guidance on couples testing, counseling, including ART for discordant couples

The WHO on Wednesday released its new 54-page "Guidance on couples HIV testing and counselling, including antiretroviral therapy (ART) for treatment and prevention in serodiscordant couples: Recommendations for a public health approach," according to the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog.

20 Apr 2012

Depomed, Valeant file suit against Watson over generic Glumetza

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today confirmed that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc. – Florida, filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval to market Metformin Hydrochloride Extended-release Tablets USP, 1000 mg.

20 Apr 2012

SK Biopharmaceuticals receives FDA Orphan Drug status for carisbamate

SK Biopharmaceuticals, a South Korean pharmaceutical company, announced today that it was granted special status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for carisbamate for the management of patients with infantile spasms (IS), a form of epilepsy associated with increased risk of death or mental retardation.

20 Apr 2012

Shionogi, Watson introduce authorized generic version of FORTAMET

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has launched an authorized generic version of FORTAMET (metformin hydrochloride extended-release tablets) as part of an agreement with Shionogi, Inc.

20 Apr 2012

U.S. Marshals seize contaminated ultrasound gel of Pharmaceutical Innovations

U.S. Marshals, acting at the request of the Food and Drug Administration, have seized Other-Sonic Generic Ultrasound Transmission Gel located at Pharmaceutical Innovations Inc. in Newark, N.J., after an FDA analysis found that product samples contained dangerous bacteria. The seizure included all lots of the gel product manufactured between June 2011 and December 2011.

19 Apr 2012

Poor ART adherence, understanding threatening to undermine gains against HIV/AIDS in Nepal

Though HIV prevalence in Nepal has dropped from 0.45 percent in 2005 to 0.3 percent in 2012, according to a new report (.pdf) from the government, "poor understanding of antiretroviral therapy (ART) amongst health officials, clinicians and patients in Nepal could undermine those gains ... and threaten future progress in lowering the number of new infections," PlusNews reports.

19 Apr 2012

Magnetic nanochain detonates chemo barrage inside tumors

Medicine-toting nanochains slip into tumors and explode a chemotherapy drug into hard-to-reach cores of cancer, engineers and scientists at Case Western Reserve University report.

19 Apr 2012

Researchers, advocates meet in Sydney to discuss state of microbicide, HIV prevention research

"Three decades after the full onset of the global HIV tragedy, science appears to finally be developing preventative measures, including microbicides that would thwart infections in the first place, according to individuals at" the biennial International Microbicides Conference in Sydney, the Asia Sentinel writes.

19 Apr 2012

New passive vaccine reverses dangerous symptoms of cocaine overdose

Scientists are reporting development and successful testing in laboratory mice of a substance that shows promise for becoming the first antidote for cocaine toxicity in humans. According to a report in ACS' journal Molecular Pharmaceutics, the new so-called "passive vaccine" reversed the motor impairment, seizures and other dangerous symptoms of a cocaine overdose, which claims thousands of lives each year among users of the illicit drug.

19 Apr 2012

Supreme Court rules generic drug makers can challenge branded drug companies' wording in patent applications

The U.S. Supreme Court handed a victory to generic-drug companies Tuesday, ruling they can file certain legal counterclaims against brand-drug companies in an effort to get their cheaper copycat medicines on the market. The court, in an opinion written by Justice Elena Kagan, ruled unanimously that generic-drug makers should be allowed to challenge the way brand-name manufacturers describe their patents to the Food and Drug Administration.

19 Apr 2012

First specific antidote for cocaine toxicity

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have shown that an injectable solution can protect mice from an otherwise lethal overdose of cocaine. The findings could lead to human clinical trials of a treatment designed to reverse the effects of cocaine in case of emergency. Cocaine is involved in more than 400,000 emergency-room visits and about 5,000 overdose deaths each year in the United States.

19 Apr 2012

Half of young adult tobacco smokers also have used marijuana in the last 30 days

Half of young adult tobacco smokers also have smoked marijuana in the last 30 days, according to a recent Facebook-based survey conducted by UCSF researchers, indicating a greater prevalence of marijuana and tobacco co-use among smokers age 18-25 than previously reported.

19 Apr 2012