Pharmaceutical News

RSS

Hawthorn and Cypress settle Medicaid fraud lawsuit

Hawthorn Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its parent company, Cypress Pharmaceutical Inc., have paid the federal government and certain states a total of $2.8 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit filed by Phillips & Cohen LLP that alleged Hawthorn falsely marketed unapproved prescription drugs as being eligible for reimbursement by Medicaid and other government health care programs.

29 Mar 2012

Researchers design new treatment approach for invasive brain tumors

Researchers from Emory and the Georgia Institute of Technology have designed a new treatment approach that appears to halt the spread of cancer cells into normal brain tissue in animal models.

29 Mar 2012

EMA grants orphan designations to Ultragenyx UX001, UX003 for treatment of HIBM and MPS 7

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for rare and ultra-rare genetic disorders, today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted orphan drug designations for sialic acid for the treatment of hereditary inclusion body myopathy (HIBM) and recombinant human beta-glucuronidase for the treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis type 7.

29 Mar 2012

Amerigroup announces successful efforts at preventing premature births

Amerigroup Corporation announced its successful efforts at preventing premature births – as well its commitment to protecting access to affordable drug therapies for at-risk mothers – at the annual Norfolk/Virginia Beach March of Dimes kick-off breakfast for the March for Babies.

29 Mar 2012

Scientists explore number of strategies to prevent anesthesia-induced injury in infants

Recent clinical studies have shown that general anesthesia can be harmful to infants, presenting a dilemma for both doctors and parents. But new research at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center may point the way to treatment options that protect very young children against the adverse effects of anesthesia.

29 Mar 2012

Mylan receives FDA approval for generic Seroquel 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 Quetiapine Fumarate Tablets, 25 mg.

29 Mar 2012

Discontinuance of statin therapy increases CVD mortality risk in RA patients

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who discontinue use of statin therapy are at increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and other causes.

29 Mar 2012

Heart attack could be treated best with cheap mix of three injections: Study

When the shot was given early to patients with signs of a heart attack, the mixture of glucose, insulin and potassium (GIK), showed remarkable success in preventing full cardiac arrest - when the heart stops beating - and even death. And each shot cocktail costs only about $US50, according to the research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 61st annual scientific meeting in Chicago. The Scientific Session, the premier cardiovascular medical meeting, brings cardiovascular professionals together to further advances in the field.

28 Mar 2012

FDA approves Omontys - new anemia drug for chronic kidney disease patients

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday approved a new drug called Omontys (peginesatide). This is expected to oust Amgen Inc.’s from its near monopoly in the roughly $6 billion U.S. anemia treatment market.

28 Mar 2012

Researcher joins nationwide effort to monitor resistance to antibiotics

Because infectious microorganisms are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, a Wayne State University researcher has joined a nationwide effort to monitor that resistance while optimizing the use of existing drugs.

28 Mar 2012

Study: Some breast cancer tumours may not respond to taxane chemotherapy

Some breast cancer tumours may be resistant to a common chemotherapy treatment, suggests recent medical research at the University of Alberta.

28 Mar 2012

Chemistry team discovers environmentally-friendly iron-based nanoparticle catalysts

A chemistry team at the University of Toronto has discovered environmentally-friendly iron-based nanoparticle catalysts that work as well as the expensive, toxic, metal-based catalysts that are currently in wide use by the drug, fragrance and food industry.

28 Mar 2012

Dr. Reddy’s introduces Quetiapine fumarate tablets in the U.S.

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories announced today that it has launched Quetiapine fumarate tablets (25 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg, 300 mg and 400 mg), a bioequivalent generic version of SEROQUEL tablets in the US market on March 27, 2012 following the approval by the United States Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) of Dr. Reddy's ANDA for Quetiapine fumarate tablets.

28 Mar 2012

ECTS, IOF publish guidance document to manage GIO

Oral glucocorticoids are commonly prescribed for a wide variety of disorders, most commonly for rheumatoid arthritis, obstructive pulmonary disease and inflammatory bowel diseases. However, the use of these medications can result in rapid bone loss during the first three to six months of therapy, leading to increased risk of fragility fractures.

28 Mar 2012

Non-HDL-C levels appear to increase risk of heart attack or stroke in statin-treated patients

Levels of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) among statin-treated patients appears to be associated with the risk of developing a major cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, as are levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and apolipoprotein B, according to a meta-analysis of data from previously published studies appearing in the March 28 issue of JAMA.

28 Mar 2012

New pre-clinical data on Rexahn's RX-3117 study to be presented at AACR meeting

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company commercializing potential best in class oncology and CNS therapeutics, today announced that it will present new pre-clinical data on its oncology compound RX-3117 during a poster session at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 103rd Annual Meeting being held in Chicago, Illinois, March 31 - April 4, 2012, at the McCormick Place Convention Center.

28 Mar 2012

Specific precautions must be taken for individuals on longer-term oral glucocorticoid therapy

Millions of people around the world are prescribed glucocorticoids for a wide variety of inflammatory conditions, including, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and inflammatory bowel diseases. Although they are effective and widely used, one of the potentially serious side effects of these medications is glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

28 Mar 2012

Experimental drugs from Sanofi and Regenron cut cholesterol in a new way

An experimental drug that acts in a novel way to lower cholesterol proved even more effective than statins and had few undesirable side effects, newly released data shows. The drug acts by modifying the way cholesterol levels are naturally controlled. A protein produced in the liver helps limit the amount of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, that liver cells can remove from the bloodstream. The new drug, called REGN727, is a monoclonal antibody, made in a laboratory, that blocks the action of that protein.

27 Mar 2012

Rivaroxaban found safe and effective in pulmonary embolism

Rivaroxaban has been found to be effective in the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after orthopedic surgery, for the prevention of stroke in AF (Atrial fibrillation) patients, and as additional therapy to conventional antiplatelet therapy in ACS (Acute coronary syndrome) patients.

27 Mar 2012

Morning after pills difficult for teenagers to procure

Quite a few U.S. pharmacies may give teen girls incorrect information over the phone about whether they can get the morning-after pill. The pill is a form of emergency contraception taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy without a prescription, a new study suggests.

27 Mar 2012