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Cardinal Health receives TRO to resume controlled medicine shipments from Lakeland

Today Cardinal Health was granted a temporary restraining order against the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) immediate suspension order of its Lakeland, Fla. DEA registration.

4 Feb 2012

Watson: ANDA for generic Lidoderm remains on track

In response to investment community speculation following release of the transcript of a pre-trial conference call related to its Lidoderm patent challenge, Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today issued the following statement: Watson's abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for a generic version of Lidoderm remains on track.

4 Feb 2012

Mineral and multivitamin supplements can lower risk of colon cancer

Could the use of vitamin and mineral supplements in a regular diet help to reduce the risk of colon cancer and protect against carcinogens? A study published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology (CJPP) found that rats given regular multivitamin and mineral supplements showed a significantly lower risk of developing colon cancer when they were exposed to carcinogens.

4 Feb 2012

New editorial offers clarity on confusing drug and alcohol addiction terminology

A new editorial released this week offers clarity and structure on confusing drug and alcohol addiction terminology for prescribers, users and regulators. "Through a glass darkly: can we improve clarity about mechanism and aims of medications in drug and alcohol treatments?" is published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, the official journal of the British Association for Psychopharmacology, published by SAGE.

4 Feb 2012

Aggrenox not affected by co-administration of omeprazole: Study

Boehringer Ingelheim presented results of a drug interaction study that found Aggrenox (aspirin/extended-release dipyridamole), an antiplatelet medication, is not affected by the co-administration of omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), frequently used to treat several gastrointestinal conditions. These data were presented at the International Stroke Conference (ISC) in New Orleans.

3 Feb 2012

Majority of geriatric patients in German rehabilitation hospital have vitamin D deficiency

The great majority of geriatric patients in a German rehabilitation hospital were found to have vitamin D deficiency. Stefan Schilling presents his study results in this week's issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.

3 Feb 2012

Pertuzumab plus trastuzumab and docetaxel has advantages over current clinical gold-standard treatment

Roche/Genentech/Chugai's pertuzumab plus trastuzumab (Roche/Genentech/Chugai's Herceptin) and docetaxel (Sanofi's Taxotere, generics) will become Decision Resources' proprietary clinical gold-standard treatment for metastatic first-line HER2-positive breast cancer in 2015.

3 Feb 2012

Strategies to minimize side effects of oxaliplatin in metastatic colon cancer

The drug oxaliplatin is a major reason the prognosis for metastatic colon cancer has gone from an expected survival of several months to a couple years. Unfortunately, the drug can also carry with it debilitating neurological side effects, which generally start as the sensation of pins and needles in fingers and toes and can leave patients unable to walk or dress independently.

3 Feb 2012

Merck Serono enters development agreement with Threshold for hypoxia-targeted drug

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced that a global agreement was signed with Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc., South San Francisco, to co-develop and commercialize TH-302, Threshold's small molecule hypoxia-targeted drug.

3 Feb 2012

FDA intends to grant Priority Review designation for ThromboGenics' ocriplasmin

ThromboGenics NV, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative ophthalmic medicines, today announces that the FDA intended to grant its recently-submitted ocriplasmin BLA (Biological License Application) for Priority Review.

3 Feb 2012

Thermo Fisher Scientific introduces new handheld narcotics analyzer

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today introduced Thermo Scientific TruNarc, a new handheld narcotics analyzer that gives local law enforcement a significant technology edge in the war on drugs.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 3 Feb 2012

Scientists discover new mechanisms by which RNA drugs can control gene activity

Small RNA-based nucleic acid drugs represent a promising new class of therapeutic agents for silencing abnormal or overactive disease-causing genes, and researchers have discovered new mechanisms by which RNA drugs can control gene activity.

3 Feb 2012

EUSA Pharma acquires ASPAREC development and commercialization rights

EUSA Pharma, a transatlantic specialty pharmaceutical company focused on oncology, oncology supportive care and critical care, today announced that it has acquired the exclusive worldwide development and commercialization rights to ASPAREC for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) from Alizé Pharma.

3 Feb 2012

Merck receives FDA approval for JANUMET XR to treat type 2 diabetes

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved JANUMET XR (sitagliptin and metformin hydrochloride extended-release) tablets, a new treatment for type 2 diabetes that combines sitagliptin, which is the active component of JANUVIA (sitagliptin), with extended-release metformin.

3 Feb 2012

Websites advertising statins for sale contain poor levels of safety information

A new study published in the journal Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety reveals that internet sites selling prescription statins directly to consumers are widespread, and that most websites advertising statins for sale to the general public contain very poor levels of information relevant to safe use of the medicine and side effects.

3 Feb 2012

Nuvo launches Synera in the U.S.

Nuvo Research Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to building a portfolio of products for the topical treatment of pain and the development of its immune modulating drug candidate WF10, today announced the U. S. launch of Synera.

3 Feb 2012

FDA grants Mylan tentative approval for Atorvastatin Calcium ANDA

Mylan Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Mylan Laboratories Limited has received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets, 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg and 80 mg.

3 Feb 2012

Pfizer recalls a million oral contraceptive pills

Pfizer has recalled 1 million packs of Lo/Ovral-28 and generic norgestrel/ethinyl estradiol birth control pills. These pills that need to be taken in the correct sequence have been mixed up in packaging and women using them could be at risk of pregnancy.

2 Feb 2012

Mass. bill would mandate docs to check database before prescribing pain meds

The legislation is expected to come up for a vote in the Massachusetts Senate Thursday. In Florida, the legislature killed a bill to take away prescription rights from doctors awaiting trial on pill-trafficking charges.

2 Feb 2012

Treatment with clot-busting drugs safe for patients with wake-up stroke

Clot-busting drugs may be safe for patients who wake up experiencing stroke symptoms, according to preliminary research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012.

2 Feb 2012