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Insight into how powerful anti-HIV antibody grabs hold of the virus

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have uncovered the surprising details of how a powerful anti-HIV antibody grabs hold of the virus. The findings, published in Science Express on October 13, 2011, highlight a major vulnerability of HIV and suggest a new target for vaccine development.

14 Oct 2011

Researchers control itch without dulling morphine's pain-killing effects

Itching is one of the most prevalent side effects of powerful, pain-killing drugs like morphine, oxycodone and other opioids. The opiate-associated itch is so common that even women who get epidurals for labor pain often complain of itching. For many years, scientists have scratched their own heads about why drugs that so effectively suppress pain also induce itch.

14 Oct 2011

Oncobiologics signs two major pharmaceutical agreements

Oncobiologics announced today that it has signed two major agreements. The first is with Parilis Biopharmaceuticals, an early-stage biotech company, and involves worldwide licensing for an undisclosed biotherapeutic product. The second is with a US based large pharmaceutical company to conduct research focused on solving issues related to downstream processing of monoclonal antibodies.

14 Oct 2011

Cylene advances preclinical development of CX-5461 for treatment of cancer

Cylene Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has advanced its targeted, non-genotoxic, activator of p53 for the treatment of leukemias, lymphomas and multiple myeloma through formal preclinical development, the Company announced today.

14 Oct 2011

Noven claims patent infringement over Daytrana, files lawsuit against Watson

Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey against Watson Pharmaceuticals for infringement of certain Noven patents by Watson.

14 Oct 2011

New technique stimulates stem cells after liver transplant to prevent rejection

Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a way to stimulate a rat's stem cells after a liver transplant as a means of preventing rejection of the new organ without the need for lifelong immunosuppressant drugs.

14 Oct 2011

UofL researchers to develop treatments for chlorine-induced lung injuries

Gary Hoyle, PhD, professor, University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, will build on his research to develop an effective medical treatment to counteract chlorine-induced lung injuries caused by chemical accidents or acts of terrorism.

13 Oct 2011

Simmons Center to evaluate CGEN-25009 for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Compugen Ltd. and the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation announced today that the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation will provide a grant to scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Dorothy P. and Richard P.

13 Oct 2011

USPTO issues patent to Rexahn's new anti-cancer arylisoquinolinamine compounds

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company commercializing potential best in class oncology and CNS therapeutics, today announced that the United States Patent & Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 8,034,829 to Rexahn, entitled "5, 6, or 7-Substituted-3-(hetero) arylisoquinolinamine derivatives and therapeutic use thereof."

13 Oct 2011

Estrogen may prevent strokes in premature or early menopausal women

Estrogen may prevent strokes in premature or early menopausal women, Mayo Clinic researchers say. Their findings challenge the conventional wisdom that estrogen is a risk factor for stroke at all ages.

13 Oct 2011

Counterfeit drugs risk lives, threaten pharmaceutical industry in India

BBC News examines how counterfeit or substandard medicines are threatening India's fast-growing pharmaceutical industry, writing, "Worth over $12 billion, the industry is expected to grow more than four-fold in the coming decade," but fake drugs in the system are risking both the lives of patients and the reputation of drug makers.

12 Oct 2011

Study finds experimental vaccine protects monkeys from blinding trachoma

"An attenuated, or weakened, strain of Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria can be used as a vaccine to prevent or reduce the severity of trachoma, the world's leading cause of infectious blindness, suggest findings from a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study in monkeys," an NIH press release reports.

12 Oct 2011

NCCN Oncology Research Program wins two GSK grants

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network Oncology Research Program (ORP) has been awarded $4 million in the form of two research grants from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to develop studies to scientifically evaluate and define GSK2118436, a BRAF inhibitor, and GSK1120212, a MEK1 and MEK2 inhibitor. Previous research has indicated that BRAF mutations are strong targets for therapies in the treatment of advanced melanoma.

12 Oct 2011

India's Aurobindo Pharma first major generic drugmaker to Join UNITAID's Medicines Patent Pool

"India's Aurobindo Pharma has become the first major generic drugmaker to join" the Medicines Patent Pool, launched by the UNITAID health financing system and "designed to make HIV/AIDS treatments more widely available to the poor," Reuters reports.

12 Oct 2011

Vitamin D plays an essential role in the body's fight against TB

Not just important for building strong bones, an international team of scientists has found that vitamin D also plays an essential role in the body's fight against infections such as tuberculosis.

12 Oct 2011

Roundup: Calif. insurer's Avastin decision; Kansas dental care; Gov. Brown vetoes nursing bill

Blue Shield of California will stop covering new Avastin prescriptions for breast cancer patients starting Oct. 17. Patients already on the drug will still be covered, and exceptions could be made for individual cases reviewed by a panel of cancer experts. The not-for-profit insurer cited an unprecedented vote by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel that found the drug was not effective enough against breast cancer to risk its potentially dangerous side effects.

12 Oct 2011

Study: Emerging pharmaceutical platform may produce undesirable effects on eye function

According to new research by University of Kentucky investigators, an emerging pharmaceutical platform used in treating a variety of diseases may produce unintended and undesirable effects on eye function.

12 Oct 2011

PROLOR receives U.S. patent allowance for CTP-modified interferons

PROLOR Biotech, Inc. today announced that it received a notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) for a patent application covering PROLOR's CTP-modified interferons.

12 Oct 2011

FDA approves NDA for Edgemont's Fluoxetine 60 mg tablet

Edgemont Pharmaceuticals, LLC, a neuroscience focused company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its New Drug Application (NDA) for Fluoxetine Tablets 60 mg.

12 Oct 2011

NovaSterilis awarded patent for sterilization process for pharmaceutical API using supercritical carbon dioxide

NovaSterilis Inc., a developer of supercritical carbon dioxide technology, has been granted US Patent 8,012,414 B2. The patent, dated September 6, 2011 entitled “Sterilization of Drugs Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Sterilant”, covers a new and effective method of sterilizing pharmaceutical product without dangerous chemicals or radiation.

11 Oct 2011