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Pill for rare ageing disease on the horizon

Scientists have found that a drug used in transplant patients could reverse the effects of premature ageing and extend human life by over 10 years.

1 Jul 2011

Bone fusion drug comes under scrutiny due to researchers’ vested interests

The Spine Journal has dedicated its June issue to a series of papers that carefully reject previous research supporting the use of Infuse, a controversial, but popular bone growth product commonly used in spinal fusion surgeries.

1 Jul 2011

Avastin for breast cancer still covered by Medicare despite FDA indecision

The Medicare will continue to cover Avastin for breast cancer treatment even if U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Peggy Hamburg decides to withdraw Avastin for such use, according to Don McLeod, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. McLeod said, in his statement, “The FDA decision, when it comes, does not affect CMS.”

1 Jul 2011

New clot busting drug approved in UK

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice), UK, has approved a new drug which one study has suggested could reduce the risk of death from a second heart attack by 20 per cent. The drug is manufactured by AstraZeneca as Brilique. It works by maintaining cardiac blood flow and stopping new blood clots from forming.

1 Jul 2011

Panel advises FDA to reject Avastin as breast cancer drug

The unanimous recommendation by this committee of cancer experts increases the likelihood that the drug will no longer be widely available for the treatment of breast cancer. Avastin, however, will continue to have the Food and Drug Adminstration's approval for use in treating certain other cancers.

1 Jul 2011

Multinational drug companies' scam

In an Al Jazeera opinion piece, the first in a two-part series, Khadija Sharife, a journalist and visiting scholar at the Center for Civil Society, examines how multinational drug companies control markets.

1 Jul 2011

Some generic anti-epilepsy drugs may not be effective

30 Jun 2011

VIVUS submits avanafil NDA to FDA for treatment of erectile dysfunction

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that a New Drug Application (NDA) has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval of avanafil, its investigational drug for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

30 Jun 2011

Research raises questions about some generic epilepsy drugs

Generic anti-epilepsy drugs, pharmaceutical products similar to brand-name versions, save consumers billions of dollars each year, but some are different enough from branded formulations that they may not be effective, particularly if patients switch between two generic drugs, a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests. A report on the study, published online and in an upcoming issue of Annals of Neurology, raises questions about whether some generic products are safe and effective when a narrow dose range separates patients from help and harm.

30 Jun 2011

Valeant to acquire rights relating to Elidel and Xerese from Meda

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. announced today that its subsidiary, Valeant International SRL (VIB), has signed an agreement to acquire rights to both Elidel and Xerese from Meda, an international specialty pharmaceutical company for the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

30 Jun 2011

Swaziland's supply of antiretroviral drugs running low

"Cash-strapped Swaziland's state hospitals have only two months' supplies of AIDS drugs, the country's health minister has told parliament in an assessment that AIDS patients and activists took as a death sentence," the Associated Press/Seattle Times reports. More than 60,000 Swazis receive antiretroviral medicine at no cost from state-run hospitals.

30 Jun 2011

Study provides novel information about clinical potential of anti-cancer antibiotics

Most of us have had a doctor prescribe an antibiotic for a stubborn bacterial infection, or for a cut that gets infected. However, prescribing an antibiotic to fight cancer? In fact, anti-cancer antibiotics have been used since the 1950s to successfully treat several forms of cancer, but often the side effects limit the duration they can be given to a patient.

30 Jun 2011

Obstetricians/gynecologists rank Pfizer as No. 1 pharmaceutical company: SDI

According to SDI's Pharmaceutical Company Image 2011 study, obstetricians/gynecologists ranked Pfizer No. 1 overall. Forty percent of the 325 participating OB/GYNs reported that Pfizer was one of the three companies they held in highest esteem. In the 2010 study, Pfizer placed second.

30 Jun 2011

Drug companies collaborate with DNDi support to develop drug for African sleeping sickness

Researchers from Scynexis Inc. of Research Triangle Park, N.C., and Anacor Pharmaceuticals in Palo Alto, Calif., sponsored by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, on Tuesday reported in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases that a new experimental drug kills the parasite that causes African sleeping sickness in mice and will enter human clinical trials this year, ScienceNOW reports.

30 Jun 2011

Valeant, Meda partner for life cycle opportunities for Elidel and Xerese

Meda and Valeant have entered into a collaboration agreement. Meda has out-licensed exclusive rights for Elidel and Xerese to Valeant for the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The parties will collaborate on life cycle opportunities for both products.

30 Jun 2011

Almirall, Forest Labs submit aclidinium bromide NDA to FDA for treatment of COPD

Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Almirall, S.A. announced they have recently submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for aclidinium bromide, a long-acting inhaled antimuscarinic agent developed for the treatment of COPD.

30 Jun 2011

Recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccines hold promise against infectious diseases

A powerful new class of therapeutics, known as recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccines (RASV), holds great potential in the fight against fatal diseases including hepatitis B, tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid fever, AIDS and pneumonia.

30 Jun 2011

Physicians urge FDA not to approve Truvada as an HIV prevention pill

Last week, a group of 55 U.S. physicians sent a letter to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), urging the agency not to approve the use of Gilead's HIV/AIDS treatment drug Truvada for use as an HIV prevention pill - also known as "pre-exposure prophylaxis" (PrEP).

30 Jun 2011

Early metformin treatment may prevent adolescent polycystic ovary syndrome

A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that early, prolonged treatment with the diabetes drug metformin may prevent or delay the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in adolescence.

30 Jun 2011

FDA's ODAC recommends withdrawal of Avastin approval for metastatic breast cancer

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced today that, during a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hearing, the FDA's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) recommended that the FDA withdraw its approval of Avastin in combination with paclitaxel chemotherapy for previously untreated HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.

30 Jun 2011