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Study shows asthma drugs can treat aortic aneurysm

A new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows that asthma drugs are a potential treatment for aortic aneurysm. These drugs, which block cysteinyl-leukotrienes, could reduce the break down of vessel wall tissue and the dilation of the aortic wall, and thus the risk of its rupturing.

16 Nov 2010

Orexo's Abstral sales increases 345% to £14.1m

Orexo AB announces that its sales partner in the EU and USA for Abstral, ProStrakan Group plc yesterday issued its interim report, which gave further information on progress with Abstral, Orexo's leading sublingual fentanyl product for treatment of breakthrough cancer pain.

16 Nov 2010

New mechanism breaks drug resistance in ovarian cancer

Drug resistance is a major obstacle in curing ovarian cancer but new research from the Centenary Institute has discovered a treatment that kills ovarian cancer cells in a new way that can break the resistance mechanism.

16 Nov 2010

FDA announces program to facilitate development of external defibrillators to treat abnormal heart rhythms

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced a program aimed at facilitating the development of safer, more effective external defibrillators used to treat abnormal heart rhythms through improved design and manufacturing practices. External defibrillators are medical devices designed to diagnose life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms and treat them by delivering electrical energy to the heart to restore its normal rhythm.

16 Nov 2010

Hospira launches two-gram vial of gemcitabine hydrochloride for injection

Hospira, Inc., the world leader in generic injectable pharmaceuticals, today announced it has launched a two-gram vial of gemcitabine hydrochloride for injection.

16 Nov 2010

District Court judgment favors Otsuka in Abilify patent litigation

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Otsuka Holdings, Co., Ltd., the parent company of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., announced today that the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey issued its judgment dated November 15, 2010 in favor of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in its patent litigation against several companies seeking FDA approval to market generic copies of Abilify.

16 Nov 2010

Study finds two-thirds of asthma patients take combined ICS/LABA treatment

Despite national guidelines recommending that inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) be used alone as the preferred treatment for patients with mild persistent asthma, a new study finds that nearly two-thirds of these patients are taking more costly drugs that combine an ICS and a long-acting beta agonist (LABA) with no apparent additional clinical benefit noted based on pharmacy and medical claims.

16 Nov 2010

National campaign to highlight significance of antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is one of the world's most pressing public health threats. To bring attention to this increasing problem, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other government partners will observe its third annual Get Smart About Antibiotics Week on Nov. 15-21, 2010.

16 Nov 2010

Researchers develop new vaccine delivery system for rotavirus infection

Researchers have developed a promising new approach to vaccination for rotavirus, a common cause of severe diarrheal disease that is responsible for approximately 500,000 deaths among children in the developing world every year.

16 Nov 2010

New inhalable dry powder treatment for lung cancer shows significant increase in survival rates: Research

A new inhalable dry powder treatment for lung cancer shows a significant increase in survival rates and is far less invasive than current treatment options, which frequently include radiation and surgery. This research is being presented at the 2010 International Pharmaceutical Federation Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress in association with the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans, La., Nov. 14-18.

16 Nov 2010

Fisetin slows onset of motor problems, delays death in three models of Huntington's disease: Study

Fisetin, a naturally occurring compound found in strawberries and other fruits and vegetables, slows the onset of motor problems and delays death in three models of Huntington's disease, according to researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. The study, published in the online edition of Human Molecular Genetics, sets the stage for further investigations into fisetin's neuroprotective properties in Huntington's and other neurodegenerative conditions.

16 Nov 2010

FDA approves Halaven therapy for metastatic late-stage breast cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Halaven (eribulin mesylate) to treat patients with metastatic breast cancer who have received at least two prior chemotherapy regimens for late-stage disease.

16 Nov 2010

RBC boosting drugs may undermine breast cancer treatment with Herceptin

Red-blood-cell-boosting drugs used to treat anemia may undermine breast cancer treatment with Herceptin, a targeted therapy that blocks the cancer-promoting HER2 protein, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report in the Nov. 16 edition of Cancer Cell.

16 Nov 2010

NPR reports on dengue vaccine progress

NPR's Shots blog examines progress in the search for a vaccine to protect against the dengue virus. WHO estimates that 2.5 billion people worldwide are at risk of getting dengue, and most of them are in Asia and Latin America, the blog writes.

16 Nov 2010

Sangart's MP4CO receives orphan drug designation for acute pain in sickle cell disease

Sangart, Inc., a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing life-saving medicines specifically designed to enhance the perfusion and oxygenation of ischemic (oxygen deprived) tissues through targeted oxygen and other gas delivery, today announced that its investigational biopharmaceutical product, MP4CO, has been awarded orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in treating acute painful sickling crises in patients with sickle cell disease.

15 Nov 2010

Cyplasin selects Aurobindo Pharma to supply API component for Ribavirin drug

Cyplasin Biomedical is a product-oriented, specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing products for the multi-billion dollar hepatitis C virus (HCV) market. The Company is pleased to announce that it has selected Aurobindo Pharma located in Hyderabad , India to supply the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) component for its Ribavirin drug product called C-Virin.

15 Nov 2010

Emerging blood thinners to prevent stroke

As blood thinners emerge in the market for stroke prevention many experts believe is still too early to predict how they will stack up in the $15 billion a year market.

15 Nov 2010

Shire announces FDA approval of Vyvanse Capsules CII for ADHD in adolescents

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the prescription medication Vyvanse® (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) Capsules CII for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adolescents ages 13 to 17. The approval is based on study data demonstrating that Vyvanse improved ADHD symptoms compared to placebo in adolescents with ADHD. Vyvanse is also indicated for the treatment of ADHD in children ages 6 to 12 years, and adults.

15 Nov 2010

Best ways for proper disposal of unused medicines

Patients in cities all over the country will learn tomorrow about one of the best ways to avoid today's rampant prescription drug abuse – proper disposal of unused medicines.

15 Nov 2010

Research on P450 compound I may help eliminate toxins

Chemical reactions are happening all over the place all the time on the sun, on the Earth and in our bodies. In many cases, enzymes help make these reactions occur. One family of enzymes, called cytochrome P450s (P450), is important because they help us eliminate toxins.

15 Nov 2010