Biotech Week articles from June 2001

Biotech Week archives from June 2001

DNA Vaccine Decreases Ocular Disease Severity And Acute Infection In Trigeminal Nerve.
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- Researchers have developed a DNA vaccine against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) that decreases severity of disease in the eye in mice infected with HSV-1 by the corneal route. Immunization with the...

Endotoxin Removal Delivers Promising Vaccine Candidate For M. catarrhalis.(Moraxella catarrhalis)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - By reducing the level of endotoxin in the UspA2 protein of Moraxella catarrhalis, researchers have come up with a promising candidate for a vaccine against the organism,...

Australia's First Cloned Pig Is Announced.(by BresaGen Ltd.)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6- (NewsRx Network) -- Australian biotechnology company, BresaGen Limited, in association with the Immunology Research Centre, St. Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, announced Australia's first cloned pig was five weeks old as of May 9,...

Human Parathyroid Hormone Could Be Potent New Therapy.(for osteoporosis)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- A substance secreted by four tiny glands in the neck could provide the most powerful treatment to date for osteoporosis. In the May 10, 2001, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, a Massachusetts...

Rhinovirus Replicons Allow Mucosal Immunization With RSV Fusion Protein.(respiratory syncytial virus)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Human rhinovirus vectors allow the successful in vitro expression of human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion (F) protein following mucosal immunization, report...

Study Compares New Generation Anti-Depressants For Common Side Effect.(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors compared for sexual dysfunction side effect)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- In the first study to examine the prevalence of sexual dysfunction across the new generation antidepressants, researchers reported at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting in early May 2001 that...

Enzyme Inhibitor Stunts Ventricular Remodeling In Rodent Model.(matrix metalloproteinases)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Enzyme inhibitors limit the action of proteases that cause tissue remodeling associated with left ventricular dysfunction and failure, study data indicate. The...

FDA Clears First External Defibrillator For Use On Young Children.(automatic external defibrillator system from Agilent Technologies Inc.)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6- (NewsRx Network) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for marketing the first automatic external defibrillator (AED) system for use on infants and young children who experience cardiac arrest. AEDs are...

Monoclonal Antibody Elicits Immune Response To Target Antigen.(BrevaRex monoclonal antibody targets MUC 1 antigen in cancer therapy)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network)-- AltaRex Corp. (AXO, ALXFF) presented results from the company's Phase I study of BrevaRex monoclonal antibody (MAb) that demonstrate the ability of the antibody to elicit cancer-killing B- and T-cell immune...

Humanized Monoclonal Antibody Approved For Patients With Refractory B-CLL.(Campath (alemtuzumab) to be marketed for B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared Campath (alemtuzumab) humanized monoclonal antibody for marketing as a treatment for patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic (B-CLL) who have been treated...

Gene Therapy Patients Show Sustained Improvements After Two Years.(mucopolysaccharidosis-I patients treated with Aldurazyme for two years show an improvement)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6- (NewsRx Network) -- BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc. (BMIRN) and Genzyme General (GENZ) report that patients receiving Aldurazyme[TM] for the treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis-I (MPS-I) at the end of two years of therapy have...

Phase I Vaccine Trial Set To Begin In Women With HIV And/Or Human Papillomavirus.(Multikine to be tested for cervical cancer treatment)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- The Institute of Human Virology (IHV), at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, is set to begin Phase I clinical trials on Multikine, a drug produced in Baltimore, Maryland, by Cel-Sci Corporation,...

New Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Protein Identified.(PDGF-D)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- CuraGen Corp. (CRGN) scientists have discovered a new member of the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) family that has been named PDGF-D. This newly discovered protein occurs naturally in the human body...

Aspergillus fumigatus Genome Sequenced.(by Elitra Pharmaceuticals)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- Elitra Pharmaceuticals has the complete sequence of the Aspergillus fumigatus genome, a major human fungal pathogen, at 10X depth of coverage, the company says. Elitra contracted the sequencing work from...

Trinidad Strikes Deal With Pharmaceutical Firms For Cheap Drugs.(GlaxoSmithKline PLC to provide Trinidad with discounted AIDS drugs)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- Trinidad's government has worked out a deal with GlaxoSmithKline to provide the Caribbean nation with AIDS drugs at a 90% discounted rate. GlaxoSmithKline district manager Anthony Whitehall confirmed the...

CpG-Like Oligonucleotides Influence Immune Responses.(Hybridon IMOs (immune modulators) from Hybridon Inc.)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- Hybridon, Inc. (HYBN) has presented data from two studies focusing on the company's CpG-like oligonucleotides (Hybridon IMOs) designed to modulate the immune system, for use as vaccine adjuvants or used alone to...

Mayo Foundation Licenses Novel Approach To Prevent Tumor Recurrence.(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research signs license agreement with Interferon Sciences Inc. for technology rights for the prevention of tumor recurrence after cancer surgery)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- Interferon Sciences, Inc.(ISI)(IFSC), announced that it has signed an exclusive technology license agreement with Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, of Rochester, Minnesota, for the rights to...

Adenoviral-mda7 Potent Against Breast, Lung, Colorectal Malignancies.(INGN 241 from Introgen Therapeutics Inc.)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- Introgen Therapeutics, Inc. (INGN) published a preclinical study in the May 2001 issue of Molecular Medicine demonstrating the potent antitumor effects of INGN 241 (an adenoviral vector encoding the mda-7 gene)...

Inhibition of p38 Enzyme Plays Role In Cell Control.
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- Inhibition of the enzyme p38 kinase plays a key role in the regulation of normal cell cycle control, according to a study published in the journal Nature. Using antisense technology, researchers from the...

Lymphoma Drug To Advance To Phase II Trials.(Lorus Therapeutics Inc.'s antisense GTI-2040 to advance to Phase II trials)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- Lorus Therapeutics, Inc.'s (LORFF; LOR) lead antisense anti-cancer drug, GTI-2040, was the topic of a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), May 12-15, 2001, in...

Mass Spectroscopy Test Associates Blood Protein With Disease.(Maritech Inc. develops prostate cancer test)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- Matritech, Inc. (NMPS) says data from a study of the company's proprietary blood test under development for men with, or at risk of, prostate cancer, show that a specific blood protein is associated with the...

Company Successfully Demonstrates Genotyping Technology.(Orchid BioSciences Inc. tests SNP-IT scoring technology)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- Orchid BioSciences, Inc. (ORCH) has successfully performed ultra-high throughput genotyping using its proprietary SNP-IT[TM] SNP scoring technology on two different instrument platforms. More than 100,000...

Regulation Of Over 300 Endogenous Human Genes Announced.(by Sangamo BioSciences Inc.)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. (SGMO), says it has now regulated more than 300 endogenous human genes, which represent potential drug targets from 17 diverse functional areas including G-protein coupled receptors,...

Collagen Matrices Prolong Localized Growth Factor Expression.(gene therapy research)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, PhD, staff medical writer - Growth factors trapped at the site of damaged tissue maintained their therapeutic levels where they were most needed, researchers in California report. ...

New Test Detects 25% More Disease Than Pap Smears.(SpextRX Inc. and Welch Allyn Inc. develop non-invasive cervical cancer detection device)
June 6, 2001... 2001 JUN 6 - (NewsRx Network) -- A study published in the May 2001 issue of the Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease reports that prototypes of a non-invasive cervical cancer detection device being jointly developed by Welch Allyn, Inc., and...

TA90-IC Marker Indicates Clinical Efficacy Of CancerVax.(for melanoma)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - TA90, a tumor-associated glycoprotein antigen expressed on most melanoma cells, is a proven marker of subclinical tumor burden in melanoma. Now, a new study in the...

CNTF Decreases Food Intake Without Stimulating Hunger Responses.(ciliary neurotrophic factor causes weight loss)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A new report challenges the suggestion that ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) causes weight loss by activating cachectic cytokine pathways. Instead, the trophic...

Role Of New Virus In Hepatitis Pathology Remains Unclear.(SEN-V)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Investigators at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and at DiaSorin, Inc., report a new virus called SEN-V has been discovered in some blood transfusion...

New Class of Drugs Shows Promise In Tackling Multifactorial Diseases.(respirable antisense oligonucleotides)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- Research presented by scientists from EpiGenesis of Cranbury, New Jersey, indicates a new class of drugs may offer improved control of multifactorial diseases by targeting multiple mRNAs simultaneously. ...

Simple Device Collects Data From Patients At Home.(Health Buddy from Health Hero Network collects patient data)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Julie Henderson, senior editor - Evidence-based medicine, or EBM, has enjoyed buzzword status for the last few years, yet the principles behind it date back to the 19th century. One definition of EBM...

Gene Linked To Type 2 Diabetes.(deCODE Genetics and Hoffman-La Roche Inc. find gene linked to type 2 diabetes)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- deCODE Genetics (DCGN) and Hoffman-La Roche, Inc. have identified a gene causally involved in cerebrovascular disease, or stroke, and have mapped the chromosomal location of a gene linked to type 2 diabetes....

Add 'Infotherapy' To Your List Of Medical Terms.(NewsRx Network has new service)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- NewsRx Network, Atlanta, Georgia, the leading provider of life science databases and daily and weekly health news, now has coined a new medical word: "infotherapy." The new word is the combination of two...

Chemical-Genomics Platform Encompasses Nuclear Hormone Receptors.(Acadia Pharmaceuticals)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- Acadia Pharmaceuticals has extended its proprietary chemical-genomics platform to include the nuclear hormone receptor gene family, offering a novel approach to the functional characterization of orphan nuclear...

Clinical Studies Further Validates Screening Test.(Thrombus Precursor Protein test)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- American Biogenetic Sciences, Inc. (MABA) reports that three recent studies presented at international medical conferences provide promising data for additional clinical applications of its Thrombus Precursor...

Trial Results Reported For Ulcer and Proctitis Drugs.(Helicide)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- Results of the Phase III North American trials conducted on 277 patients confirmed that Axcan's Helicide regimen is neither statistically nor clinically different from the widely used OAC combination (20 mg of...

Data Verify JNK Pathway Is Important Anti-Inflammatory Target.(c-JUN N-terminal kinase inhibitor important anti-inflammatory target in asthma treatment)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- Celgene Corp. (CELG) scientists and collaborators presented data at the 97th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society demonstrating that Celgene's novel JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) inhibitor,...

Screening Test Does Not Require Dietary Restriction.(InSure Immunochemical Fecal Occult Blood Test)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- Enterix, Inc. has announced the results of four independent clinical trials for its new !nSure[TM] Immunochemical Fecal Occult Blood Test (marketed as !nform[R] Annual Bowel Check[R] in Australia). These...

rhAngiostatin Demonstrates Safety In Human Trials.(treatment for advanced cancer)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- EntreMed, Inc. (ENMD) presented data at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting from a Phase I clinical trial of rhAngiostatin that showed this anti-angiogenesis agent to be very well...

Gelatin Matrix Controls Bleeding During Surgery.(FloSeal from Fusion Medical Technologies Inc.)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- Fusion Medical Technologies, Inc. (FSON) reports on a study showing that its surgical gelatin matrix product, FloSeal[R], is effective in controlling bleeding during surgery. Dr. Francesco Izzo, Associate...

Mucoregulator Shows Promise In Treating Respiratory Diseases.(Genaera Corp.)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- Genaera Corporation (GENR) and collaborators have presented four new studies on the company s mucoregulator program at the meeting of the American Thoracic Society (ATC), held in San Francisco, California, May...

Nasal Flu Vaccine Enters Safety, Immunogenicity Trials.(ID Biomedical Corp.)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- ID Biomedical Corp. has initiated expanded human safety and immunogenicity studies of the company's subunit intranasal influenza vaccine. The first group of healthy adult volunteers has been enrolled in...

New Screening Approach Could Target Early-Stage Disease.(LungAlert from International Medical Innovations Inc. could diagnose the disease in its early stages)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- Research presented at the American Thoracic Society meeting shows that a new screening approach for lung cancer can detect the disease in its early stages when it may be treatable. The pilot clinical study...

New Pulse Oximetry Technology Improves Detection For Hypoxemia.(Masimo Corp.'s SET pulse oximetry)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- Masimo Corp.'s SET pulse oximetry improved the detection of obstructive sleep-apnea-related hypoxemia, according to a study by physiologist, Ha Trang, PhD, MD, Director of the Pulmonary Laboratory at the Robert...

Intravenous Montelukast Beats Standard Therapy For Emergency Care.(of acute asthma)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- In a new pilot study an investigational intravenous (IV) formulation of montelukast plus standard therapy rapidly (within 20 minutes) improved pulmonary function compared with placebo plus standard therapy for...

Formoterol Fumarate Inhalation Powder Controls Symptoms In Children.(with asthma)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) - Foradli [R] Aero1izer [TM] (formoterol fumarate inhalation powder) reduced symptoms and improved disease management in children with persistent asthma uncontrolled by inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) alone. ...

Study Confirms Calcium Channel Blocker Is Effective In Certain Patients.(Norvasc effective for treating hypertension in patients with severe renal diseases and diabetes)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- Pfizer, Inc., reports that results from a major new study further demonstrate the value of its calcium channel blocker [Norvasc.sup.R] (amlodipine besylate) in treating high blood pressure in patients with...

Drug Increases Cytokines That Fight Viral Infection.(Zadaxin)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- Researchers with SciClone Pharmaceuticals (SCLN) has published a new study in the May 2001 issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Viral Hepatitis, which adds further support to the biological role...

Soft Tissue Glycopeptide Antibiotic Begins Phase II Trial.(dalbavancin tested for treatment of gram-positive bacterial infections)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- Versicor, Inc. (VERS) has begun a Phase II clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of its novel investigational antibiotic, dalbavancin (formerly V-Glycopeptide), for the treatment of complicated...

Unarmed Agent Well Tolerated In Dog Study.(Tapet vector)
June 13, 2001... 2001 JUN 13 - (NewsRx Network) -- Vion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (VION) says initial results of a research study in 33 dogs with advanced cancers that received increasing intravenous doses of "unarmed" Tapet [R] vector (VNP20009) showed that this...

Shark Metabolite Regulates Weight, Cholesterol, Glucose In Obese Rats.(MSI 1436)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A spermine-coupled cholesterol metabolite from the dogfish shark can reduce food intake and thus weight and hyperglycemia in obese rats without affecting thirst or...

DNA Vaccine Is Immunogenic But Falls Short of Full Protection.
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A DNA vaccine consisting of Plasmodium yoelii heat shock protein 60 (PyHsp60) offers enough protection against the sporozoite in mice to warrant further investigation,...

Health Of Drug Industry Depends On Reducing Patent Litigation.
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- "We need to find a way to better use the energy and funds now being directed at gimmicks and litigation," says Gerald F. Meyer, former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deputy director of the Center for...

Single Calanolide A Doses Safe For Humans.(HIV inhibitor)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20- (NewsRx Network) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The HIV inhibitor calanolide A appears to be safe for use in humans. "(+)-Calanolide A is a novel, naturally occurring, nonnucleoside inhibitor of [HIV 1] reverse...

Study Finds Nonviral Gene Therapy Is Safe With Early Signs Of Benefit.(for the treatment of hemophilia)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- The results of this first human investigation of hemophilia A gene therapy also showed that the treatment, which was derived from patients' own cells, may be effective in reducing the occurrence of spontaneous...

Magnetic Cell Sorting System Aids Collection Of Stem Cells.
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- Stem cell research is heating up as a promising area of medical research, bringing with it the demand for faster and more effective ways to isolate these cells and make them available to laboratories. To...

Drug Delays Progression In Hormone Therapy Nonresponders.(ABT-627 delays prostate cancer progression)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) researchers have shown that a new prostate cancer drug can slow progression of the disease in patients no longer responding to hormone therapy. In a Phase II,...

Antibodies Speed Return To Normal Platelet Levels In Animal Model.
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ALXN) reported the results of a preclinical study of a new class of therapeutic antibodies that accelerate the return to normal platelet levels in an animal model of bone marrow...

Hormone-Based Drug May Reduce Risk Of Disease Progression In Men With Early-Stage Disease.(Casodex found effective in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- In data presented from the largest prostate cancer clinical trial program m the world, Casodex (150 mg) was shown to significantly reduce (42%) the risk of disease progression in men with localized or locally...

Second Clinical Trial Approved For Gene Therapy.(for hemophilia B therapeutic Coagulin B)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20- (NewsRx Network) -- Avigen, Inc. (AVGN) has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for a second clinical trial of its gene therapy for hemophilia B. In this trial, patients with hemophilia B will receive Avigen's...

New Compact Heart-Lung Machine Reduces Blood Trauma, Morbidity.(CORx system from CardioVention Inc.)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- A new, compact, heart-lung bypass system was shown to be safe and effective in reducing the blood trauma and morbidity often associated with conventional heart-lung machines, surgeons report. In a...

Clinical Trial Data Reported For Thalidomide Treatment Of Kidney And Brain Cancers.
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- Officials with Celgene Corp. (CELG) announced that based on results from clinical trials, the company plans to "pursue a major trial designed to evaluate [Thalomid.sup.R] [thalidomide] as a potential therapy...

Vaccine Demonstrates 18% Response In Non-Small-Cell Disease.(GVAX lung cancer vaccine)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- Cell Genesys, Inc. (CEGE) reported data on its [GVAX.sup.R] lung cancer vaccine that demonstrate anti-tumor activity has been observed in every cancer that the GVAX vaccine has been tested in to date. The...

Sea Snail Venom Proves Safe In Phase I Trials.(for the treatment of intractable epilepsy)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- Cognetix, Inc., has completed a Phase I clinical trial of CGX-1007, a compound derived from a venomous sea snail that shows early promise for the treatment of intractable epilepsy when delivered directly into...

Squalamine Receives Orphan Drug Status.(for the treatment of ovarian cancer)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- Genaera Corp.'s (GENR) squalamine has been granted Orphan Drug designation for the treatment of ovarian cancer by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Squalamine, an anti-angiogenic drug, is...

Atovaquone/Proguanil Hydrochloride Effective Against Two Plasmodium Strains.(Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- Malarone [TM] (atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride) was shown to be highly effective against the two most common types of malaria, caused by Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax, in people without a natural...

Receptor Subtype Can Reverse Hyperlipidemia.(peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20- (NewsRx Network) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A subtype of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) can reverse hyperlipidemia associated with metabolic syndrome X, the complex that includes hypertension,...

Report Cites 14.9% Growth in U.S. Prescription Sales to $145 Billion in 2000.
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20- (NewsRx Network) - IMS Health (NYSE: RX) reported on May 31, 2001, that U.S. prescription drug sales grew 14.9% to $145 billion in 2000, compared with $126 billion in sales the previous year. Prescription product sales data are...

Prodrug May Increase T Cells In Patients Treated With Antivirals.(Remune)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- The Immune Response Corp. (IMNR) has published data from a 15-patient, open-label research study suggesting that treatment with Remune [TM] (HIV-1 Immunogen) may increase the number of patients' CD8+ T cells,...

Scientists Discover Antibodies Against Chlamydia pneumoniae.(multiple sclerosis research)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- Researchers say the infectious agent that produces the heretofore unidentified antibodies present in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients appears to be Chlamydia pneumoniae. If confirmed, this would mark a major...

WHO, Novartis Join Forces To Combat Drug-Resistant Parasite.(new treatment for malaria to be developed)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- In a joint effort to provide essential medicines at affordable prices, the World Health Organization and Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis have agreed to provide developing countries with a new treatment...

Zoledronic Acid Has Fewer Skeletal-Related Events In Metastases Cases.(Zometa)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- Men with prostate cancer who are treated with the Novartis Oncology agent [Zometa.sup.R] (zoledronic acid for injection) experience significantly fewer skeletal-related events (SREs) associated with bone...

New Forms Of Ligand-Inducible Chimeric Receptors May Improve Regulation.(RHeoGene presents new results)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- RHeoGene, Charlottesville, Virginia, presented its most recent advances in protein receptor engineering on May 31, 2001, at the fourth annual meeting of the American Society for Gene Therapy (ASGT) in Seattle,...

Drug Candidate Demonstrates VEGF Gene Activation, Angiogenesis.(vascular endothelial growth factor)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. (SGMO) has demonstrated that the company's engineered zinc finger DNA-binding protein transcription factors (ZFP TFs), designed to activate the VEGF gene, induced blood vessel growth,...

Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibitors Halt Progression.(of diabetic nephropathy)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20- (NewsRx Network) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Two renin-angiotensin system inhibitors lowered proteinuria in rats with diabetic nephropathy, highlighting the importance of angiotensin II in disease progression. ...

Antisense Gene Therapy Suppresses Mucus Overproduction.(in asthma)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Deborah W. Heinrich, PhD, staff medical writer Researchers at Takeda Chemical Industry, Ltd. in Osaka, Japan used antisense gene therapy to suppress murine asthma. A. Nakanishi and colleagues in the...

Lipid-Based Gene Delivery System Effective In Tissue Cultures.(lipid-protamine-DNA gene delivery system from Targeted Genetics Corp. and Elan Corporation PLC)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- Targeted Genetics Corp. (TGEN) has presented data from its joint venture with Elan Corp. describing enhancements that enable cellular targeting of Targeted Genetics' proprietary lipid-protamine-DNA (LPD) gene...

Disease Progression Delayed By Gene Therapy.(head and neck cancer progression delayed by interleukin-2 gene medicine, JL-2)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20- (NewsRx Network) -- Valentis, Inc. (VLTS) reported interim results of a Phase fib clinical trial of its interleukin-2 (JL-2) gene medicine showing a positive trend favoring the group receiving the IL-2 gene medicine and...

Study Shows Transmission Of Resistant H1V Strains From Mother To Child.
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- ViroLogic, Inc. (VLGC) has published a new study that documents the transmission of multi-drug-resistant HIV from mother to child. According to the researchers, the study findings, which were published in...

Recombinant PhpA Protein Vaccine Protects Mice From S. pneumoniae.(Streptococcus pneumoniae and otitis media)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Researchers at Wyeth-Lederle Vaccines may have overcome some of the limitations of the current multivalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, according to a report in...

Iron Oxide Contrast Agent Marks Vascularity In Animal Model.(ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide particles used in magnetic resonance imaging to detect breast cancer)
June 20, 2001... 2001 JUN 20 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - An international research consortium has used ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (USPIO) as a contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to...

Vaccine Induces Peptide-Specific Response.(in multiple sclerosis)
June 27, 2001... 2001 JUN 27 - (NewsRx Network) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A member of the TCR VP family shows promise as a vaccine candidate for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study in the Journal of Neuroscience Research. ...

Report Quantifies Benefits of Genomic Technologies for Streamlined Discovery.(gene therapy discoveries)
June 27, 2001... 2001 JUN 27- (NewsRx Network) -- Shedding new light on a growing debate, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) issued original research showing the positive economic impact of genomics technologies on pharmaceutical research and development (R&D)....

Strong Immune Response Observed In Chimps After Hepatitis C Rechallenge.
June 27, 2001... 2001 JUN 27 - (NewsRx Network) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Surprisingly, researchers have found some chimps retain an immune response to hepatitis C virus (HCV) rechallenge long after their original hepatitis infections have...

Data On Novel Neuroprotective Effects Of Memantine Presented.(Alzheimer's disease treatment)
June 27, 2001... 2001 JUN 27 - (NewsRx Network) -- Data demonstrating the novel neuroprotective effects and clinical potential of memantine, an investigational new drug being developed in the United States as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease, were presented...