Drug Week articles from February 2003

Drug Week archives from February 2003

Sugars research affecting bypass patients, drug industry.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A young Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor's basic research on complex sugars has led to a cascade of potential medical applications that could, for example, significantly improve...

Clozaril receives first indication to reduce risk of suicide.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The antipsychotic drug Clozaril has received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) first indication for reducing the risk of recurrent suicidal behavior in people with schizophrenia or...

New accreditation program announced for human research trials.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The nation's leading advocates for quality in health care, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), have formed...

Cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones synergize against resistant P. aeruginosa.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "Owing to increasing resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, empirical drug regimens may include agents to which some strains may be resistant," researchers at the University of Colorado warn. D. N....

Antimalarial agent derived from sponge.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers in Italy have identified a novel antimalarial agent derived from a species of sponge. "There is an urgent need to discover new antimalarials, due to the spread of chloroquine resistance...

Fosmidomycin safe, effective.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers in Gabon have identified a novel antimalarial agent. "Safe and effective antimalarial drugs with new methods of action are urgently needed," explained M. A. Missinou and colleagues,...

Emtricitabine MAA filed with EMEA.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (VIRS) announced that the marketing authorization application (MAA) for emtricitabine, used in the treatment of HIV infection, was submitted to the European Agency for...

Memantine/Aricept trial shows improved cognition results in patients.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Neurobiological Technologies, Inc., (NTII) announced that its collaborator, Forest Laboratories, Inc., (Forest) has presented initial results from the first-ever U.S. clinical trial to evaluate a...

Former WebMD executive producer joins NewsRx.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A former WebMD executive producer and medical editor has joined Atlanta-based NewsRx, along with three board-certified editors. Dominique Walton Brooks, MD, with WebMD until 2001, will serve as...

New nonexecutive director named.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cambridge Antibody Technology (CATG) has announced the appointment of Peter Ringrose as a nonexecutive director to the board, effective February 10, 2003. Peter Ringrose has spent his 32-year career...

MRLI gains rights to conduct clinical trials for implitapide.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- PPD, Inc., (PPDI) announced that Bayer, AG, granted to MRL International (MRLI), a division of PPD Development, worldwide rights to undertake additional phase I and II clinical studies on implitapide, a...

Phytomedics enters botanical drug collaboration with Korean company.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Phytomedics, Inc., a private biotechnology company, has signed an agreement with SK Chemicals Life Science R&D Center, a unit of South Korea's SK Group, to start the joint testing of new prescription...

Dual-specificity phosphatases studied as targets for antineoplastic agents.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from the United States, "Dual-specificity protein phosphatases are a subclass of protein tyrosine phosphatases that are uniquely able to hydrolyze the phosphate ester bond on both a...

Rigel receives milestone payment in cancer drug deal.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (RIGL) announced that it has received the first milestone payment from Daiichi Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., in conjunction with the companies' partnership to develop a new...

Financial results announced, $1.35M in new funding reported.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cel-Sci Corporation (CVM) reports financial results for the 2002 fiscal year ending September 30, 2002. During fiscal year 2002, grant revenues were $384,939 as compared with $293,871 during fiscal...

FDA panel recommends approval of Ketek for respiratory tract infections.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aventis announced that the Anti-Infective Drugs Advisory Committee (AIDAC) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted to recommend approval of Ketek (telithromycin) tablets (800 mg oral dose...

Glivec now available in Scotland.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Glivec (imatinib) is now available in Scotland for all newly diagnosed adults and children with the life threatening blood cancer CML, following a recommendation made by the Scottish Medicines...

TEAMM Pharmaceuticals launches Respi-Tann.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- TEAMM Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Kiel Laboratories have announced the launch of Respi-Tann, an antitussive and decongestant, using the new patent-pending Tannate Conversion Technology (TCT). ...

Bayer exercises option on antibody program.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MorphoSys AG (MOR) announced that Bayer AG has purchased a license for the exclusive right to develop a HuCAL antibody. The acquired license is for a HuCAL antibody against an undisclosed, solid...

Companies to develop hormone therapy product under license agreement.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (BISP) announced that it has signed a development and license agreement with Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries,...

HAP technology license agreement signed with Millennium.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genaissance Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (GNSC) announced that it has licensed its HAP Technology to Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (MLNM) for use in its drug discovery and development programs. Under...

Partnership to target development of obesity drug program.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Chiron Corporation (CHIR) announced that it has entered an exclusive partnership with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for the research, development, and commercialization of Chiron's small molecule drug program...

Product partnership signed for novel cancer drug in China.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AEterna Laboratories, Inc., (AEL; AELA) announced that its biopharmaceutical subsidiary Zentaris AG and Hainan Tianwang International Pharmaceutical signed a contract for the manufacture and marketing...

Research deal to enhance drug discovery efforts.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cephalon, Inc., (CEPH) and MDS Proteomics, Inc., a subsidiary of MDS, Inc., (MDZ; MDS), announced that the companies have entered a 5-year agreement that will use MDS Proteomics' technologies to further...

Second deal signed to study pharmacogenetics of depression treatment.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- EGeen International and Prediction Sciences announced the signing of an agreement to collaborate on the study and discovery of genetic variants responsible for variable patient response to paroxetine...

Two milestones achieved in drug alliance.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Martinsried/Munich, Germany, and U.S. Research Facilities in GPC Biotech AG (GPC) announced that it has achieved two milestones by using its Reverse Genomics technology platform for the analysis of the...

Internal analysis of cetuximab colorectal cancer trial data underway.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Merck, KgaA, announced that the company is in the process of an internal analysis of its European pivotal clinical trial of cetuximab (Erbitux, C225) in 330 patients with irinotecan-refractory...

SNDA submitted to FDA for Levaquin 5-day treatment of CAP.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc., announced it is seeking marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a 5-day, once-daily regimen for Levaquin (levofloxacin)...

Adverse interactions between herbal medications and analgesic drugs summarized.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a study from the United States, "The use of herbal supplements in the U.S. has increased dramatically in recent years. These products are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration...

Necon 7/7/7 generic oral contraceptive launched.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (WPI) announced that it has launched Necon 7/7/7 (norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol tablets), a generic version of the oral contraceptive Ortho-Novum 7/7/7. ...

Major expansion initiated to increase pharmaceutical sales by 60%.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Eisai, Inc., a U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Tokyo-based Eisai Co., Ltd., announced plans to strengthen its national sales force by adding an additional 150 sales representatives. The expansion...

Remicade granted priority review by FDA for use in maintaining fistula closure.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Centocor, Inc., announced that Remicade (infliximab) has been designated for priority review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in maintaining fistula closure in patients with...

Duramycin (Moli1901) receives orphan designation in Europe.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MoliChem Medicines, Inc., (MLCM) announced that it has obtained orphan designation for the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) in Europe for the compound duramycin (Moli1901). The European Commission...

Company asks FDA to reactivate INDA for IL-12.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ribapharm, Inc., (RNA) announced that it has applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reactivate the investigational new drug (IND) application to initiate human clinical trials for...

Development of ETRX 101 discontinued.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Essential Therapeutics, Inc., (ETRX) announced that it has completed its phase I trial for ETRX 101, and that based upon its review of the phase I data and the data from recently completed nonclinical...

FDA approves 20 new biotech products, 15 new indications.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 35 new biotechnology-based drugs and vaccines as well as new indications for previously approved products in 2002, up slightly from 2001, according...

Update provided on timing of NDA filing.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (ISPH) announced that it will submit a New Drug Application (NDA) for diquafosol (INS365 Ophthalmic) for treatment of dry eye to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration...

Toxicity of carbonyl iron and sodium iron EDTA compared with ferrous sulfate in rats.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, exposures to excessive doses of iron supplements still occur in children less than 6 years of age. Since 1998, there has been one death...

Marketers' observations of doctor visits trouble psychiatric group.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Some doctors are letting drug company sales representatives sit in while they treat patients - a practice called "shadowing" that is being questioned by at least one professional group. An...

Replagal briefing documents for FDA advisory committee now available.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc., (TKTX) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will release briefing documents related to the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drug Advisory Committee's...

Earnings projection lowered due to lower Claritin prescription demand.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Schering-Plough Corp. (SGP) announced that full-year 2002 diluted earnings per share will be in the range of $1.40-1.42 and fourth quarter 2002 diluted earnings per share will be in the range of...

Exercisability of premerger Endo warrants announced.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc., (ENDP; ENDPW) announced that the outstanding warrants that were issued to Endo Pharma LLC (an affiliate of Kelso & Company in which certain members of management...

Ergothioneine mitigates diabetic embryopathy in pregnant rats.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to recent research from groups in Spain and England, "The natural antioxidant ergothioneine (2-mercaptohistidine trimethylbetaine) is a fungal metabolite and found in most plant and animal...

Norak Biosciences enters GPCR collaboration.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Norak Biosciences, Inc., announced the signing of a collaboration agreement with H. Lundbeck, A/S, to use its Transfluor technology for G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) drug discovery. Under the...

Antiretroviral therapy heightens long-term hepatitis C virus diversity.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - HIV treatment can exacerbate long-term hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, researchers in California warn. Jennifer M. Babik and colleagues at Stanford...

Cyclin-dependent kinases may be therapeutic targets.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers in Canada have identified a novel set of potential therapeutic targets in HIV and other viruses. "Cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks) are required for replication of viruses that replicate...

Anti-R7V antibodies effective for patients failing HAART.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers in France have identified a novel method for treating drug-resistant HIV infection. "Many attempts to use therapeutic antibodies to treat HIV have been unsuccessful owing to the high...

Cimetidine may boost saquinavir levels.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cimetidine treatment may increase levels of the HIV protease inhibitor saquinavir, researchers in England warn. M. Boffito and colleagues at the University of Liverpool "evaluated the effect of...

Ritonavir has anticancer effects.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "Ritonavir is an HIV protease inhibitor used in the therapy of HIV infection. Ritonavir has also been shown to inhibit the chymotrypsin-like activity of isolated 20S proteasomes," according to recent...

Erythropoietin glycosylation alters receptor binding kinetics.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "Erythropoietin (EPO) is a cytokine produced by the kidney whose function is to stimulate red blood cell production in the bone marrow," according to recent research from the United States....

Option Care to distribute Pegasys.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Option Care, Inc., (OPTN) announced that it has signed an agreement with Roche to distribute Pegasys (peginterferon alfa-2a) for the treatment of hepatitis C. Option Care is among the specialty...

Study: Decline in use ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers anticipated.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A potential shift in prescriptions for major antihypertensive drugs is possible in 2003, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the marketing informatics firm marketRx. In the study,...

FDA approval granted for 180 days of marketing exclusivity.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- American Pharmaceutical Partners, APP, (APPX) announced that it has received 180 days of marketing exclusivity and approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the Abbreviated New Drug...

Atovaquone-clindamycin regimen effective against toxoplasmosis.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The combination of atovaquone (ATO) and clindamycin (CLI) is highly effective against Toxoplasma gondii infection in animals, researchers in Yugoslavia report....

Calcium carbonate reduces gentamicin toxicity.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "Gentamicin (GM) is used against serious and life-threatening Gram negative infections. However its use is limited by the occurrence of nephrotoxicity," according to researchers at Saudi Arabia's King...

Penicillin-binding proteins contribute to Heliobacter drug resistance.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "Reports on the isolation of amoxicillin-resistant Helicobacter pylori are increasing worldwide, which may cause serious problems in eradication therapy," according to recent research from Yamaguchi...

Toho-1 structure in complex with antimicrobials described.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "Bacterial resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics is a serious problem limiting current clinical therapy. The most common form of resistance is the production of beta-lactamases that inactivate...

Three new software modules launched for ArrayScan HCS Reader.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cellomics, Inc., announced the release of three new BioApplication software modules, Molecular Translocation, Micronucleus, and Cell Cycle, for the ArrayScan High Content Screening (HCS) Reader and the...

FDA advisory committee recommends use of Coreg, based on CAPRICORN study.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced that the Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unanimously supported the use of the beta-blocking agent Coreg...

Antitrust litigation to be settled.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMY) announced that it has reached agreements, in principle, that would settle substantially all antitrust litigation surrounding two of its products, the anti-anxiety drug...

Paxil ad suit denied class action status.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A U.S. federal judge has refused to grant class-action status to a lawsuit filed against GlaxoSmithKline over the marketing of its antidepressant Paxil. Judge Mariana R. Pfaelzer of U.S. District...

FDA clears initiation of lung, colorectal cancer vaccine trials.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Epimmune, Inc., (EPMN) announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to start phase I/II clinical trials of its EP-2101 therapeutic, multi-epitope vaccine in lung...

FDA requires more time for review of Iressa.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified AstraZeneca (AZN) that it requires more time to review information requested of the company during the 6-month priority review of the new drug...

Phase III trial of Xcytrin receives special protocol assessment agreement.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pharmacyclics, Inc., (PCYC) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed a special protocol assessment (SPA) for the company's pivotal phase III trial of Xcytrin (motexafin...

Pain cream taken off the market.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- EMLA Cream, an anesthetic cream produced by AstraZeneca, has been temporarily taken off the market in the United States because the packaging does not comply with the Poison Prevention Packaging Act....

Mera Pharmaceuticals to acquire botanical drug development company.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (MRPI) announced that it has entered into a binding commitment to acquire Ancile Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held drug development company with a focus on botanical...

New company to develop pharmaceuticals for diseases of aging.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Centagenetix, Inc., and Elixir Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced that the two companies will merge to create pharmaceutical products that address the diseases of aging. The all-stock transaction is...

Pamidronate effective as maintenance therapy.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The bone metabolism regulator pamidronate may be useful as maintenance therapy for multiple myeloma patients, researchers in Japan say. H. Kondo and colleagues at Shimizu Kohsei Hospital...

Revimid monotherapy induces reduction or stabilization of paraprotein levels.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Celgene Corp. (CELG) announced that Paul Richardson, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard University, presented preliminary results from a randomized phase II trial of Revimid (CC-5013) in...

Continuing use of mercury in vaccines questioned.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Parents and advocates met recently on Capitol Hill to ask the nation's leaders and pharmaceutical companies to stop using the mercury preservative thimerosal in all vaccines, to inform Americans about...

Phase II cancer compound licensed.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Allos Therapeutics, Inc., (ALTH) announced that it has signed a multi-institutional licensing agreement for a phase II cancer compound, thus further expanding its oncology development pipeline. ...

New glucosamine fermentation process to be commercialized.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bio-Technical Resources (BTR), a division of Arkion Life Sciences LLC, announced it is commercializing its technology to produce glucosamine by microbial fermentation, with product availability in the...

Patent application filed for ENT-103.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Entropin, Inc., (ETOP) announced the filing of a composition-of-matter patent for ENT-103, a new chemical entity and a simplified next generation form of the company's previous key investigational...

Newron releases positive preliminary phase II data for safinamide.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Newron Pharmaceuticals, SpA, a clinical-stage company focused on developing novel central nervous system (CNS) therapies, announced positive initial results from a phase II study of safinamide in...

Ribavirin patent dispute settled.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ribapharm (RNA), ICN Pharmaceuticals (ICN), and F. Hoffmann-La Roche announced that they have agreed on a settlement regarding the pending patent disputes over ribavirin. The companies will stop...

Company reiterates confidence in strength of Altace patents.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- King Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (KG) reported that the company has learned from a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) web site that an abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) containing a paragraph IV...

Report looks at patient compliance with hyperlipidemia medication.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The rate of compliance with hyperlipidemia, a lipid disorder also known as hypercholesterolemia or "high cholesterol," treatments is low, causing an estimated 125,000 deaths per year. "Hyperlipidemia...

Forecast: Pletal will fuel major-market growth of vasoactive treatments.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Decision Resources, Inc., forecasts that Otsuka's Pletal will fuel major-market growth of vasoactive treatments. Sales of vasoactive treatments will grow from $177.6 million in 2001 to $291.8...

Consumers taking control, seeking more information.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Prescription drug advertisements often trigger consumers to seek more information, says the National Consumers League (NCL), releasing data from a national survey commissioned to investigate American...

Japanese Eligard marketing rights licensed to Sosei.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Atrix Laboratories, Inc., (ATRX) and Sosei Co., Ltd, announced that Atrix and Sosei have executed an exclusive agreement for the license to develop and commercialize Eligard in Japan. Eligard...

Medarex files IND for MDX-070, fully human anti-PSMA antibody candidate.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medarex, Inc., (MEDX) announced that it has filed an investigational new drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate phase I/II clinical trials of MDX-070, a...

FDA grants approval for Aralast.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Alpha Therapeutic Corporation (Alpha) and Baxter Healthcare Corporation (Baxter) announced that Alpha has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization for Aralast alpha-1 proteinase...

Simvastatin attenuates smooth muscle proliferation and pulmonary hypertension in rats.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "Hypertensive pulmonary vascular disease is characterized by abnormal proliferation of vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells, leading to occlusion of pulmonary arterioles, pulmonary hypertension,...

Phase III trial of Riquent (formerly LJP 394) is complete.
February 7, 2003... 2003 FEB 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- La Jolla Pharmaceutical Co. (LJPC) announced it has completed its phase III clinical trial of Riquent, previously referred to as LJP 394. The company is now compiling and auditing the data from the...