Drug Week articles from March 2002

Drug Week archives from March 2002

Hydroxyurea effective against infected dendritic cells.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Hydroxyurea can be used in combination with other HIV drugs to help clear out viral resevoirs, according to researchers in Italy and the United States. ...

NCQA convenes human research protection advisory council.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has convened for its first meeting an advisory council that will provide guidance for the development of its planned accreditation program for human...

Antiretroviral therapy lowers coagulation-related activity.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Antiretroviral therapy reduces levels of vascular activation markers in HIV patients, researchers in Switzerland report. Dr. Katja Wolf and colleagues at...

Neomycin B-arganine conjugate shows promise.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Israel say that a neomycin B-hexaarginine conjugate (NeoR) appears to be a potent inhibitor of HIV infection and replication. "HIV-1...

New alliance has basis in gene discovery collaboration.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Roche and deCODE genetics, Inc,. (DCGN) announced the formation of a new, 3-year alliance focused on turning the landmark achievements of their gene discovery collaboration into novel treatments for...

Disinfecting solution proven effective against serious eye infections.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Alcon, a company that makes Opti-Free Express No Rub Multi-Purpose Disinfecting Solution, refutes a paper in the February 2002 issue of British Journal of Ophthalmology that questions the ability of...

Isoniazid safe for lupus patients on steroid therapy.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The antituberculosis drug isoniazid is suitable for use with steroid-treated lupus patients, according to researchers in India. Dr. S. Gaitonde and...

New one-tablet, once-daily formulation of Sustiva approved.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) announced the approval in the U.S. of a new one-tablet 600 mg formulation of its widely used once-daily anti-HIV drug Sustiva (efavirenz). Sustiva is a once-daily...

GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals announces start of human trial of novel HIV vaccine.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals (GSK Biologicals) announces the start of the first trial in humans of its recombinant, adjuvanted candidate HIV vaccine - NefTat and gp 120 formulated with the proprietary...

Drug target discovery alliance is expanded.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hybrigen, Inc., and Bionomics Limited (BNO) announce they have expanded their collaboration to discover drug targets to include a novel target identified by Bionomics in its angiogenesis project. ...

Clinical, pharmacologic research acquisition complete.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Kendle International, Inc., (KNDL), a leading full-service contract research organization, announced its acquisition of Clinical and Pharmacologic Research, Inc. CPR is located in Morgantown, West...

Metabolic Diseases Drug Discovery and Development summit May 6-7.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The world metabolic disease research community will be convening in Philadelphia, Pennsylvaina, on May 6-7, 2002, to attend, speak, and exhibit at "Metabolic Diseases Drug Discovery and Development,"...

New pharma chemistry in drug discovery conference: April 4-5, 2002.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies from the pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry communities will convene at the "New Pharmaceutical Chemistry Accelerating Drug Discovery" Conference and...

British biotech firm achieves high growth in United States.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New technology, increasing demand for its drug delivery evaluation processes and regional drug absorption studies have helped Pharmaceutical Profiles increase levels of business in the United States by...

Ciphergen develops enhanced ProteinChip Arrays for drug discovery applications.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc., (CIPH) announced that it has developed a new generation prototype of ProteinChip Arrays that are expected to have particular utility for drug discovery applications. ...

Comprehensive platform being developed for chemoinformatics.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- De Novo Pharmaceuticals (De Novo) and Sun Microsystems have announced a joint technology development initiative to codevelop a comprehensive chemoinformatics platform. De Novo and SUN will pool...

Deltagen announces first target from its research pipeline.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Deltagen, Inc., (DGEN) announced the identification of DT011M, a key insulin-mediating drug target, for the potential treatment of obesity and related diseases, such as diabetes. Deltagen has plans...

January is disappointing for biotech stocks.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- After a strong recovery in the final quarter of 2001, biotech got off to a lackluster start in 2002 with the biggest product deal in biotech's history getting off track (ImClone/Bristol-Myers Squibb)...

Company to reinitiate clinical trials of investigational agent.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and its wholly owned subsidiary Chugai Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has concluded that clinical trials may be...

Unique database of known drugs in production.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- LeadScope, Inc., announced that a new and unique database of known drugs is in production and will be released in April 2002. The new structure-searchable Known Drugs database includes marketed...

Study: Generic drugs could offer billions in savings over next decade.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More effective use of generic drugs could save Medicare beneficiaries $250 billion over the next decade, according to a new study. The study, released by Brandeis University in Waltham,...

Pozen announces favorable preliminary results for MT 100, commences final MT 300 trial.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pozen, Inc., (POZN) announced that the preliminary results of the company's first carcinogenicity study for its lead product candidate, MT 100, indicate that MT 100 is not carcinogenic in the test...

Topiramate development extended to simplify dosing, improve tolerability.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, LLC, (JJPRD) a Johnson & Johnson company (JNJ), said it will revise its clinical development program for the use of topiramate in obesity to...

AltaRex announces additional phase IIb results for OvaRex.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AltaRex Corp. (AXO.TO) announced positive and statistically significant overall results from further analysis of its 345-patient OvaRex combined U.S. and Canadian phase IIb trial in metastatic...

Strategic alliances: Rigorous selection creates partners in profit.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pharmaceutical and biotechnology executives dramatically increase strategic partnership profits by limiting potential alliances to those with predetermined factors for success, according to a study by...

FDA approves 16 new biotech products, 8 new indications in 2001.
March 8, 2002... 2002 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 16 new biotechnology- based medicines and vaccines in 2001, as well as 8 new indications for previously approved biotech products, according to an...

Mayo Clinic study finds promise in radioactive drug samarium.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A Mayo Clinic study indicates the radioactive drug samarium may expand treatment options for osteosarcoma, offering patients with bone cancer further hope of a treatment that specifically targets and...

Animal study raises additional concern about use of steroid in premature infants.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New study results regarding the use of dexamethasone as a treatment for neonatal respiratory problems may add to existing concerns about the use of this steroid in premature infants. An animal study,...

FDA approves Xopenex for pediatric use.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Sepracor, Inc., has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Xopenex-brand levalbuterol HCl inhalation solution for the treatment or prevention of bronchospasm in...

Scientists identify a novel drug development target linked to cancer gene.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists from Cell Therapeutics, Inc., (CTIC) described a novel target for anticancer therapy that they have identified and validated. The findings were presented at the Keystone Conferences on...

Study suggests African Americans hardest hit by glaucoma, benefit more with new therapy.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A 12-month study that compared the effectiveness of three different treatments for glaucoma found that a new drug, Travatan Ophthalmic Solution works effectively in all patient groups, but provides...

Rituximab effective for in vivo stem cell graft purging.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab can help purify stem cell grafts used to treat mantle cell lymphoma patients, according to researchers in Italy....

Phase I clinical trial of Tapet-CD, company's first armed vector, begins.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Vion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (VION) has launched a phase I trial of Tapet-CD, its first armed vector, for patients with an advanced or metastatic solid tumor that is no longer considered responsive to...

Novel oligonucleotide shows promise as treatment.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - A novel oligonucleotide may represent a new therapeutic option against HIV infection, researchers in Japan say. Jun-ichiro Suzuki and colleagues at the...

Caspase inhibitor IDN-6734 slated for phase I trials.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Idun Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has selected IDN-6734 as the lead clinical candidate in its cardiovascular program. IDN-6734 is a small molecule caspase inhibitor being developed for the treatment of...

Barr challenges Allegra's patents.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Barr Laboratories, Inc., (BRL) announced that it has been sued by Aventis Pharmaceuticals, which initiates Barr's challenge of the patents protecting Aventis' Allegra-D (fexofenadine hydrochloride 60...

DFB Pharmaceuticals begins evaluation of D2A21.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Demegen, Inc., (DBOT) a biopharmaceutical company specializing in peptides for the treatment of infectious diseases, has granted DFB Pharmaceuticals an exclusive period for evaluation of Demegen's...

Anticancer compound XR11576 enters clinical trials in Europe.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Xenova Group, plc, (XNVA) reported that patients have begun receiving the anticancer agent XR11576 (MLN576) at the University Hospital of Rotterdam, Rotterdam Cancer Institute. This open-label,...

PG-CPT set to begin clinical trials.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cell Therapeutics, Inc.'s, (CTIC) Investigational New Drug application for CT-2106 (PG-CPT - polyglutamate camptothecin) has been reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the company...

Low dose oral enoximone to begin phase III trial.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Myogen, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing drugs for the treatment of heart failure and related cardiovascular complications, has begun patient...

Introgen Therapeutics reports fourth quarter 2001 expectations met.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Introgen Therapeutics, Inc., (INGN) announced that its results for the quarter ended December 31, 2001, were consistent with its expectations, during which time Introgen reported progress in its...

FDA approves fluoxetine hydrochloride oral solution.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Alpharma, Inc., has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to manufacture and market fluoxetine hydrochloride oral solution. Alpharma's fluoxetine hydrochloride oral...

Metformin hydrochloride, a Glucophage bioequivalent, hits the market.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Ltd., (CARA) has started manufacturing and marketing of its recently approved drug, metformin hydrochloride. Metformin hydrochloride is a bioequivalent of...

Rigel collaboration yields validated targets for cancer drug development.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (RIGL) has reported that its oncology collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development LLC has resulted in two validated drug targets. The...

Company reports increased revenues and losses for 2001.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hyseq Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (HYSQ), reported that for the 3 months ended December 31, 2001, a net loss of $11.4 million or ($0.61) per share compared with a net loss of $6.7 million or ($0.49) per...

Pharmaceutical company reports growth in revenue and earnings.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- KV Pharmaceutical Co. (KVa, KVb) reported that net revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2002 increased 20%, to $52.7 million, from $43.8 million for the same period last fiscal year. Net...

Strong performance in 2001 paves way for the future, company reports.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Preliminary results of Schering AG's (SHR) 2001 financial performance indicate sales increased to EUR 4842 million (US$4310 million). After adjusting for currency effects, group sales were up 10% over...

FDA approves Gleevec for GI cancer.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Novartis drug Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) for the treatment of patients with Kit (CD 117) positive unresectable and/or metastatic malignant...

FDA accepts new drug application for Eplerenone.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pharmacia Corp. (PHA) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the new drug application (NDA) for Eplerenone for the treatment of hypertension. Eplerenone, a...

Medical education lacks emphasis on adverse drug reactions.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Although studies have reported that adverse drug reactions may cause more than 100,000 deaths annually in the United States, only a small percnetage of the curriculum at many medical schools is...

Alvimopan undergoes two additional phase III clinical trials.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Adolor Corp. (ADLR) has begun enrollment in two additional phase III clinical trials of alvimopan, the company's small molecule opioid receptor antagonist, for the management of postoperative ileus....

Pharmaceutical division realigns U.S. field force.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The pharmaceuticals division of Bayer Corp., a member of the Bayer Group (BAY) announced that it realigned its field sales force. A key element in the company's overall strategy to bring greater...

Melbourne animal trial identifies new human receptor involved in inflammation development.
March 15, 2002... 2002 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists at Melbourne's Austin Research Institute have identified a new human receptor that is involved in the early development of inflammation. A drug has been shown to be effective in targeting...

Physicians urged to participate in new program for Accutane.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Lynn Yoffee, senior medical writer - Considered the biggest breakthrough in acne treatment in 2 decades, isotretinoin (Accutane) for severe recalcitrant nodular cystic acne comes with risks,...

Raising factor VIIa affinity improves effects of mutant soluble tissue factor.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The anticoagulatory effects of mutant soluble tissue factor can be enhanced by introducing further mutations into the protein, researchers say. "We have...

Antiretroviral-induced immune recovery can increase Epstein-Barr risk.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Partially effective antiretroviral treatment for HIV can increase the risk of complications linked to Epstein-Barr virus infection, researchers in Italy...

Pharmaceutical companies to reveal data to Congress.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Six of the seven pharmaceutical companies asked by a congressional committee for records of the negotiations they held with ImClone Systems, Inc., planned to hand over the data by the February 28,...

Antibiotic overuse in chickens may compromise effectiveness for humans.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Extensive use of powerful antibiotics in poultry animals may limit their efficacy for humans, researchers in the United States warn. "Fluoroquinolones...

Carboxamides inhibit herpesvirus activity.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States have uncovered a novel class of agents that may be useful for treating herpesvirus-related disorders. "Through broad...

Schering-Plough recalls specific lots of Claritin-D 12-hour tablets.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Schering-Plough Corp. (SGP) announced a voluntary recall directed to wholesale accounts and retail pharmacies of specific lots of Clariton-D 12 Hour (5 mg loratadine/120 mg pseudoephedrine sulfate,...

AIDS Healthcare Foundation says to GlaxoSmithKline: do the right thing.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In conjunction with the expected release of GlaxoSmithKline's 2001 full year fiscal results on February 14, California Congresswoman Diane Watson (D-CA) and AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the...

Neurobiological Technologies reports news on Memantine.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Neurobiological Technologies, Inc., (NTII) announced that its strategic partner, Merz Pharma KGaA, has been granted an approvable status from regulatory authorities in the European Union for Memantine...

Organon enters drug-discovery collaboration.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pharmacopeia, Inc., (PCOP) and Organon, the pharmaceutical business unit of Akzo Nobel (AKZOY) announced the formation of a new 5-year drug discovery collaboration. Under the terms of this...

Roche enters strategic alliance diabetes treatment.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Vernalis Group, plc, (VER) and Roche announced the signing of a new agreement to collaborate on the research and development of novel drugs for the treatment of diabetes. This alliance capitalizes...

Government launches trial of gel to protect women against HIV.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The British government, working with agencies in five African countries, have launched a 5-year program to find an effective gel to protect women against HIV infection. International Development...

Company releases enterprise version of PathwayPrism.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Physiome Sciences, Inc., a leading developer of technologies to simulate biology in the biopharmaceutical industry, announced the release of version 2.0 of the PathwayPrism technology platform at the...

Company's GeneTrove Division initiates target validation collaboration with Merck.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (ISIS) announced that its GeneTrove division has entered into a target validation collaboration with Merck & Co., Inc., (MRK) to support Merck's pharmaceutical research and...

Rigel acquires technology from leading research institutions to advance genomic target discovery.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (RIGL) has signed agreements with The Pennsylvania State University and Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation to license from these institutions new intellectual property...

NCI starting large-scale HPV vaccine trials.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Lynn Yoffee, senior medical writer - Large-scale efficacy trials are being initiated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for a vaccine to protect against human papillomavirus (HPV). ...

Bristol-Myers Squibb responds to ImClone.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Peter R. Dolan sent the following letter to members of the special committee of the ImClone Systems, Inc., board of directors: ...

Consumer groups appeal to pharmaceutical company to end Prilosec trial delays.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Stop Patient Abuse Now, a nationwide coalition of 125 consumer and senior groups, sent a letter to AstraZeneca CEO Tom McKillop asking him to stop tactics intended to delay the Prilosec patent...

Consumers applaud court decision to allow generic BuSpar sales.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Stop Patient Abuse Now, a nationwide coalition of 125 consumer and senior groups, supports a decision by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that allows consumers continued...

Company launches research alliance with Jefferson Medical College.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ImpactRx, Inc., the pioneering force in tracking and evaluating the impact of pharmaceutical promotion on the prescribing behavior of the nation's highest prescribing physicians, announced plans to...

Maxygen announces advancement of improved interferon-(beta).
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Maxygen, Inc., (MAXY) has announced that the product under the scope of its collaboration with H. Lundbeck A/S (LUN) is an optimized interferon-(alpha), and that the companies intend to move this lead...

Roche, Vernalis sign new R&D agreement on antiobesity drugs.
March 29, 2002... 1902 MAR 29 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Roche and Vernalis (VER) announced the signing of a new research and development agreement that focuses on antiobesity drugs. The collaboration between Roche and Vernalis aims to develop highly...