Pharma Marketletter articles from August 2006

Pharma Marketletter archives from August 2006

India's Orchid buys out rest of Bexel.(Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals merges with Bexel Pharmaceuticals)
August 14, 2006... Chennai, India-based drugmaker Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals says that it was consolidating its new drug discovery research activities under a common umbrella, as part of which it will extend its ownership in US firm Bexel Pharmaceuticals...

Split patent decison for Amgen and Shire.
August 14, 2006... USA-headquartered Amgen, the world's largest biotechnology company, has won a partial victory in a patent dispute with fellow US firm Transkaryotic Therapies (now owned by the UK's Shire) and Aventis Pharmaceuticals, part of the French...

Japan's Eisai acts over Aricept ANDA filing.(Abbreviated New Drug application)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Japanese drug major Eisai and its US subsididary said that, on August 3, they filed a law suit against Mutual Pharmaceutical and United Research Laboratories, regarding its submission of an Abbreviated New Drug application to the US Food and...

UK inquiry into asthma drug prescribing over safe use.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is launching an investigation into the use of a common class of asthma drugs, after recent studies have shown that they may increase death rates, especially when incorrectly...

Opportunities in drug RFID and smart packaging.(Radio frequency identification)(Survey)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a rapidly growing business, with some estimates predicting $2.1 billion global turnover by 2016. Smart packaging for health care has additional potential value, for example, in patient compliance...

Pregnant women to receive flu vaccine in the UK from 2007.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... The UK's government will make influenza vaccination available to some pregnant women via the National Health Service from 2007-2008, after receiving advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. Patients with multiple...

Emerging diabetes management solutions boost European market.(Survey)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Increased awareness and the emergence of innovative and effective diabetes management solutions will act as major drivers in the European insulin market over the coming years, according to a report published by market analysts, Frost &...

Pfizer's Chantix goes on sales across the USA.(product development)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Worldwide pharmaceutical major Pfizer says that its smoking cessation pill Chantix (varenicline) is now available in US pharmacies nationwide. The agent, which is the first new drug for this indication cleared by the Food and Drug...

GPC initiates new Ph II satraplatin trial.
August 14, 2006... German drugmaker GPC Biotech AG has initiated a Phase II randomized trial evaluating its lead drug candidate, satraplatin, in combination with OSI Pharmaceuticals' Tarceva (erlotinib) as a first-line therapy for patients with inoperable...

Nippon Kayaku licenses Japanese ozarelix rights.(Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Licensing agreements with Nippon Kayaku Company Ltd)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Spectrum Pharmaceuticals says that AEterna Zentaris, the licensor of its fourth-generation luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone antagonist, ozarelix, has entered a licensing agreement with Japan's Nippon Kayaku. Under the terms of the deal,...

Good Ph II data in cSSSI for Cerexa's ceftaroline.(Cerexa clinical trial of ceftaroline )(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... The USA's Cerexa has reported positive top-line results from a Phase II clinical trial of ceftaroline for the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI). This observer-blinded trial evaluated the cephalosporin...

Nuvelo and Archemix expand aptamer accord.(research agreements between Archemix Corp and Nuvelo Inc)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Archemix and fellow USA-based drugmaker Nuvelo have expanded their R&D accord. Under the new agreement, which replaces the existing 50/50 collaboration, Archemix will be responsible for the discovery of short-acting aptamers targeting the...

Expanded Canada label for Berlex' Betaferon.(Betaferon has been granted marketing authorization by the Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Germany's Schering AG says that its multiple sclerosis drug Betaferon (interferon beta-1b, marketed as Betaseron in Canada by Schering's affiliate Berlex Canada), has been granted marketing authorization by the Health Products and Food Branch...

Gilead exercises option to buy Corus for $365M.(Gilead Sciences Inc. buys Corus Pharma Inc.)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Gilead Sciences has agreed to exercise its option to purchase fellow USA-based firm Corus Pharma for $365.0 million. Gilead expects formal exercise of this option to be enacted within 10 business days, and anticipates that the deal will close...

Bentley reports 2nd-qtr 2006 EPS of $0.12.(financial report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... USA-based Bentley Pharmaceuticals says its second-quarter 2006 operating income rose 24% on the like, year-ago period, to $4.9 million, fueled by an increase in non-domestic licensing and manufacturing agreements and increased royalty revenues...

Cephalon swings to profit in 2nd-qtr 2006.(financial report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... US drugmaker Cephalon saw a return to profit in the second quarter of 2006, earning $55.4 million versus a loss of $249.0 million in the comparable period last year, as its sales advanced 58% to $430.7 million, well above Wall Street's...

Allergan's 2nd-qtr 2006 profit doubles.
August 14, 2006... USA-based Allergan says that its diluted earnings per share for the second quarter of 2006 reached $0.49, a massive 96% increase on the like, year-ago period, as its total net product sales jumped 32% to $787.0 million. This includes $128.3...

Light therapy better than Prozac in SAD.(Usage of light therapy )(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... New clinical data, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, demonstrates that light therapy is more effective than Eli Lilly's antidepressant drug Prozac (fluoxetine) in the treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Compared to...

Strong animal data for Cortex' Ampakines.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Cortex, a USA-based specialist drugmaker focused on the area of neuroscience, says that its Ampakine drugs have demonstrated clear benefits in rat models of age-related cognitive decline. The Irvine, California-based firm is developing both...

Napo to commence Ph II Indian crofelemer trial.(Napo Pharmaceuticals crofelemer received approval from the Drug Controller General of India )(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... The USA's Napo Pharmaceuticals has received approval from the Drug Controller General of India to start a Phase II trial with crofelemer, its proprietary gastrointestinal compound for the treatment of acute infectious diarrhea. The trial...

Palatin/King's FSD drug proceeds to Ph IIb.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... USA-based drugmakers Palatin Technologies and King Pharmaceuticals have reported strong results from the second stage of a Phase IIa pilot study evaluating the effects of their drug candidate bremelanotide in post-menopausal women diagnosed...

Direct molecular evolution: lifecycle management for biologics.
August 14, 2006... In 2005, 83% of pharmaceutical drug sales were from small-molecule products. Their share of total turnover is forecast to fall to 76% by 2010, in part due to the number of challenges the product class faces, not least of which is a very high...

Little growth expected in US vaccine R&D for the rest of decade, reports Tufts.(research and development)
August 14, 2006... Although the number of anti-infective vaccines entering clinical study each year since 2000 has been higher on average than it was in the 1990s, recent trends suggest there may be little growth globally in this product area for the rest of this...

Predix gets $1.5M milestone from CFFT.(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... USA-based Predix Pharmaceuticals, which recently announced a definitive agreement to merge with EPIX Pharmaceuticals, that it has expanded its research, development and commercialization agreement with Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics,...

Novo milestone for Neose Technologies.(Licensing agreements between Neose Technologies Inc and Novo Nordisk A/S)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Pennsylvania, USA-based Neose Technologies says that it has received a research milestone payment from Denmark's Novo Nordisk under a license entered into in November 2003 for the use of the former's GlycoPEGylation technology to develop...

Movianto signs deal with Bayer for Czech distribution.(Movianto Group exclusive contract with Bayer sro)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Movianto Ceska republika, an operation of Movianto Group, a specialist pharmaceutical and health care logistics provider, has signed an exclusive contract with Bayer sro. Movianto will provide warehousing and distribution services for...

Public Citizen warning on compounded HRT.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Hormone replacement drugs that are mixed by pharmacies -a process known as "compounding" - are unsafe, and women should avoid them, the US consumer group Public Citizen writes in a new August posting on its WorstPills.orgEweb site. Serious...

US Senators Leahy and Hatch introduce sweeping patent reform bill.
August 14, 2006... Just as the US Senate was about to adjourn for its August recess, two of its leaders on intellectual property issues have joined together to introduce comprehensive patent reform legislation that would address what they say is the "urgent need...

Former HHS Secretary Thompson calls for shakeup of US Medicaid program.(health insurance program)(Health and Human Services )
August 14, 2006... Former US Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson has released a comprehensive plan to revamp the nation's health insurance program for the poor, urging that the federal government takes increased responsibility for planning,...

MD Anderson Cancer specialists hopeful of new era of cancer vaccine therapy.(Cancer Immunology Research facility)
August 14, 2006... Researchers at the USA-based University of Texas' MD Anderson Cancer Center say that in-house clinical trials of their cancer vaccines are producing "very promising results" in difficult-to-treat indications such as advanced myeloid leukemia,...

UK's optometrists could prescribe eye drugs.(General Optical Council)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... The UK government is considering proposals to allow optometrists to prescribe drugs more freely, provided that they undergo extra training. The new powers are being put to a three-month consultation by the UK government and would mean that...

Russia plans low-tech fake drug crackdown.(ban the flow of medicines into retail without using technologies )(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... The Russian Duma is planning to debate a new drug law in the fall that would "ban the flow of medicines into retail without using technologies that protect medicines from counterfeiting," according to Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov. His...

Serbia's six-month drugs exports $49.9M.(international trade)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Serbia's Statistical Office reports that the country's exports of medical supplies and drugs rose to $49.9 million in the first half of the year, from $39.8 million in the same period last year. However, imports in the same product areas for...

German health reform fund to launch mid-2008.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... The tax-supported fund from which the German health funds (Krankenkassen) would draw a significant proportion of their future income will be launched in July 2008, under the coalition government's health reform package. The health funds...

Tanabe's 1st-qtr 2007 turnover hits 45.4B yen.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Japanese drugmaker Tanabe says that its favorable results for the first quarter of the fiscal year ending March 2007 reflect the solid growth achieved by some of its core products in Japan, and a year-on-year decline in R&D expenses. The...

Santen Pharma unveils new mid-term strategy.(financial report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Osaka, Japan-based ophthalmic drugs specialist Santen Pharmaceuticals says that it is targeting a 3% growth in turnover, to 115.0 billion yen ($1.0 billion), and an 8% increase in operating income to 21.0 billion yen, for its mid-term strategic...

Takeda's sales reach $2.9B for 1st-qtr 2007.
August 14, 2006... Japanese pharmaceutical firm Takeda says that its turnover for the first quarter of the fiscal year 2007 was 334.3 billion yen ($2.91 billion), up 6.7% and representing 55.3% of its target for the first half of the financial year. The firm...

Dainippon Sumitomo's 1st-qtr sales fall 19%.(financial reports)(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Japan's Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma says that its turnover for the first quarter of the financial year 2007, which was 65.3 billion yen ($568.5 million), fell 19.4% year-on-year, despite representing 51.4% of its first-half earnings target. In...

First global GERD definition published.(Report)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... A consensus group of the world's leading experts in gastroenterology has published the first globally-developed definition of gastroesophageal reflux disease. The framework, published in the August issue of the American Journal of...

AstraZeneca's Seroquel "as effective as Risperdal," QUARTZ study.
August 14, 2006... Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca says that its antipsychotic Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) demonstrated similar levels of efficacy to compared to Janssen-Cilag's Risperdal (risperidone) among schizophrenics completing an eight-week...

NicOx completes enrollment in naproxcinod ABPM trial.
August 14, 2006... French drugmaker NicOx SA has completed subject enrollment in an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring trial of its investigational anti-hypertensive naproxcinod (HCT 3012). The randomization of 120 patients with stable essential hypertension at...

DxS to help in search for blood DNA cancer markers.(Deoxyribonucleic Acid )(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... UK-based pharmacogenomics firm DxS has been selected to take part in a three-year project aiming to identify circulating DNA tumor markers in patients' blood. The firm will welcome a clinical research fellow, supported by Anglo-Swedish drug...

Amarin completes enrollment for Ph III Miraxion HD trial.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... UK-based neuroscience company Amarin says it has enrolled 240 patients into a Phase III trial of Miraxion (eicosapentaenoic acid), it developmental treatment for the neurodegenerative condition Huntington's disease. The product has been granted...

Immutep begins Ph I ImmuFact cancer study.(Immutep SA product development)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... French biopharmaceutical group Immutep SA says that its lead product, ImmuFact (IMP321), has entered a Phase I trial as a therapy for metastatic breast carcinoma. The compound, which is a potent stimulator of the T cell-based immune response,...

Indian moves on opium-based drugs.(Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic substances rules and schedules)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... An Indian Finance Ministry draft notification proposes to allow private pharmaceutical companies to process opium and manufacture opium-based drugs such as morphine, codeine, thebaine and noscapine for export. The notification seeks...

With per capita drug consumption at just $9, Indonesia "offers huge potential".(influencing the price of medicines)
August 14, 2006... The pharmaceutical market in Indonesia is estimated to be worth around $2.0 billion annually, but spending per capita is only $9.00 compared with $60.00 in Singapore, indicating the huge potential available for expansion, reports local...

India's drug policy to be referred to c'tee.( drug pricing policy)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... India's Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister, Ramvilas Paswan has decided to refer the country's new drug pricing policy to the federal cabinet in early August, official sources said. The policy will contain opposition to its stringent pricing...

PhRMA and GPhA ready to work with Senators on patent reform.
August 14, 2006... Following the announcement by US Senators Patrick Leahy (Democrat-Vermont) and Orrin Hatch (Republican-Utah) on their plans to introduce a comprehensive reform of the nation's patent legislation (see also page 12), both the major research-based...

Further business sell-off as UK's Provalis opts for liquidation.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Deeside, UK-based health care group Provalis saw its share price nosedive from 75 pence to 32 pence on August 7, after the company announced a further asset disposal and its decision to go into voluntary liquidation. Provalis has asked its...

Mylan updates on fentanyl expectations.
August 14, 2006... US generics firm Mylan Laboratories took a hefty tumble when the Food and Drug Administration approved a second company to market a copy version of the analgesic fentanyl patch, despite the firm reiterating its fiscal 2007 adjusted earnings per...

Teva's net rockets 124% in 2nd-qtr 2006.
August 14, 2006... Israel's Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, which since its acquisition of IVAX (Marketletters passim) has become the world's largest generic drugs firm, has posted a massive 77% rise in second-quarter 2006 sales to $2.17 billion, with adjusted...

Savient completes $176 million sale of UK-based Rosement Pharmaceuticals.
August 14, 2006... The USA's Savient Pharmaceuticals has completed the sale of its wholly-owned UK subsidiary, Rosemont Pharmaceuticals, as part of a $176.0 million management buy-out funded by Close Brothers Private Equity. Rosemont is the leading UK...

Galapagos' 1st-half 2006 loss improves 31%.(financial report Galapagos NV )(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... In first-half 2006, Belgian genomics-based drug discovery company Galapagos NV improved its loss 31% on the comparable period last year, to 5.6 million euros ($7.1 million), as its revenue soared 78% to 11.0 million euros on a pro forma basis....

MorphoSys' 1st-half 2006 income rises 72%.
August 14, 2006... German antibody specialist MorphoSys AG says that, for the first six months of 2006, its revenues increased 72% on the like, year-ago period, to 26.5 million euros ($34.1 million), resulting in a net profit of 4.5 million euros, up 150%. ...

Qiagen's $113.2M 2nd-qtr sales beat forecasts.
August 14, 2006... Dutch molecular diagnostics developer Qiagen NV says that it, revenues for the second quarter of 2006 were $113.2 million, up 13% on the comparable period last year and ahead of Lehman Brothers' consensus forecast of $112.3 million. In...

GPC Biotech sees 2nd-qtr turnover of $7.1M.
August 14, 2006... German drugmaker GPC Biotech AG reports that its turnover for the second quarter of 2006 was 5.6 million euros ($7.1 million), up 126% on the comparable three months of 2005 and slightly ahead of analysts' consensus estimates. The firm added...

Epigenomics and J&J sign cancer R&D accord.(Research agreements between Epigenomics AG and Johnson & Johnson)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Berlin, Germany-based Epigenomics AG has entered a reasearch collaboration with US health care major Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceutical R& D unit to identify and analyze potential biomarkers for use in the latter's oncology program. Epigenomics...

Pfizer's Macugen cleared in Scotland.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... World drug giant Pfizer has welcomed a statement from the Scottish Medicine's Consortium, the UK agency responsible for clinical evaluation of drugs for use by the National Health Service in Scotland, recommending the use of Macugen (pegaptanib...

Pfizer's gabapentin OK for Japan manufacture.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... World drug leader Pfizer's anticonvulsant gabapentin (sold as Neurontin throughout the rest of the world) has been cleared for manufacturing in Japan. In the USA, the drug, which is used to treat epilepsy and postherpetic neuralgia, has...

EC approves Takeda's antidiabetic Competact.(European Commission)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... The European Commission has approved Japanese drug giant Takeda's marketing authorization for Competact, its fixed-combination tablet of Actos (pioglitazone HCl) 15mg and 850mg of the commonly-prescribed blood glucose regulator metformin HCl....

Banyu/Ono start Ph III trial of sitagliptin.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Japanese drugmakers Banyu and Ono have initiated a domestic Phase III clinical evaluation of the antidiabetes drug sitagliptin with a new mechanism of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibition. The agent, which received its first approval this week in...

CEL-SCI makes $8.3M placing.(securities of CEL-SCI Corp)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Virginia, USA-based CEL-SCI Corp, a developer of immune-system based treatments for cancer and infectious diseases, say that it has entered into a $8.3 million private placement with a number of independent institutional investors who...

First-stage NIH award for Australia's Biota.(National Institutes of Health )(Achievements and awards of Biota Holdings Ltd.)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Melbourne, Australia-based Biota has been awarded the first installment of $2.4 million of a total amount of up to $8.5 million by the USA's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, an institute of the National Institutes of...

Perrigo's generic terbinafine cleared in USA.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... US health care firm Perrigo says that its partner, InvaGen Pharmaceuticals, has received tentative approval from the Food and Drug Administration on its Abbreviated New Drug Application for terbinafine HCl tablets, 25mg (base). Final...

Predix initiates Ph II trial of PRX-08066.(Predix Pharmaceuticals definitive agreement to merge with EPIX Pharmaceuticals)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Massachusetts, USA-based Predix Pharmaceuticals, which recently announced a definitive agreement to merge with EPIX Pharmaceuticals, says that it has initiated a Phase II clinical trial to evaluate the short-term efficacy and safety of...

France ships 11 tonnes of drugs to Lebanon.(Les Entreprises du Medicament )(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... France's pharmaceutical trade association, Les Entreprises du Medicament (LEEM), has shipped 10.5 tonnes of drugs to the Lebanese government under the LEEM's Tulipe urgent aid program. The shipment represents the second donation by French...

Apotex debuts first generic Plavix in USA on an "at risk" basis.(Apotek)
August 14, 2006... Just days after the US District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected a proposed agreement between France's Sanofi-Aventis, its US licensee Bristol-Myers Squibb and Canadian generic drugmaker Apotek relating to the blockbuster...

"Americans may rely too heavily on sleeping pills" when there are safer options.(Report)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Americans with insomnia may be relying too heavily on sleeping pills instead of trying safer non-drug remedies, according to a new report from Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs, which recommends that consumers who take sleeping pills do so for...

Roche's anticancer agent Avastin filed in Europe for lung cancer indications.
August 14, 2006... Swiss drug major Roche says that it has submitted a Marketing Authorization Application to the European Medicines Agency, requesting approval for the use of Avastin (bevacizumab) in the treatment of lung cancer. Specifically, the MAA focuses on...

EVT101 completes Ph I AD study, says Evotec.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... German drug discovery firm Evotec AG says that it has successfully completed a Phase I trial of EVT 101, its developmental product for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and/or neuropathic pain. The drug was administered to 90 subjects, who...

Vectura's PD drug successful in Ph II study.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... UK-based Vectura, a specialist in the development of inhaled drug formulations, says that it has successfully completed a Phase II proof-of-concept trial of VR040, its product candidate for the treatment of "off" episodes in Parkinson's disease...

Merck & Co 's Januvia wins approval in Mexico.(product development)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Merck Sharp & Dohme says that its breakthrough, once-daily, type 2 diabetes pill, Januvia (sitagliptin), has been approved in Mexico. The agent is the first in a new class of drugs known as dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors which enhance the...

Neurologix licenses GAD 65 gene from Diamyd.(Licensing agreements between Diamyd Medical AB and Neurologix Inc)(glutamic acid decarboxylase)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... US biotechnology firm Neurologix has secured a license from Sweden's Diamyd Medical granting it the use of the glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) 65 gene, which is a component of the core technology behind Neurologix' NLX-P101 gene therapy for...

US FDA fast-tracks Novelos' NOV-002.(United States Food and Drug Administration)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... USA-based Novelos Therapeutics says that the Food and Drug Administration has granted fast track designation to NOV-002 for use in combination with first-line chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The firm noted...

Third Wave begins trial of HPV diagnostics.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... US diagnostics firm Third Wave Technologies says that a clinical trial for its two human papillomavirus products is underway and the company says it continues to anticipate submitting the applications for approval of those products to the US...

GW initiates 2nd Ph III Sativex trial for MS pain.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... The UK's GW Pharmaceuticals has enrolled the first patient in a second pivotal Phase III trial of Sativex, its cannabis-derived, oro-mucosal tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol spray, in people with multiple sclerosis suffering from central...

GSK slated by ABPI over RLS patient group link.(GlaxoSmithKline PLC)(Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry)(Restless Leg Syndrome)
August 14, 2006... The UK's Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority, a watchdog set up by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, has upheld an appeal against the UK's biggest drugmaker, London-headquartered GlaxoSmithKline. The...

UK "ethical red tape" is stifling research.(National Health Service hospital)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... UK researchers are complaining that ethical standards and adminstrative hurdles introduced after a scandal involving a National Health Service hospital, have damaged medical research in the country. Jenny Hewison, a clinical researcher at...

UK review of allergy services welcomed.(Allergy Therapeutics)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... A UK government review of services for allergy has been welcomed by Allergy Therapeutics, a specialist drug firm focused on allergy vaccination. The report by the Department of Health found that patients "can wait three to nine months for an...

Japan stock market week to Aug 7, 2006.(financial report)
August 14, 2006... Tokyo saw a retreat in the week ended August 7. The Nikkei 225 lost 2.0%, to close at slightly above the 15,100 mark, while the Topix index was off 2.0%. Many institutional investors were on summer holidays and players basically took a...

Anti-kickback laws prompting drugmakers to closely monitor IITs.(companies with novel investigative ideas)
August 14, 2006... Pharmaceutical companies are keeping close checks on the investigator-initiated clinical studies of their drugs, often referred to as investigator-initiated trials, or IITs. For years, such trials were supported by drug companies, primarily...

Headlines 25 years ago this week....(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... DuPont outlines commitment to life sciences, noting that it now has 20 prescription drugs on the market including Symmetrel (amantadine), the first antiviral for influenza available in the USA, and Nubain (nalbuphine) for moderate-to-severe...

HGS unveils Ph III LymphoStat-B trial plan.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... USA-based drug developer Human Genome Sciences has announced the Ph III developmental protocol for trials of LymphoStat-B (belimumab) in patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus. The program, which has been designed in collaboration...

TopoTarget and CuraGen begin dosing in blood cancer study.(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Denmark's TopoTarget AS and USA-based CuraGen say they have initiated patient dosing in a Phase I trial of PDX101, their developmental histone deacetylase inhibitor, under assessment as a treatment for blood cancers. Specifically, the drug is...