Strategies & Technologies Driving Drug Discovery to Market
Adapting to the Times
June 6, 2013 4:12 pm | by Peter Bennett, Editor | Articles | CommentsThe industry has changed a great deal over the last decade and will continue to evolve in the coming years. In order to survive the multitude of technological, political, and regulatory changes that will no doubt arise, the biopharmaceutical industry must prove its adaptability.
Patients Seek to Reopen Lilly, BMS Cases
June 6, 2013 11:59 am | News | CommentsPlaintiffs who sued two pharmaceutical companies soon after the 2001 arrest of a Kansas City pharmacist who diluted patients' drugs to enrich himself received much larger settlement payouts than those who waited, a new court filing shows.
Neurons Reprogrammed from Skin Cells
June 6, 2013 11:50 am | News | CommentsDifficult-to-study ailments such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and autism now can be probed more safely and effectively thanks to an innovative new method for obtaining mature brain cells called neurons from reprogrammed skin cells.
Amyloid Beta: Friend or Foe?
June 6, 2013 11:30 am | by Cynthia Fox, Science Editor | Articles | CommentsWhile some researchers cling to the anti-amyloid hypothesis—despite the failure of seven large clinical trials of drugs targeting the misfolded protein—others are taking a new approach and attempting to see whether amyloid beta might be a misunderstood Good Samaritan.
Endo Shrinking Its Business
June 5, 2013 6:39 pm | News | CommentsEndo partially reversed course on several years of expansion, saying it will explore strategic options for its HealthTronics urology business and for its branded drug development platform and eliminate almost 700 jobs. The company said it will reduce annual spending by about $325 million.
FDA OK a Boon to Avanir
June 5, 2013 2:53 pm | News | CommentsAvanir Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced that the Food and Drug Administration will allow it to speed research on a newer version of its drug Nuedexta. The company said the FDA's decision could reduce the cost of developing the drug and allow it to win marketing approval sooner.
Naurex Starts Phase 1 Antidepressant Trial
June 5, 2013 12:14 pm | News | CommentsNaurex Inc. has begun patient dosing in a Phase 1 trial of its novel, orally active agent NRX-1074. The trial is a randomized, placebo-controlled, ascending dose study that will assess the safety and pharmacokinetics of NRX-1074 in normal volunteers.
Impax Slashes 110 Jobs
June 5, 2013 12:00 pm | News | CommentsGeneric drugmaker Impax Laboratories Inc. said it eliminated 110 jobs, or about 10% of its workforce, partly because of delays in approval of an important product. Impax said most of the cuts were made at its manufacturing facility in Hayward, where 176 employees worked at the end of 2012.
BMS, AstraZeneca Get Faster Review
June 4, 2013 1:50 pm | News | CommentsBristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca said the Food and Drug Administration will conduct an accelerated review of their lipid disorder drug metreleptin. The companies want to market metreleptin for metabolic disorders associated with rare forms of a condition called lipodystrophy.
Needle-Free Injection: Has its Time Finally Arrived?
June 4, 2013 1:39 pm | by John J. Turanin, Vice President and General Manager; Zogenix Technologies, San Diego, Calif. | Articles | CommentsThere have been significant advancements in needle-free injection technology, which aim to increase adoption of self-injectable therapies and adherence. Patients often lack the confidence to self-inject or are put off by the complexity, impacting their ability to incorporate these therapies into their lifestyle.
J&J Recalls 32M Contraceptive Packages
June 4, 2013 1:28 pm | News | CommentsJohnson & Johnson is conducting a voluntary recall of millions of oral contraceptive packages in 43 countries outside the U.S., but says there's a "very low" risk that the flawed tablets could cause unplanned pregnancies. The recall includes all 179 lots of the contraceptive Cilest.
Endotoxin-Free Protein Production - CleanColi™ Technology
June 4, 2013 11:38 am | White Papers | CommentsThe Gram-negative bacterium E. coli is the workhorse of molecular biology, regularly used as the first choice host for DNA cloning, small-scale protein expression, and large-scale protein production for FDA approved biologics.
Protocol Labacus Eliminates Laboratory Missteps
June 4, 2013 11:02 am | Videos | CommentsAbacalab’s Protocol Labacus App for iPad, Android tablet or laptop that helps technicians, scientists, clinicians, and others working on the move. The Protocol Labacus provides an overview of the steps in a procedure and detailed instructions for each step.
Astrazeneca Returns Treatment Rights To Rigel
June 4, 2013 8:34 am | News | CommentsRigel Pharmaceuticals Inc. said partner AstraZeneca will not seek regulatory approval for the potential rheumatoid arthritis treatment fostamatinib. AstraZeneca is returning the compound's rights to Rigel, which said it will take a couple months to figure out the next step for the potential drug.
Study to Decide Fate of Profibrix
June 4, 2013 7:34 am | News | CommentsThe Medicines Co. plans to buy ProFibrix BV in a deal that hinges on late-stage study results for a topical powder that ProFibrix is developing to stop bleeding during or after surgery. Medicines Co. said it will review the results and if satisfied, will purchase all outstanding shares of the company.
