Strategies & Technologies Driving Drug Discovery to Market
Suppressing Protein May Stem Alzheimer's
April 25, 2013 1:01 pm | News | CommentsScientists have discovered a potential strategy for developing treatments to stem the disease process in Alzheimer’s disease. It’s based on unclogging removal of toxic debris that accumulates in patients’ brains, by blocking activity of a little-known regulator protein called CD33.
FLIPR Calcium Assay Offers High Yield
April 25, 2013 12:12 pm | Product Releases | CommentsMolecular Devices has launched the FLIPR Calcium 6 Assay Kits, the latest addition to their range of calcium assay kits to address diversified GPCR and ion channel targets.
Microplate Designed for FCS
April 25, 2013 12:04 pm | Product Releases | CommentsGreiner Bio-One has released the SensoPlate Plus, a 96-well plate with a transparent borosilicate glass bottom and a black cycloolefin frame, SensoPlate Plus was developed especially for use in high-resolution microscopy and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.
Magnet Makes NMR Less Costly
April 25, 2013 11:52 am | Product Releases | CommentsJEOL Resonance has developed a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) super conducting magnet that operates on a minimum amount of liquid helium. JEOL's NMR system is capable of acquiring high resolution NMR data when liquid helium is scarce.
Astrazeneca Profit Plunges 31%
April 25, 2013 11:43 am | News | CommentsBritish drug maker AstraZeneca PLC, facing generic competition for some of its biggest products, says first-quarter profits fell 31%. The company also announced that it has received a subpoena from the U.S. attorney's office in Boston seeking documents relating to standards at its Macclesfield facility.
Aubagio Delays Multiple Sclerosis Onset
April 25, 2013 11:33 am | News | CommentsGenzyme announced positive results from a Phase 3 trial of Aubagio designed to assess whether early initiation of the drug in patients who experienced their first neurological symptoms consistent with clinically isolated syndrome can prevent or delay conversion to clinically definite multiple sclerosis.
Generic Competition Hammers BMS Profit
April 25, 2013 9:59 am | by Linda A. Johnson | News | CommentsDrugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. posted a 45% drop in first-quarter profit as reduced spending and a sharply lower tax rate couldn't make up for plunging sales from increased generic competition to its blood thinner Plavix, formerly the world's second best-selling drug.
Bayer Profits Up 11.5%
April 25, 2013 3:40 am | News | CommentsGerman pharmaceutical company Bayer AG said that its net profit rose 11.5% in the first quarter as new drugs, led by blood thinner Xarelto, boosted sales. The company also saw stronger demand in emerging markets — which helped overcome weaker business in Europe, which is in a recession.
Eisai Building New Production Plant
April 25, 2013 3:33 am | News | CommentsJapanese drug maker Eisai Co. will build a new plant in Suzhou, eastern China, to make injection products. The plant, which will be located in a production complex owned by Eisai China Inc., is aimed at creating a stable supply chain for injection products in the Chinese market.
PPD InVision Aids Clinical Researchers
April 24, 2013 12:20 pm | Product Releases | CommentsPharmaceutical Product Development LLC introduced PPD InVision, a data solution that consolidates and standardizes data from multiple sources, giving clients real-time access to their clinical trial data.
Microplate Readers Come with Specialty Software
April 24, 2013 12:13 pm | Product Releases | CommentsBiochrom Ltd. has launched its EZ Read range of microplate readers. Biochrom has created not just a dedicated range of instruments but also unique data acquisition and analysis software; Galapagos for EZ Read.
Tamoxifen Enhanced for Aggressive Cancer Treatment
April 24, 2013 12:04 pm | News | CommentsTamoxifen is a time-honored breast cancer drug used to treat millions of women with early-stage and less-aggressive disease. Now a team of researchers has shown how to exploit tamoxifen’s secondary activities so that it might work on more aggressive breast cancer.
Analysis Module Improves Bioreactor System
April 24, 2013 12:04 pm | Product Releases | CommentsTAP Biosystems has announced an analysis module for its ambr micro bioreactor system, providing accurate automated pH calibration for enhanced bioprocess control. The new analysis module will automate at-line pH measurement and calibration to produce consistent, scalable results.
Drug Reduces Fat by Blocking Vessels
April 24, 2013 11:46 am | News | CommentsWhen researchers gave obese mice a cancer drug that works by inhibiting the growth of blood vessels, these mice lost about 70% of their fat mass. After two weeks of daily treatment with sunitinib, test mice had lost significant amounts of weight.
FDA Designates Lambrolizumab a Breakthrough
April 24, 2013 10:54 am | News | CommentsMerck announced that the Food and Drug Administration has designated lambrolizumab as a Breakthrough Therapy for the treatment of patients with advanced melanoma. Lambrolizumab's designation as a Breakthrough Therapy is intended to expedite its development and review.
