Life Therapeutics has announced the acquisition of Pyramid
Biological Corporation in a deal that increases Life Therapeutics
presence in the source plasma sector - a market that has nearly
doubled, from $125 million (€103 million)...
According to new data, venture capital funding is on a downswing
with a demand for acquisitions shifting in the pharmaceutical
sector. The news could signal a trend towards the acquisition of
compounds, rights, licenses and product...
Scientists have taken a major step forward in autoimmune disease
research after the process of T-cell trafficking through the blood
and lymph nodes to fight infection was discovered. Controlling this
process with drugs offers "enormous...
New analysis into the gene therapy market reveals that
toxicological complications and poor therapy efficacy have hampered
the growth of this sector in which new ways must be found to
improve clinical efficiency and generate revenue.
A recent report has identified the need for effective clinical
investigator recruitment, which has become so crucial in the
laboratory management of successful clinical trials and subsequent
product launches.
Pharmaceutical company, Takeda, has struck a deal with
pharmaceutical services provider, PPD, in which it has acquired the
rights to all dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP4) inhibitors - one of a
new generation of agents for diabetes treatment.
Thermo Electron announces the launch of its chromatography data
system (CDS), which provides enhancements in data integration with
laboratory information management systems (LIMS) for improved
laboratory productivity.
Infinity Pharmaceuticals announced the initiation of a phase I
clinical trial of the company's lead investigational anticancer
agent for the development of a potential treatment for patients
with multiple myeloma. The compound...
Applied Biosystems has teamed up with Invitrogen to combine forces
on providing proteomic analyses and biomarker studies in drug
discovery and disease research.
Researchers in the US have uncovered the mechanism underlying a
genetic tendency for some patients to be more susceptible to side
effects of drugs than others.
AstraZeneca has forged a deal with US biotechnology company Avanir
Pharmaceuticals - valued at up to $340 million - for the
development of a new type of treatment for high cholesterol that
could be more effective than current drugs...
A small interfering RNA (siRNA) library developed by Ambion has
been used to provide a detailed analysis of endocytosis, the
process by which cells internalise nutrient, cell signalling, and
other molecules.
The efficiency of vaccinations could be dramatically improved by
combining peptide antigens with dendritic cells, according to new
research published in the journal Nature Medicine (July issue).
A new class of antipressant - dubbed the triple reuptake inhibitor
- will in time come to dominate the market for depression
treatments and achieve multibillion dollar revenues, according to
new market research.
US drugmaker Merck & Co has signed a deal with Japan's Sumitomo
Pharmaceuticals, which gives it an exclusive license to SM13496
(lurasidone), an atypical antipsychotic that the latter company is
developing for the treatment...
Hamilton launches two new products, which are set to aid the
facilitation of automation in laboratories, placing tedious and
time-consuming processes in the hands of cutting edge and
cost-effective technology for automation.
A new gene scanning technology, developed by researchers in the UK,
is set to have a major impact on healthcare in the future with the
potential to lead a very personalised genetic profile relevant to
drug prescribing, leading to...
ViroLogic, announced the signing of a multi-year, $4.8 million (€4
million) service agreement with Schering-Plough Research Institute,
to use ViroLogic's novel HIV resistance testing technology to
support Schering-Plough's...
Botanical drug specialists, Phytomedics, has licensed a novel
anti-inflammatory compound, achieving development of heterogenous
plant-derived products as ethical drugs in the US, while reducing
costs and time frames in comparison...
Arena Pharmaceuticals has announced the latest results of a phase I
clinical trial that is testing a novel insomnia compound, which
could treat the 30 to 40 per cent of US adults, who complain about
some level of insomnia in the course...
The drug resistance encountered by scientists when treating cancer
cells has been the subject of research by German scientists who
believe they have identified a cellular protein, which mediates a
death signal.
US scientists have shown that microRNA (miRNA) plays an essential
role in the development of the fruit fly. The discovery means that
miRNA could emerge as a new target for interventions aimed at
treating disease, or as a therapeutic...
Bayer Healthcare has announced that it will publish information
about its ongoing clinical trials, reinforcing the intention of the
pharmaceutical companies within the industry to provide an arena in
which they can publish information...
Sigma Aldrich has launched a new kit, which incorporates a novel
approach for the fluorescent quantification of proteins offering
numerous advantages over existing kits that include reversible
covalent binding, large dynamic range,...
Topigen Pharmaceuticals has launched a new 3rd generation chemistry
technology, which has been designed for improving
oligonucleotide-based therapeutics that has the potential for broad
gene-targeting drug applications.
The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has finalised a new procedure
designed to make the process for the development, consultation,
finalisation and implementation of pharmaceutical guidelines
clearer.
An ionic silver complex designed for human antimicrobial use has
received a US patent, in a move that could well see increased usage
of this technology that exhibits broad-spectrum antimicrobial
qualities as well as displaying a lack...
Dutch nucleic acid specialist, Qiagen, has entered into an
agreement to acquire Nextal Biotechnology, a provider of sample
preparation tools which make protein crystallisation more
accessible. The deal also signals Qiagen's intention...
Suppliers in the RNA purification market seeking to win market
share are posed with the challenge of overcoming strong levels of
customer loyalty. A survey reveals that Qiagen and Invitrogen came
out top as to primary suppliers to...
Biopharmaceutical company, deCODE genetics, has provided an update
on its lead clinical and preclinical drug development pipeline,
emphasising the role human genetics is playing in broadening its
preclinical portfolio in areas of...
Corgentech announced that its drug candidate was effective in
preclinical studies in reducing disease activity in models of
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis-both also referred to as
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which...
Scientists in the drug discovery arena, who need to assess cellular
function, in particular, mitochondrial membrane potential, cellular
proliferation and activation of caspase 3/7 or 8 enzymes, are set
to benefit from Guava Technology's...
German pharmaceutical firm, Schering took the opportunity, during
the company’s annual financial meeting, to provide an update on its
drug development pipeline, which concentrates on the disease areas
of hormonal therapies, cancer...
The rise of the biotechnology industry is set to create additional
pressure on pharmaceutical companies, who already have to deal with
unreasonable expectations, where even common molecule failure in
the R&D stages result in loss...
Bayer Healthcare has entered into a licence agreement with DxS and
BTG in a deal that grants Bayer Diagnostics use of the companies'
DNA diagnostic technology to develop pharmacogenomic assays for the
$1.9 billion (€1.6 billion)...
The pharmaceutical industry faces an uncertain future in which high
clinical development costs coupled with declining drug discovery
success rates are causing efficiency levels to fall, halting the
flow of new products in the R&D...
Astex has announced that the United States Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has approved its Investigational New Drug
(IND) application for the clinical development of its cell cycle
inhibitor, AT7519, for the treatment of cancer.
Researchers, for the first time, have revealed the forms taken by
structures of tubulin during the construction of microtubules. The
discovery is of use to drug researchers and developers as tubulin
is a target for anticancer drugs,...
Olympus has introduced a new confocal laser-scanning microscope,
which employs a higher resolution than conventional optical devices
by combining UV microscopy and confocal scanning technology.
European researchers have discovered that treatment with an
antibody preserved the beta cell function, decreasing the insulin
need for at least 18 months in people with recent-onset type 1
diabetes. The discovery represents an important...
MorphoSys Antibodies by Design, ProQinase and the Natural and
Medical Sciences Institute (NMI) have announced the start of a
collaboration to develop an adenoviral siRNA-kinome-chip (ASK
chip), that could revolutionise the analysis...
The activities of animal extremists took a sinister turn as it was
revealed the broker to the drug company Phytopharm quit after a
bomb exploded beneath the car of one of the firm's executives.
Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) has announced positive results
of its human anti-IL13 monoclonal antibody, to be used as a
potential treatment for severe asthma. The Phase I clinical trial
of CAT-354 represents research towards...
The Biosystems Informatics Institute (Bii) and Lucidyx have
announced a joint agreement to develop new bioinformatics tools to
integrate data storage and Lucidyx's genomic search engine
technology to better contextualise off-target...
Ferring Pharmaceuticals has demonstrated in its latest study with
Menopur, resulted in five more pregnancies per 100 women treated,
compared to current infertility drug treatments, bringing hope to
the 60-80 million couples worldwide...
Agilent Technologies introduces a high-capacity human protein
removal system for proteomics research, that removes up to 99 per
cent of the six most common proteins from human blood serum.
Lexicon Genetics and Xoma have announced the formation of a
collaboration to jointly develop and commercialise antibody drugs
that could be effective in treating diet-induced obesity and
enhanced insulin sensitivity.
Microcomponent manufacturer, thinXXS, has launched a novel
microfluidic device which combines microprocessing, micromolding
and circuit board technology to integrate more functions than other
lab-on-a-chip products on the market today.
