Qiagen has announced a new product line for the separation,
purification and handling of nucleic acids, an essential process in
drug discovery, which aims to improve over current applied methods,
which suffer from decreased sensitivity...
A revolutionary new treatment for depression has been granted
marketing authorisation by the European Commission. The new therapy
is said to be able to treat the full spectrum of depressive
symptoms.
Drug giants GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Galapagos have entered into a
target identification collaboration identifying viable drug targets
in the area of respiratory and inflammatory diseases.
Researchers have uncovered a novel treatment that could prove to be
effective against tuberculosis (TB), a disease that has made a
comeback due to the emergence of resistant strains of the offending
bacterium and the spread of AIDS.
A report out today cites Novartis' pipeline of drugs to continue
its reputation of producing quality pharmaceuticals, with
treatments for cancer, age-related macular degeneration and
hypertension expected to appear within the...
Molecular Devices Corporation has announced the launch of the first
assay kit that addresses the need for a single step, homogenous in
vitro assay for fatty acid uptake for use in the identification of
potential new drugs via high-throughput...
A new report suggests that recent safety concerns over certain
blockbuster drugs, notably Merck's Vioxx (rofecoxib) and Pfizer's
Celebrex (celecoxib), has placed the COX-2 inhibitor drug class
under intense scrutiny and...
UK cancer specialist Antisoma has entered into an agreement to
acquire Aptamera in an £11.5 million (€16.5 million) deal, which
aims to pioneer a new drug therapy in the emerging new area of
anticancer aptamers.
A hive of activity at Agilent Technologies has trnsformed the
company into a significant player in the competitive microarray
platform market with the expansion of its array-based genomics,
disease research and drug R&D applications.
Paradigm Therapeutics has announced it has completed the
acquisition of Amedis Pharmaceuticals with the aim of identifying
highly druggable targets and novel compounds for conditions in the
areas of CNS, pain, endocrinology and metabolism.
Researchers have identified and tested an anti-sense
oligonucleotide sequence that will kill strains of Methicillin
Resistant (MRSA) and Vancomycin-resistant (VRSA) Staphylococcus
aureus, which continue to cause a serious public health...
RNA interference (RNAi) technology took a major leap forward after
Sirna Therapeutics initiated the first program that uses RNAi to
treat asthma, a condition that costs an estimated $13 billion (€9.8
billion) in healthcare costs in...
In response to accusations of a cover up over negative data and
placing patient safety at risk, pharmaceutical companies worldwide
have agreed to reveal the results of clinical trial drug data.
The need for an effective HIV drug became apparent as the US Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation to the
first in a new class of HIV drugs called Maturation Inhibitors.
AstraZeneca's troubles continued to add up after the company
announced the application withdrawal of Iressa after it failed to
show any significant survival benefit for patients with non-small
cell lung cancer. The move places...
Drug companies can significantly increase the flow of new
prescription drugs, while maintaining patient safety, if they adopt
more innovative R&D strategies aimed at improving clinical
success rates and lowering clinical study...
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are more likely to
cause gastrointestinal side effects than has been thought,
according to the results of a small study, reports Wai Lang
Chu.
Researchers in the US have developed a fluorescent tag for proteins
- based on a fragment of green fluorescent protein (GFP) - that can
penetrate cells and so be used to detect proteins in living cells
and cell lysates.
Crucell and DSM have announced the expansion of its original
agreement, building on existing work achieved in the PER.C6 Protein
and Monoclonal Antibody Licensing Business.
Using naturally occurring mutant mice with a defective collagen
gene, scientists at Harvard have identified a signalling molecule
involved in osteoarthritis, one of the most common causes of
disability among the elderly.
Researchers in Sweden have voiced the intriguing notion that a
course of vaccinations in childhood might help protect people from
heart disease later in life.
In the wake of its £1.53 billion acquisition of UK biotechnology
company Celltech, Belgium's UCB has disclosed a near 60 per cent
hike in R&D funding for 2005.
RNA interference specialist Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has made
progress in its collaboration with US pharma major Merck & Co,
with the latter making a $7 million milestone payment as a result.
Informatics company Tripos has entered into a definitive agreement
to acquire privately held Optive Research, which develops software
for computer-assisted molecular discovery.
UK-based Microplate manufacturers Porvair Sciences, adds to its
range of microporous products that are suitable for a range of
industrial and domestic applications including drug discovery,
protein purification and high throughput...
The first study to confirm the potential of a new class of drug for
neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's could herald a
breakthrough in drug treatment for a disease that affects up to 4
million adults in the United...
Arena Pharmaceuticals has entered into collaboration with
Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical to develop a new class of oral drugs
for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Arena can expect to net $300
million (€224 million) excluding milestone...
The ongoing controversy concerning certain drugs and a link to
heart trouble gained further momentum after the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) issued a warning for the pain reliever
naproxen after researchers found an increased...
The safety of cox-2 inhibitors was plunged into further uncertainty
after Pfizer released details of trials that found an increased
risk of heart problems with patients taking its painkiller
Celebrex. The drug is in the same class...
A new approach to prevent infection of West Nile and dengue fever
may be on the horizon after a US team identified interactions
involving the alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV). The virus is a close
relative of the flaviviruses that cause...
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has announced the submission of a global
registration dossier for its investigational antibiotic Tygacil
(tigecycline), a new class of treatment for intra-abdominal and
skin infections.
DiscoveRx and B-Bridge International are to venture into the
Japanese assay market that aims to provide Japanese researchers
with a homogenous GPCR and Kinase assay platform for drug
development and screening.
Applera suffered a setback to its European sector after the
European Patent Office revoked its patent covering real-time PCR
thermal cycler technology.
Genevac has launched a brand new evaporation system aimed at the
molecular biology market. The technology marks a significant
departure for the company as its products have been focussed on
drug discovery chemistry until now.
Miltenyi Biotec strengthened its presence in the Asia-Pacific Rim
by opening new headquarters in Suntec City, Singapore. The magnetic
cell separation and cellular therapy specialists already have a
presence in several European countries...
Merck & Co, still reeling from the impact of pulling its
painkiller Vioxx (rofecoxib) from the market, is to slash its staff
by 5,100 positions in a bid to save hundreds of millions of dollars
by the end of the year.
A study into the price of orphan drugs in the EU revealed that
access to treatments for patients with rare disorders can vary by
as much as 70 per cent within individual EU member states.
With the advent of ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) offering a
radical approach to drug discovery, the emphasis is now placed on
finding the most efficient means to deliver or transfect RNAi into
mammalian target genes,writes...
A potential new drug target for malaria was revealed this week
after scientists discovered the structure and function of the
malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, for the first time. The
findings represent a breakthrough for future...
Scientists have found a molecular weakness in the organism that
causes pneumonia, providing a target for the development of a new
class of antibiotics that could eventually eradicate the disease.
A technique used to conduct fully automated high throughput
mutation detection in microbial genomes, has shown greater
sensitivity over existing methods. The method analyses genetic
modification in bacteria and other disease causing...
A naturally occurring protein, which promotes the ability to repair
heart muscle after a myocardial infarction, significantly reducing
cardiac damage, may have drug applications as a wound healing
treatment for the heart.
A potential vaccine for the deadly ricin, a "Category B" biological
agent, is to proceed with the first phase of human clinical testing
of RiVax, a genetically engineered vaccine for the toxin for which
there is currently...
Invitrogen announced that it has obtained the licensed rights for
the development of protein microrrays, which contain more than 200
protein-based analytes, further increasing its intellectual
property position in the burgeoning microarray...
WellSpring Pharmaceuticals has been awarded a US patent for the
synthetic method of preperation for a new drug being developed for
the treatment of jaundice in newborns.
A new anti-infectives company, spun out of the Sanofi-Aventis
group, has received €40 million in financing from an international
group of leading life science investors led by Atlas Venture and
including Sofinnova, 3i, Abingworth...
New laws to stop increasingly violent animal extremists from
harassing scientists involved in medical experiments have received
the seal of approval by the Association of the British
Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).
The need for a new class of antibiotics to tackle the rising threat
of antibiotic resistance was the focus of a drug discovery
agreement between two UK companies. The deal aims to produce
broad-spectrum antibiotics that are urgently...
