Dr Reddy's Laboratories of India has lost its bid to market a
generic version of Pfizer's blockbuster hypertension drug Norvasc
(amlodipine besylate) in a development that could spell trouble for
companies hoping to market...
Much animal research into potential human treatments is wasted
because it is poorly conducted and not thoroughly evaluated,
according to a commentary in the British Medical Journal (28
February).
Inhibitors of the enzyme histone deacetylase (HDAC) have entered
clinical testing in cancer, but may also prevent a serious and
life-threatening complication of bone marrow transplants.
Switzerland's Roche made a piece of medical history on Friday after
receiving the first approval for a drug designed to treat cancer
blocking the growth of blood vessels required to feed a growing
tumour.
A reluctance by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to
invest in drug discovery technologies has been holding back the
market for combinatorial chemistry, but this is expected to change
over the next few years, according to...
Around 80 workers from Merck KGaA's French site at Lacassagne in
Lyon have taken part in a protest at the company's headquarters in
Darmstadt, Germany, against the planned closure of the unit.
Diversa has entered into a deal aimed at boosting its manufacturing
capacity in enzymes used for industrial processes, including the
production of pharmaceuticals. The agreement with Mexico's Fermic
is designed to step up the...
Boehringer Ingelheim has won a contract to develop a
commercial-scale manufacturing process for a new prostate cancer
drug in development at fellow German company Micromet.
An antisense compound developed by Hybridon could be of value in a
much broader range of human cancers than previously thought,
according to new research.
Icelandic company deCODE Genetics has entered into a seven-year
alliance to conduct pharmacogenomic studies on Merck & Co's
drug candidates using its population genetics database.
A new study has provided a 'cautiously optimistic' estimate of
spending on drug discovery and other areas of R&D over the next
couple of years, which will be music to the ears of technology
companies hit by a reluctance...
One of the hallmarks of cancer is that errors occur when the
chromosomes of cells divide and separate during cell division.
Researchers have spent many years trying to identify the cellular
mechanisms that are involved in keeping...
Predictions that 2004 could see another wave of consolidation in
the pharmaceutical industry were lent further weight yesterday by
the announcement that Japanese drug majors Yamanouchi and Fujisawa
intend to merge in a $7.7 billion...
Scientists in the US have developed a new software package that can
predict the activity of enzymes, potentially improving the design
of new drugs and industrial reagents.
Serono has licensed rights to a drug that takes a novel approach to
the treatment of ulcerative colitis, a common disease that is
asociated with debilitating symptoms, including cancer, but remains
poorly treated with existing drugs.
The expansion of the European Union to include 25 member states
after May 2004 presents significant opportunities for the
pharmaceutical industry to tap new markets, but companies should
think twice before launching new products there.
A new finding may lead to new treatments for multiple myeloma, an
incurable cancer of immune cells called plasma cells that are
present in the blood and bone marrow.
Germany's Altana has filed for European marketing approval of the
first drug in new class - the phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors - for
asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Dow Chemical has taken a step forward in its plans to build up a
strong franchise in plant-based pharmaceutical production with the
signing of a contract to manufacture a new appetite suppressant.
Scientists working for the UK government have taken a step forward
in the development of an improved vaccine against plague, which
wiped out a third of Europe's population in the 14th Century and
has emerged more recently as...
Nucleic acid specialist Qiagen has reported a strong growth in
sales and profits for the fourth quarter of 2003, providing another
indication that the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry's
investment in R&D may be recovering.
Researchers in the US have developed a way of making synthetic
polyketides - structures which form the backbone of a number of
drugs for cancer and infectious diseases - that could provide a new
route to the design of new medicines.
The development of new drugs, rooted within the pharmaceutical
industry, is inefficient and unsustainable and a new model is
needed to reduce the cost of medicines and improve access to them.
Newly formed UK company Structure Vision has launched a software
package designed to analyse the behaviour of particulate material -
including powders and tablets - in enclosed spaces.
Niche Phase I/IIa clinical development specialist Pharmaceutical
Profiles says it has seen a surge in demand for its development
services in the Japanese market - with particular interest being
shown in its new human microdosing service.
In its last set of annual results before being acquired by General
Electric, Amersham of the UK reported lower profits last year as
currency effects bit into the company's bottom line, but saw its
drug discovery unit move into...
The European Commission has given Europe a boost in the field of
structural genomics, awarding the European Molecular Biology
Laboratory (EMBL) and its partners €10 million to create a common
platform for researchers working in the...
Asthma is now one of the world's most common long-term conditions,
according to figures released today during the World Asthma Meeting
in Bangkok, Thailand, and the UK has the highest rate in the world.
Mark McClellan, considered the most industry-friendly Commissioner
that the US Food and Drug Administration has had in years, could be
leaving his position before the end of the month, according to
industry speculation.
A series of new drugs to treat HIV infection which work in
different ways to available therapies are moving through clinical
trials, raising the hope that a new generation of antivirals is on
the horizon to treat resistant strains...
UK tablet press and coating machine specialist Manesty will
introduce another product in its Xpress range at the TOTAL 2004
show next month as it navigates the sea-change in its business that
has emerged over the last few years.
Germany's KGaA has announced plans to sell off its laboratory
distribution business VWR International and operate as a smaller,
higher-margin business focused on pharmaceuticals, chemicals and
liquid crystals.
Scientists in South Korea have isolated stem cells from a cloned
human embryo for the first time, bringing the use of cell- or
tissuse-based therapies for treating disease a step nearer. But the
work has also re-ignited the controversy...
Earlier this week, the US Food and Drug Administration suspended
the approval of a generic version of Pfizer's high blood pressure
drug Norvasc (amlodipine besylate) developed by India's Dr Reddy's
Laboratories. The...
Fisher Scientific International has swooped on two companies
providing tools for life sciences companies in a move designed to
boost its product range for research laboratories and
biopharmaceutical production.
Molecular Devices has introduced what it claims is the first liquid
handling system that can dispense fluid into and wash the full
range of 96-, 384- and 1536-well microplates.
Fresh evidence that drugs targeting adenosine receptors could play
a role in the treatment of anxiety and sleep disorders has come
from a study looking at the mechanism of action of a herbal remedy.
Schering-Plough last week stopped enrollment in a Phase III trial
of its new anticancer agent, Sarasar (lonafarnib), after saying it
would not provide sufficient evidence of efficacy as a first-line
treatment for non-small cell lung...
A team of international researchers have screened the entire known
genome of the fruit fly (Drospohila melanogaster) for genes
that could play a role in cancer.
The widely used vaccine adjuvant alum is not associated with an
increased risk of adverse events, despite fears to the contrary,
according to a new analysis. The study should allay patient fears
and help maintain immunisation rates...
Swiss-American laboratory instrument company Mettler-Toledo saw its
fourth-quarter revenues climb 7 per cent to $370 million (€290m)
although the weak dollar accounted for a large proportion of the
increase.
A US programme aimed at shortening the development time for new
pharmaceutical and biological drugs - which involves close
collaboration between the Food and Drug Administration and the
developer - is now underway.
The cost of implementing the US Medicare Act - which for the first
time provides a prescription drug benefit for the elderly and
disabled - is rising fast and represents a 'cave-in' to the drug
industry by the US government.
Zambon has teamed up with fellow Italian company BioXell to develop
small molecule drugs that antagonise CXCR3, a chemokine receptor
protein which plays a key role in inflammatory diseases affecting
skin, joints as well as the respiratory...
Fisher Scientific, the US-based science and laboratory products
group, hinted earlier this week that it may be looking to make
another acquisition, despite its prediction of a period of
consolidation in the wake of its $714 million...
LION bioscience has delayed the publication of its third-quarter
results after a change in its accounting procedures that will see
licence revenues spread across the term of the contracts, instead
of booked in the quarter they are...
Pharmaceutical, chemical and coatings company Akzo Nobel reported a
9 per cent slide in net income in 2003 but said the result was
better than expected given the difficult operating environment last
year.
Scientists at Switzerland's Roche have developed a small molecule
that interferes with the binding of p53 - a protein that blocks the
development of cancer - to its natural inhibitor. The discovery
could open the door to novel,...
