Healthcare - Articles

The TNF blockers Enbrel (etanercept) and Remicade (infliximab), have contributed to a revolution in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The drug development community is now expending considerable resources on developing next generation disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) with improved efficacy and safety as well as oral activity. GlaxoSmithKline's IkappaB kinase 2 (IKK-2) inhibitor, TCPA-1 has recently been developed and has shown considerable promise in early stage development.
The TNF blockers Enbrel (etanercept) and Remicade (infliximab), have contributed to a revolution in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The drug development community is now expending considerable resources on developing next generation disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) with improve…

We all forget to take medication from time to time, or maybe even don't bother to refill our prescriptions because we're feeling fine. However, the cumulative effect of all this is costing the pharmaceutical industry in excess of $30 billion a year. Datamonitor's Adele Schulz offers pharmaceutical companies some practical solutions to help stop the financial bleeding...
Data from the Medicines Monitoring Unit (MEMO) at the indicates that only one third of patients are fully compliant with their drug prescriptions. A third are non-compliant while the remaining third are considered completely non-compliant. On top of the over $30 billion annual cost to the pharmaceutical companies from prescriptions and repeat prescriptions never filled, patients also suffer in terms of loss of quality of…

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, having received considerable R&D attention, are now being led through the clinic by SAHA which is currently in phase II development. A second HDAC inhibitor, Titan's Pivanex, has now been shown to be effective as a single agent therapeutic in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Due to toxicity observed when used in combination with docetaxel, development for this indication has been terminated. Studies have however recently been initiated to investiga
Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, having received considerable R&D attention, are now being led through the clinic by SAHA which is currently in phase II development. A second HDAC inhibitor, Titan's Pivanex, has now been shown to be effective as a single agent therapeutic in patients with…

The RENAAL study, published in 2001 demonstrated that Merck's Losartan slows diabetic nephropathy and reduces the risk of heart failure. In a more recent analysis of the RENAAL database, researchers have shown that albuminuria predicts heart failure as well as other cardiovascular events and that the degree of success with which Losartan can reduce albumin levels is related to the extent of cardiovascular protection.
The RENAAL study, published in 2001 demonstrated that Merck's Losartan slows diabetic nephropathy and reduces the risk of heart failure. In a more recent analysis of the RENAAL database, researchers have shown that albuminuria predicts heart failure as well as other cardiovascular events and that the degree of success with which Losartan can reduce albumin levels is related t…

Researchers at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center report that optimizing the use of anticoagulants in cancer patients with deep vein thrombosis could improve outcomes, reduce hospital stay and lower the cost of treatment. The study which gathered data from 529 cancer patients with deep vein thrombosis, and which represents the most comprehensive study of it kind, suggests that bleeding in treated patients and the reoccurrence of thrombosis is higher than previously reported. Fur
Researchers at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center report that optimizing the use of anticoagulants in cancer patients with deep vein thrombosis could improve outcomes, reduce hospital stay and lower the cost of treatment. The study which gathered data from 529 cancer patients with…

Isotechnika's Q2 loss shows a sharp reversal in fortunes. Profit in 2003 was largely attributable to a research payment for ISA247 from Roche, which has since pulled out of part of the deal. Isotechnika will be hoping that Roche continues to support ISA247 in the field of transplantation, but, says Datamonitor's Timothy Pang, it would be boosted by the cash that a new partner would bring...
Canadian drug development specialist Isotechnika reported a Q2 loss this week of C$4.55 million, or six Canadian cents a share. This loss contrasts with the profit reported for Q2 2003, which Isotechnika credited mainly to an C$8.4 million research payment from Roche. Roche and Isotechnika had been jointly developing ISA247, the Canadian company's lead candidate, as part of a global co-development deal s…

Over the last 100 years, tremendous advances have been made in terms of healthcare, but this has also led to greater expectations in terms of the service that people expect to receive and a dilemma for governments in controlling the resulting, growing healthcare expenditure.
Over the last 100 years, tremendous advances have been made in healthcare, but this has also led to greater expectations in terms of the service that people expect to receive and a dilemma for governments in controlling the resulting, growing healthcare expenditure.   Caught offguard The rise in healthcare expenditure appears to have caught many people off guard and the methods that governments have used to curb spending have often been controversial. Patients have become more demanding in the quality of healthca…

Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly looking to technology to increase sales, according to COLIN WILLIAMS, Head of Marketing at PharmiWeb Solutions...
Faced with spiralling marketing costs, reduced product lifecycles and an increasing reliance on ‘blockbuster’ drug launches, many pharmaceutical companies are turning to internet technologies to help them more effectively market and sell their products and develop new channels to an increasingly complex customer base. The challenge faced by sales professionals in the pharmaceutical sector is to identify how new communications technologies can provide their companies with a crucial competitive edge and keep tabs on their rivals’ initiatives. One of the biggest buzzwords currently being used in the pharmaceutical industry is ‘e-detaili…

Due to more and better screening practices leading to earlier diagnosis, survival rates for breast cancer have risen to as high as 87% in some developed countries. But globally, 380,000 people (mainly women) will still die from breast cancer in 2004. Datamonitor's Fleur Pijpers explains that in the future, new targeted therapies could lead to successful treatment for each individual patient...
Chemotherapy drugs (cytotoxics) are currently the gold standard in breast cancer treatment, and are expected to remain so through until 2008. Antihormonal treatment also remains an option for patients that are suitable, but the future of effective treatment for breast cancer resides with more targeted therapies. This move is largely propelled by the harsh side effects experienced by cancer patient…

Dompe researchers report the development of the chemokine receptor CXCR1 antagonist, repertaxin. New data show that Dompe's phase I candidate repertaxin dramatically reduces liver damage in a model of acute transplant rejection. By blocking neutrophil infiltration the therapeutic potential of repertaxin extends past the prevention of transplant rejection to cover a wide range of other indications including chronic ischemic conditions and inflammatory disorders.
DailyUpdates 31st August, 2004: Organ transplantation is now common with over 22,000 procedures performed in the in 2001; the most commonly transplanted organs being the kidney, liver and heart. The large numbers of transplants now being conducted is due in part to the ability of immunomodulatory agents to control acute rejection. D…

DailyUpdates 27th August, 2004: The inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) represents an attractive approach to the treatment of cancer. Although this group of agents, led by Aventis' flavopiridol are poor monotherapeutic agents they exhibit sequence-dependent cytotoxic synergy when administered after standard chemotherapeutic drugs. Unfortunately, as demonstrated in a recent trial investigating the efficacy of a Taxotere-flavopiridol combination in metastatic breast cancer patients, toxi
Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent tumor types, with a little over 200,000 cases expected to be diagnosed in the this year. Mortality rates declined by 2.3% between 1990 and 2000 due to improvements in diagnosis and treatment and 5-year survival rates now stand at 97% for localized tumors,…

ATLANTA--Aug. 25, 2004--Endovascular intervention, employing minimally invasive, catheter-based technologies, is expected to become the dominant therapeutic modality for atherosclerotic diseases in the lower limbs, according to a new report published by THE SAGE GROUP
----Endovascular intervention, employing minimally invasive, catheter-based technologies, is expected to become the dominant therapeutic modality for atherosclerotic diseases in the lower limbs, according to a new report published by THE SAGE GROUP (click here for the report). "Already the preferred initial interventional therapy for most types of lesions in aortoiliac disease, endovascular intervention is rapidly becoming the initial therapy for many types of femoropopliteal disease," stated Mary L. Yost, President of THE S…

DailyUpdates 26th August, 2004: The stabilization of atherosclerotic plaques has emerged as a strategy for reducing the incidence of stroke as well as other cardiovascular diseases. Previous studies have reported that blocking the activity of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) can limit the progression of atherosclerosis and stabilize plaques in animal models. New data now suggests that increasing TGF-beta1 can also stabilize plaques in humans supporting the development of therapeutic
About 700,000 Americans suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year usually due to atherosclerosis in the carotid/vertebral arteries. Recovery from stroke is unpredictable and rarely complete and consequently 15-30% of ischemic stroke victims are permanently disabled and 20% require prolonged institu…

DailyUpdates 25th August, 2004: Despite legal appeals by Pfizer, Ivax's generic equivalent of the blockbuster gabapentin (Neurontin) went on sale earlier this month increasing the need for Pfizer to push the follow-on, pregabalin onto the US market. Pregabalin was approved by European authorities in July of this year for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain and as an adjunctive therapy for partial seizures in patients with epilepsy. Most recently a US study has been published data furthe
Approximately 9% of the population suffers from moderate to severe non-cancer-related pain, a figure that includes 40-70 million individuals with chronic pain. This condition precipitates other serious pathologies such as depression and is associated with an estimated pharmaceuticals market of US$1…

DailyUpdates 24th August, 2004: Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), one of the enzymes responsible for the production of carbon monoxide, is induced under conditions of ischemic stress. Clinical data has previously demonstrated that increased expression of HO-1 may limit post-transplant ischemia reperfusion injury, a major cause of reduced graft survival. Now researchers have reported that maintaining transplant recipients in an atmosphere of elevated carbon monoxide promotes extended graft survival
Since the first successful kidney transplantation more than 40 years ago, the treatment of end-stage organ failure has dramatically improved. Many organs are now transplanted, the most common of which include (procedures performed in the in 2001) the kidney (14,000), heart (2,000), liver (5,000) and l…

DailyUpdates 23rd August, 2004: The use of insulin forms the cornerstone of diabetes treatment. A body of data also suggests however that this hormone directly modulates both memory and mood suggesting that endogenous insulin may be of benefit to many of the 180 million people around the world with memory disorders, and especially those with co-morbid mood disturbances such as schizophrenic or depressed individuals. A recent study has shown that intra-nasal administration of insulin improves m
The aging population will contribute to an expansion of the already massive Alzheimer's disease therapy market.  The number of sufferers is expected to grow from 16 million patients to 21 million by 2010 in the seven major pharmaceutical markets driving sales in these regions worth $4.7 billion…

Eventually, methods developed by research laboratories need to be transferable to face the rigours of external validation or the production line. Many researchers, however, are unaware that this procedure must be adequately documented, a crucial issue when it comes to regulation and outsourcing.
Steve Westcott MD Melbourn Scientific provides some pragmatic advice Any method must be capable of providing results that have integrity and are fit for purpose. Validation is a crucial way of ensuring that challenges such as a change of operator or small changes in analytical conditions will still result in reliable data. However, although the validation protocol states the challenges that are to be applied to the analytical process and the deviations from the norm that are considered acceptable,…

Pharmaceutical practices from manufacturing to marketing are coming under increasing scrutiny from watchdogs, regulators and shareholders. As huge fines and record settlements erode profits, Datamonitor's Andrew Jones argues that pharma companies must focus on tightening compliance...
Pharma companies have been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently. Reports in the press suggest that AstraZeneca will likely be found guilty by the EC of competition abuses following the charge in July 2003 of allegedly "misusing the patent system and other regulatory procedures for the marketing of drugs". AstraZeneca could face fines that reach as much as 10% of turnover. Eli Lilly is also in the spotlight for marketing abuses, being issued a subpoena over the marketing and promotional prac…

After my many years of conducting interviews and recruiting for both junior and senior employees, I have come to the conclusion that if there is one single thing that a person can do to secure a second interview or a desired position it is believe in themselves.
Self-Confidence or No Confidence? Having worked with young adults in a supportive role, assisting them to get their foot on the career ladder, it has become evident that generally speaking the one thing they have in common is a lack of confidence. At the other end of the scale, in my role as a sales manager I have come across some extremely confident – in some cases, even arrogant – candidates. Neither of these situations is ideal. In order for a prospective employer to hire you, they have to believe that you will be competent in…

In recent years a greater effort has been made by international healthcare organizations and governments to tackle diseases that have their heaviest impact in the developing world. Many of these diseases have been called ‘neglected diseases’ as few new drugs have been launched to tackle them during the last 20 years.
In recent years a greater effort has been made by international healthcare organizations and governments to tackle diseases that have their heaviest impact in the developing world. In particular, the pharmaceutical industry has come under considerable pressure to increase its R&D activities for such diseases and provide drugs at affordable prices to those in less affluent countries. Many of these diseases have been called ‘neglected diseases’ as few new drugs have been laun…