Pharmaco - Articles

"Emerging Drug Discovery Targets" summarizes the most exciting breaking information recently featured by the pharmaceutical analysts, LeadDiscovery. This edition explores recent advances in the use of siRNA technology in oncology, new molecular targets for the treatment of diabetes and advances in the development of GSK-3 inhibitors. Recent preselected press releases are also highlighted and as usual new licensing opportunities, breaking publications and new industry reports are all identified.
"Emerging Drug Discovery Targets" provides a twice monthly summary of some of the most exciting breaking information recently featured by the pharmaceutical analysts, LeadDiscovery. Information includes editorials on recently published journal articles, selected press releases and "intelligence repor…

Proof of concept studies have accumulated supporting the targeting of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) for the treatment of diabetes and CNS conditions. Now inhibitors are emerging as therapeutic candidates
Since the mid-1990s there has been a near exponential rise in the level of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) related research. Consequently the therapeutic potential of GSK-3 inhibitors has become a major area of pharmaceutical interest. To mark this surge in interest, LeadDiscovery have recently produced a full report "Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) inhibitors:Proof of concept and therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, stroke & bipolar disorders" (click here for access). The inhibition of GSK-3 offers considerable potential for the treat…

"Ghrelin: Pharmaceutical & Therapeutic Opportunities for the Treatment of Obesity" represents a cutting edge analysis of why and how ghrelin should be targeted for the identification of new therapies for obesity
lt is estimated that somewhere between 34 and 61 million people in the US are obese and in much of the developing world this incidence is increasing by about 1% per year. As a general guide, obesity increases the likelihood of death from all causes by 20%, and plays a major role in the development of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and gall bladder disease. Following the withdrawal of early treatments, the market for anti-obesity pharmaceuticals was reestablished in November 1997, when the FDA approved Abbott's sibutramine (Reductil/Meridia), for use in obesity, and still f…

Tim Taylor, Chief Business Development Officer at McLaren, looks at the role that IT can play in the improvement of process automation and control to positively benefit business strategies. An effective information management strategy can support companies, rather than hamper them, enabling them to build an organisation and systems that can manage extended global business applications in a compliant and efficient fashion.
Tim Taylor, Chief Business Development Officer at McLaren, looks at the role that IT can play in the improvement of process automation and control to positively benefit business strategies. An effective information management strategy can support companies, rather than hamper them, enabling them to build an organisation and systems that can manage extended global business…

Research towards the development of ion channel modulators is booming. One exciting target is the Kv1.3 voltage activated potassium channel. Expressed by human T lymphocytes Kv1.3 is involved in proliferation and cytokine secretion. Animal studies have established Kv1.3 as a target for the unmet multiple sclerosis (MS) market. Further key proof of concept data has now emerged demonstrating the selective expression of this channel in myelin-reactive effector memory T cells from MS patients
Target of the Month, (from TherapeuticAdvances, August, 2003): As research into ion channels continues to identify novel targets for multiple and diverse diseases, therapeutic successes surrounding the development of channel modulators will boom (for a full overview of this area, Click here to access Ion…

Pharma NewsBytes is LeadDiscovery's summary of news items released from the pharmaceutical and biotech sector over the previous two weeks. This week we feature the FDA's backing of the statin, Crestor; a new agreement based on the development of HDAC inhibitors which could leed to imporved cancer therapeutics; a novel and highly promising approach to metabolic disease announced by Roche; emerging clinical data on what appears to be an effective treatment of primary liver cancer and more.....
LeadDiscovery's intelligence service, DailyUpdates has evolved as a key tool to help all in the drug development sector keep track of breaking journal articles, press releases and pharmaceutical reports. Pharma NewsBytes features selected press releases recently featured on DailyUpdates and offers the…

The pharmaceutical industry is currently sinking considerable resources into the treatment of autoimmune disorders. One new candidate target is the histone deacetylase, HDAC7, reviewed in LeadDiscovery’s Target of the Month for July. HDAC7 inhibits Nur77 expression, a key regulator of T cell receptor mediated T cell apoptosis. Blocking HDAC7 can potentialy enhance apoptosis of autoreactive T cells and HDAC7 inhibitors may therefore be candidate treatments of autoimmune disorders.
Over 50 different autoimmune diseases have been identified, some of which are common (eg rheumatoid arthritis) while other are very rare. According to some analysts, new therapeutic approaches will drive the market for autoimmune disorders to grow at a rate of over 15%, to a value of over $21 billion by 2006. Th…

Statins have become the gold standard in the treatment of dyslipidemia, accounting for approximately 60% of treatments prescribed to patients with coronary heart disease in the late 1990s. However, wi
Statins have become the gold standard in the treatment of dyslipidemia, accounting for approximately 60% of treatments prescribed to patients with coronary heart disease in the late 1990s. However, with these drugs limited in their ability to lower LDL cholesterol to the target recommended by the National Institutes of Health an opportunity awaits for a therapy able to achieve this goal. In the Market Brief 'Statin Adjunct Therapy: Zetia, Revenue Protection For Zocor?' Datamonitor examines Zetia, the first in a new class of cholesterol-lowering agents to reach the market in the past 15 year…

Eli Lilly and Company is set to launch Cymbalta into the depression and stress urinary incontinence markets in mid-2003. Datamonitor analyzes whether the company most synonymous with the antidepressan
Eli Lilly and Company is set to launch Cymbalta into the depression and stress urinary incontinence markets in mid-2003. Datamonitor analyzes whether the company most synonymous with the antidepressant market can become a key player again and challenge the position of established compounds such as Wyeth's Effexor. The Market Brief "Duloxetine - The Next Blockbuster Antidepressant?" evaluates the current data for Cymbalta (duloxetine) in both depression and stress urinary incontinence and examines the drug in comparison to key rivals, such as Wyeth's Effexor. The Brief also considers the…

An extensive study carried out by Frost & Sullivan has revealed the tremendous potential for e-Detailing technology in Australia.
An extensive study carried out by Frost & Sullivan has revealed the tremendous potential for e-Detailing technology in Australia. E-Detailing is the latest approach, especially in the United States and Europe, for promoting pharmaceutical products among healthcare professionals. To unravel the immense potential of e-Detailing in the Australian market, Frost & Sullivan interviewed physicians to gauge their perceptions about the pharmaceuticals market in the country with a special emphasis on their views on current sales and promotional activities. E-Detailing is likely to be the first step toward a network-oriented approach to product promotions in the h…

Switzerland has been a major force in the development of new medicines for over a century. Around 5% of current global pharmaceutical R&D is attributable to Swiss companies.
An international outlook Switzerland has been a major force in the development of new medicines for over a century. Switzerland’s success has been due to its well-established pharmaceutical industry, but this innovative capacity is now being supplemented by a burgeoning biotech industry. The Swiss companies have always had an international outlook and this has been an important contributor to their success. For example, within 15 years of its formation in 1896, Roche opened affiliates in France, Germany, Italy, the USA, the UK and Russia. Swiss companies have now established their presence in over 100 countries, with…

The healthcare industry has utilized the Internet most recently as both a marketing tool and as a facility to pass on important medical information. Leading drug maker Abbott Laboratories will be look
The healthcare industry has utilized the Internet most recently as both a marketing tool and as a facility to pass on important medical information. Leading drug maker Abbott Laboratories will be looking to increase media exposure for its rheumatoid arthritis treatment after launching a dedicated website for the drug. Other websites created were designed to offer additional sources of information for patients suffering from illnesses as serious as cancer to those with allergies and asthma. Online healthcare information Online colorectal cancer resource launches HealthTalk Interactive has…

Roche's recent announcement of an EU price point of $20,570 per year for its novel HIV fusion inhibitor Fuzeon has brought the issue of pricing HIV therapies to the fore. Roche's premium pricing strat
Roche's recent announcement of an EU price point of $20,570 per year for its novel HIV fusion inhibitor Fuzeon has brought the issue of pricing HIV therapies to the fore. Roche's premium pricing strategy, which has already faced criticism from patient advocacy groups, could have ramifications for the future of HIV treatment. In the short term though, drug companies may have difficulty justifying such high prices. The Market Brief 'HIV Pricing Strategies in the US and UK' ocuses on pricing strategies for HIV in the US and UK, each representing contrasting systems: there are no restrictions…

The considerable investment and overheads required for the development of new drugs mean that pharmaceutical companies must establish brand loyalty throughout a product’s lifecycle in order to protect
The considerable investment and overheads required for the development of new drugs mean that pharmaceutical companies must establish brand loyalty throughout a product’s lifecycle in order to protect sales at patent expiry. While marketing has always been key to this, the advent of the Internet has meant that there are now a whole host of new opportunities for influencing market trends. In the brief Using the Internet at Patent Expiry: Creating Brand Loyalty Through Online Tools, Datamonitor examines the various options available to pharmaceutical companies for extending sales beyond patent…

With the recent patent expiry of Claritin, a drug that netted Schering-Plough some $5 billion in sales in 2001-2002, the antihistamine market will soon be flooded by a raft of cheap generic copies of
With the recent patent expiry of Claritin, a drug that netted Schering-Plough some $5 billion in sales in 2001-2002, the antihistamine market will soon be flooded by a raft of cheap generic copies of this one-time blockbuster. Datamonitor investigates the market in light of this patent expiry and the challenge facing Schering-Plough as a result. The expiration of Claritin's patent and subsequent switch to OTC status will dramatically alter the non-sedating antihistamine market both now and in the future. The ramifications of these changes are analyzed in depth in the brief Claritin: Easing…

In rheumatoid arthritis treatment a shift towards the earlier use of DMARDs has threatened the dominance of the NSAID class of drugs. This has opened up considerable opportunity for drugs such as Remi
In rheumatoid arthritis treatment a shift towards the earlier use of DMARDs has threatened the traditional dominance of the NSAID class of drugs. This has opened up considerable opportunity for drugs such as Remicade and Enbrel, the current DMARD leaders. With Abbott's Humira recently approved in the US and awaiting approval in Europe, Datamonitor looks at the other DMARDs capable of upsetting the applecart. Arthritis is the collective term for a wide variety of diseases that affect the tissue and bone of joints. There are over 100 different types of arthritis with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) an…

The proposed merger between Pfizer and Pharmacia will create a company with total ethical sales twice those of its nearest competitor. Declining R&D productivity, and a flood of patent expirations hav
The proposed merger between Pfizer and Pharmacia will create a company with total ethical sales twice those of its nearest competitor. Declining R&D productivity, and a flood of patent expirations have provided the incentive to consolidate, as companies that perceive themselves as strong seek to separate themselves from the weak. Datamonitor examines the potential implications of the Pfizer and Pharmacia's merger. The brief Pharmaceuticals:"Survival of the Fittest" analyses the potential of five key big pharma players - AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKl…

The pharmaceutical industry’s expectations for increasing revenue rely to a large extent on ensuring that their heavy R&D investment translates into new drugs. In 2000, the global pharmaceutical indu
Translating R&D investment into new drugs The pharmaceutical industry’s expectations for increasing revenue rely to a large extent on ensuring that their heavy R&D investment translates into new drugs. In 2000, the global pharmaceutical industry was projected to have invested US$58 billion in R&D (1). In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on clinical trials and this has been reflected by a steady rise in R&D costs. For example, the proportion of industry R&D expenditure allocated to clinical studies increased between 1996 and 1998 from 32.5% to 39.5%, res…

The pharmaceutical industry, much of which dreams of having the marketing agility of a primitive vertebrate, has found a sales-promotion tool that sometimes works in the United States and New Zealand.
One of the most heated debates in the pharmaceutical industry is aping the struggles of a hundred million years ago. The typical titanosaur was about 30 metres long and weighed a lithe 80 tonnes. It was very single-minded (as it had to be because it needed over a tonne of food a day) so it did not pay much attention to anything non-edible. However, when it saw danger – or felt something take a chunk out of it – it swung into action; as it thrashed around in the mangrove swamps, not much of the surrounding vegetation survived but the predator was long gone: it took about five seconds for the…

Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer to afflict both men and women, accounting for nearly 15% of all cancer cases. The size of the lung cancer market - estimated at $1.6bn in 2002
Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer to afflict both men and women, accounting for nearly 15% of all cancer cases. The size of the lung cancer market - estimated at $1.6bn in 2002 - can help make or break a drug. Datamonitor examines the potential impact of Eli Lilly’s Affinitac on the current treatment leaders and the lung cancer market as a whole. In Strategic Perspectives: Lung Cancer Datamonitor considers the current drug regimens used in first- and second-line therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in the seven major marke…