Pharmacy - Articles

Today's edition highlights news from Metabolex announcing the initiation of a Phase 2/3 trial of a novel insulin sensitizer, metaglidasen. In addition we discuss research published by Advanced Life Sciences who are making exciting breakthroughs moving towards the treatment of HIV Tuberculosis co-infection which has become a global catastrophe.
Todays Headlines from across the DailyUpdates network (June 12th, 2006 - access this edition) Breaking News (from DailyUpdates-Metabolic Disorders): Metabolex announce phase II/III trial of novel insulin sensitizer Diabetes affects approximately 170 million people worldwide a figure that is increasing with the WHO predicting 300 million diabetics by 2025 (see The World Diabetes Market, 2005-2011). The alone has 20.8 million people suffering with dia…

Breakthroughs in our understanding of the Ubiquitin system are increasingly being routed towards clinical applications. Targeting Ubiquitin for Drug Discovery and Development conference has assembled leaders from industrial and academic research to discuss the state of the art and prospects for the future. With the FDA approval and commercialization of Velcade, scientists are now beginning to see the potential of this ever expanding science. New therapeutic targets are being explored and implica
Welcome! Breakthroughs in our understanding of the Ubiquitin system are increasingly being routed towards clinical applications. Targeting Ubiquitin for Drug Discovery and Development conference has assembled leaders from industrial and academic research to discuss the state of the art and prospects…

Today we report on the FDA approval of Merck's HPV vaccine, the first such vaccine to be approved in the US; and a candidate treatment for various cardiovascular diseases
Todays Headlines from across the DailyUpdates network (9th June 2006) Breaking News (from DailyUpdates-Infectious Diseases): Merck wins the race for HPV vaccine approval in the US HPV is the most commonly diagnosed viral sexually transmitted disease in the and , with conservative annual incidence estimates of 5.5 million in the alone. Over 100 types of HPV, causing a variety of diseases, have been identified. It is believed that 50-75% of HPV infections involve high-risk HPV types, leading to approximately 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer and 232,000 deaths worldwide each year. Treatment options are limited, with no k…

DailyUpdates 31st May: Today's edition of DailyUpdates focuses on a controversial area of neurotransmission: opioids, cannabinoids and their overlap. Our featured press release is from Allon Therapeutics and announces further progress on their novel approach to neurodegenerative disorders. Read on for an overview or visit today's edition of DailyUpdates here
DailyUpdates 31st May: Today's edition of DailyUpdates focuses on a controversial area of neurotransmission: opioids, cannabinoids and their overlap. Our featured press release is from Allon Therapeutics and announces further progress on their novel approach to neurodegenerative disorders. Read on for an overview or visit today's edition of DailyUpdates hereCannabinoids and opioids - their intereaction in the modulation of pain: Canna…

DailyUpdates 2nd June: In today’s edition of DailyUpdates we highlight exciting new data on the potential use of the antihypertensive, losartan as a modulator of insulin release and production and hence a directly acting therapeutic for the treatment of diabetes. This supplements additional beneficial activity resulting from blood pressure control. In addition we report on European approval of Thelin, Encysive’s candidate for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension
DailyUpdates 2nd June: In today’s edition of DailyUpdates we highlight exciting new data on the potential use of the antihypertensive, losartan as a modulator of insulin release and production and hence a directly acting therapeutic for the treatment of diabetes. This supplements additional beneficial activity resulting from bloo…

Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of disability in the US, and is estimated to be the eighth most common cause of disability worldwide, with around 89 million adults in the seven major markets having a form of symptomatic osteoarthritis. OA therefore offers an attractive commercial target. However, relatively low disease awareness and Cox-2s controversy have curbed the market's potential so far.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degeneration of the joints characterized by progressive destruction of articular cartilage and articular structures. It is a complex process that involves multiple changes in joint structure and, according to Datamonitor estimates, affects 89 million adults in the seven major pharmaceutical markets. Due to the current widespread nature of the condition, the World Health…

DailyUpdates 6th June: As ASCO continues in full swing, we again focus on oncology. Today's edition of DailyUpdates includes 10 new papers on oncology research plus a further 20 or so press releases from companies presenting at ASCO. This is of course in addition to the rest of our content from across the drug development sector (see it all here). Today's headline paper unerpins the intriguing idea that the premedication required prior to Taxotere administration may significantly limit its effic
DailyUpdates 6th June: As ASCO continues in full swing, we again focus on oncology. Today's edition of DailyUpdates includes 10 new papers on oncology research plus a further 20 or so press releases from companies presenting at ASCO. This is of course in addition to the rest of our content from acro…

(The American Society of Clinical Oncology) now in full swing, cancer is not surprisingly the focus of today's news section and out of the 20 or so press releases featured we highlight and announcement by Cell Genesys describing the development of their GVAX vaccine for the treatment of CML. In their phase 2 trial the company reports that a complete molecular response is seen in 25% of patients whose treatment included GVAX - this compares to historical data of about 10% in patients not receivin
DailyUpdates 5th June, 2006: With ASCO (The American Society of Clinical Oncology) now in full swing, cancer is not surprisingly the focus of today's news section and out of the 20 or so press releases featured we highlight and announcement by Cell Genesys describing the development of their GVAX v…

Psychiatrists attending this year’s Annual Psychiatric Association meeting heard new findings from the controversial CATIE (Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness) programme. New data suggest an older typical antipsychotic drug is more cost effective and has the same cognitive benefits as newer atypical drugs. Previous results suggested the older first generation drug is equally effective and well-tolerated clinically, compared to newer atypicals but the study design was m
In December 2005, the New England Journal of Medicine published the first results of the CATIE (Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness) (1).  The 18-month, double-blind study, funded by the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), compared an older and much cheaper ty…

DailyUpdates 26th May, 2006: As our daily trip around the drug discovery world continues we hit Friday with some revealing information on sepsis and new phase 3 data on Wyeth's antidepressant desvenlafaxine. Read on for more about these highlight on visit today's edition of DailyUpdates for more on these advances or any of the other 50+ items featured today
DailyUpdates 26th May, 2006: As our daily trip around the drug discovery world continues we hit Friday with some revealing information on sepsis and new phase 3 data on Wyeth's antidepressant desvenlafaxine.  Read on for more about these highlight on visit today's edition of DailyUpdates for more on these advances or any of the other 50+ items featured todayDefining the problem of sepsis: Sepsis, a complex and rapidly progressing d…

EntreMed has initiated a phase II trial of Panzem in combination with Genentech's Avastin in carcinoid cancer. The trial will examine how the therapy fares against potential rivals and its possible use in other tumor types. With the blockbuster Avastin possessing the potential to significantly raise the profile of Panzem, the study will prove crucial for EntreMed's lead pipeline drug candidate.
Carcinoid cancer is a rare neuroendocrine tumor that is on the increase. In the , 6,000 to 7,000 new cases are confirmed each year, with 2,500 tumors at the malignant stage. The majority (85%) of carcinoid cancers develop within the gastrointestinal tract between the stomach and the rectum. Several tumors may develop in the small intestine, which often increases the risk of developing other tumors wi…

DailyUpdates 30th May: As the drug discovery sector returns after various public holidays around the world, we too return with another edition of DailyUpdates. Amongst the 60 or so features today, we highlight work at Kane Biotech conducted in an attempt to reduce the major problem of catheter infection, plus news on the development of a liposomal candidate designed to deliver the active metabolite of Camptosar to colorectal cancer tumors. Summaries of this work are provided below - today's edit
DailyUpdates 30th May: As the drug discovery sector returns after various public holidays around the world, we too return with another edition of DailyUpdates. Amongst the 60 or so features today, we highlight work at Kane Biotech conducted in an attempt to reduce the major problem of catheter infec…

DailyUpdates 25th May, 2006: Today both featured items from DailyUpdates focus on autoimmune disease and remarkably neither are biologics. The first, a press release from Synta announces the advancement of an IL-12/IL-23 inhibitor in development for rheumatoid arthritis and IBD; the second is a review of potassium channels as targets for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
DailyUpdates 25th May, 2006: Today both featured items from DailyUpdates focus on autoimmune disease and remarkably neither are biologics. The first, a press release from Synta announces the advancement of an IL-12/IL-23 inhibitor in development for rheumatoid arthritis and IBD; the second is a review of potassium channels as targets for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Information on this content as well as all othe…

Although ventricular and atrial fibrillation represent the most common cardiac arrhymias and are associated with amongst the highest rates of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, treatment options are suboptimal. New opportunities are however approaching the market, notably Cardiome’s RSD1235, paving the way for development by others.
Ventricular Fibrillation and Atrial FibrillationEmerging Antiarrhythmics in the Context of Current Devices, Interventions and Pharmacological Agents Although ventricular and atrial fibrillation represent the most common cardiac arrhymias and are associated with amongst the highest rates of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, treatment options are suboptimal.  New opportunities are however approaching the market, notably Cardiome’s RSD1235, paving…

Colin Williams, e-Marketing Director at PharmiWeb Solutions takes a look at the current e-detailing landscape and suggests what the future could hold for this much talked about tool for pharmaceutical sales and marketing departments.
Introduction - e-detailing, eDetailing, e-detail, eDetail, v-Detail, online detail…. Whatever you call it, there has been no escaping it over the past few years and with more people than ever who are connected with the pharmaceutical industry talking about it, this is only set to get worse…or better in my opinion! I’ve been involved in e-detailing since the heady dotcom days of 2000 and have been providing solutions for the pharmaceutical industry since then. While my frustrations with how long it has taken the industry to take full advantage of e-detailing hav…

DailyUpdates 18th May, 2006: As the antidepressant sector continues to go through a period of turbulance we report on new data for one blockbuster from this class - Lexapro. Selected for special mention from over 50 journal articles today's feature demonstrates great timing appearing at the same time as our feature - Major Depressive Disorder. Today's edition of DailyUpdates can be seen here
DailyUpdates 18th May, 2006: As the antidepressant sector continues to go through a period of turbulance we report on new data for one blockbuster from this class - Lexapro. Selected for special mention from over 50 journal articles today's feature demonstrates great timing appearing at the same time as our feature - Major Depressive Disorder. Today's edition of DailyUpdates can be seen hereComparative…

Without treatment, an estimated one in three women will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture during their lifetime
Without treatment, an estimated one in three women will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture during their lifetime (1). The risk of fracture can be substantially reduced by oral nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates such as alendronate (Fosamax) and risedronate (Actonel).  However, although these are widely prescribed, they are not widely adhered to by patients. At least half to three quarters of women stop treatment within one year (2).  Reasons for poor adherence are generally ascribed to inconvenience and, in part, to upper gastro-intestinal (GI) side effects which are thought to affect around one in five.  Dosing is complicated. Tablets have to…

Despite almost 200 million people suffering from hypertension in the seven major pharmaceutical markets alone, according to a new report, innovation is scarce within antihypertensive R&D. What little innovation that does exist is being delivered by Novartis, which is set to launch two new antihypertensives in 2007 in the shape of oral renin inhibitor Rasilez, and the 'two-in-one' pill Exforge.
Despite almost 200 million people suffering from hypertension in the seven major pharmaceutical markets alone, according to a new report, innovation is scarce within antihypertensive R&D. What little innovation that does exist is being delivered by Novartis, which is set to launch two new antihypertensives in 2007 in the shape of oral renin inhibitor Rasilez, and the 'two-in-one' pill Exforge. Th…

EntreMed has initiated a phase II trial of Panzem in combination with Genentech's Avastin in carcinoid cancer. The trial will examine how the therapy fares against potential rivals and its possible use in other tumor types. With the blockbuster Avastin possessing the potential to significantly raise the profile of Panzem, the study will prove crucial for EntreMed's lead pipeline drug candidate.
EntreMed has initiated a phase II trial of Panzem in combination with Genentech's Avastin in carcinoid cancer. The trial will examine how the therapy fares against potential rivals and its possible use in other tumor types. With the blockbuster Avastin possessing the potential to significantly raise the profile of Panzem, the study will prove crucial for EntreMed's lead pipeline drug candidate.Carcin…

DailyUpdates 15th May, 2006: Amongst the 50 or so papers and press releases featured today two focusing on VEGF jump out as being of especial interest. The first, a paper published by Stanford University, reports on the anti-cancer activity of an oncolytic virus in combination with gene therapy. The virus was engineered to selectively replicate in and kill cancer cells . The gene therapy encoded a soluble version of Flk1, one of the VEGF receptors. The two approaches together produce effective a
DailyUpdates 15th May, 2006: Amongst the 50 or so papers and press releases featured today two focusing on VEGF jump out as being of especial interest. The first, a paper published by Stanford University, reports on the anti-cancer activity of an oncolytic virus in combination with gene therapy. The…