Articles

The pharmaceutical industry has often been described as counter-recessionary, the broad logic being that people will always get sick, and hence there will be a continuous demand for drugs. And whilst this may be true at a surface level, a more granular analysis would reveal dissimilarities between different segments of the industry
The pharmaceutical industry has often been described as counter-recessionary, the broad logic being that people will always get sick, and hence there will be a continuous demand for drugs. And whilst this may be true at a surface level, a more granular analysis would reveal dissimilarities between different segments of the industry – for example between the major ‘Ethicals’ (the providers of branded, blockbusters and the newest treatments) and the ‘Generics’ (man…

The new oral antidiabetic drugs sitagliptin and vildagliptin work by boosting the guts incretin hormones GLP-1 and GIP to regulate insulin secretion following food intake and glucagon secretion when blood sugar is low.
The new oral antidiabetic drugs sitagliptin and vildagliptin work by boosting the gut’s incretin hormones GLP-1 and GIP to regulate insulin secretion following food intake and glucagon secretion when blood sugar is low. Their action seems to be merely to enhance a natural process. However, given concerns about the impact of other oral antidiabetic drugs on the heart, clinicians and patients are asking what impact, if any, DPP-4 inhibitors have on cardiovascular disease. Over the past couple of years, the link between antidiabetic drugs and heart disease has been a hot topic…

In 2007, the world market for bone metabolism disorder pharmaceuticals generated sales of over $10bn - how much of this market have you captured?
The majority of this market consists of the fast-expanding osteoporosis segment, a disease with high incidence and under-treatment at present. The bone metabolism market is competitive and progressive, facing generic competition amongst its top-selling drugs. Nevertheless, market growth will be driven by aging populations worldwide and the entry of novel therapies during the years ahead. In Osteoporosis & Bone Metabolism Disorders, 2008-2023, visiongain forecasts that the bone metabolism disorder market will increase - but by just how much? Order the report today to find out.. Worldwide, significant numbers of osteoporosis sufferers remain un…

Current treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are failing to control patients' pain adequately, and health care professionals are not fully addressing patients' concerns, new research suggests. At the recent Annual Congress of Rheumatology meeting (EULAR) in Paris this summer, findings of a study presented during a UCB-sponsored symposium highlighted a mismatch between perceptions of patients and professionals as to what constitutes effective management of RA
Rheumatologists who treat RA tend to monitor a patient’s response to treatment focussing on how many joints remain tender and swollen, and by the level of markers of active inflammatory disease in the circulation, Dr Peter Taylor of The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, at Imperial College London, explained. If these are reduced by…

Deciding whether or not women with breast cancer require adjuvant chemotherapy after removal of the primary tumour has traditionally been based on a series of prognostic clinical features such as tumour size, lymph node involvement, and other factors. If risk of recurrence is deemed low, adjuvant therapy and its associated toxicity can be avoided. Molecular technology is now available to help clinicians decide on the risks of a particular tumour recurring, based on its genetic fingerprint.
Women with very small breast cancer tumours <20mm, are usually considered by clinical guidelines to have a good prognosis. However, results of a small study reported at the recent European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) annual congress in Stockholm, Sweden, suggest that for a substantial proporti…

A new national guideline will provide clarity on emergency oxygen use in adults
The first national guideline for the emergency use of oxygen in adults has been published, with the aim of simplifying oxygen delivery and better protecting acutely ill patients. Developed by a working party and led by the British Thoracic Society (BTS), the guideline is published in the October 2008 issue of Thorax1, the journal of the BTS, and is supported by 22 professional societies and institutions. Until now, most healthcare professionals have followed their own institution’s customary practice when administering oxygen therapy, and it is this lack of consistency and clear guidance that the BTS’ guideline aims to correct. Oxygen is one of the most widely used drugs, and is used across the whole range of…

Sydney, Australia 29th September, 2008. A recent case heard in the Federal Court of Australia illustrates the need for comprehensive, accurate and regularly updated patent information to ensure that the planned launch of a generic pharmaceutical product is not delayed.
Sydney, Australia 29th September, 2008. A recent case heard in the Federal Court of Australia illustrates the need for comprehensive, accurate and regularly updated patent information to ensure that the planned launch of a generic pharmaceutical product is not delayed. In Interpharma Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Patents [2008] FCA 1283, the applicant was unsuccessful in seeking, among other things, an order setting aside the Commissioner’s decision to extend the term of the AU565856 patent. The patent in question describes and…

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. Dementia is a collective name for progressive degenerative brain syndromes which affect memory, thinking, behaviour and emotion. Symptoms may include: loss of memory difficulty in finding the right words or understanding what people are saying difficulty in performing previously routine tasks personality and mood changes Dementia is not a normal part of ageing. It knows no social, economic, ethnic or geographical boundaries. Although each person will experience dementia in their own way, eventually those affected are unable to care for themselves and need help with all aspects of daily life. There is currently no cure, but treatments, advice, and suppor…

This months feature focus from PharmiWeb.com covers the difference between a common cold and flu, the various symptoms and recent preventions.
The common cold and flu are both contagious viral infections of the respiratory tract. Although the symptoms can be similar, flu is much worse. A cold may drag you down a bit, but the flu can make you shudder at the very thought of getting out of bed. Congestion, sore throat, and sneezing are common with colds. Both cold and flu bring coughing, headache, and chest discomfort. With the flu, though, you are likely to run a high fever for several days and have headache, fatigue, and weakness. Usually, complications from colds are relatively minor, but a severe case of flu can lead to a life-threatening illness such as pneumonia. More than 100 types o…

- Examination of the UK, US and European regional markets for prescription pharmaceuticals 2008 -
 The importance of the Wholesale & Distribution sector of the pharmaceutical industry is often overlooked, but with the EU alone boasting some 3,000 pharmaceutical manufacturers producing some 50,000 products for 130,000 retail outlets, the supporting network provided by the wholesale distributor is essential to the healthcare industry. Visiongain believes that this sector of the industry is facing crisis, with the increasing use of the internet for direct sales, government imposed pricing controls in Europe and the proposed change in US re-importation law, the industry has been forced to re-assess many standard operational procedures. Visiongain further finds that The Wholesale an…

Frankly speaking, stop the guesswork and open heartedly accept that it's Google's turn now, as the next decade clearly belongs to Google, best not to resist and go with the flow.
As a company, it’s amazing how it started and what it’s done and where it’s now headed. There have been a lot of such great success stories in the past, from Coca-Cola to General Motors, and from IBM to Microsoft, but this one had its phenomenal speed with extraordinary accuracy and extremely high profitability. When all this is combined it has clearly cut a different path over the rest. So what’s all this grumbling about its super power and domination? As a media company, it is in the final throws to become the number one media information company in the world. After all, when the early print based society was…

With Google now being 10 years old, a leading medical protection organisation is highlighting the increasing trend towards patient using the search engine for online self-diagnosis.
"incorrect self-diagnosis and misplaced patient expectations" Dr Stephanie Bown,director of policy and communications at the Medical Protection Society (MPS) said: “a vast spectrum of information available online has given patients a greater opportunity to explore the possibility of self-diagnosis. The downside is that difficulties can arise from lay interpretation of potentially complex medical information and terminology, and the variable quality of the information available. These factors can contribute to both incorrect self-diagnosis and misplaced patient expectations.” “GPs are faced with the additional…

Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition affecting movements such as walking, talking, and writing. It is named after Dr. James Parkinson (1755-1824), the London doctor who first identified Parkinson's as a specific condition.
Parkinson's occurs as result of a loss of nerve cells in the part of the brain known as the substantia nigra. These cells are responsible for producing a chemical known as dopamine, which allows messages to be sent to the parts of the brain that co-ordinate movement. With the depletion of dopamine-producing cells, these parts of the brain are unable to function normally. The main symptoms of Parkinson's can also be symptoms of other disorders. Conditions that produce these symptoms are known collectively as parkinsonism. Parkinson's is the most common f…

Survey finds 38% of GP practices are currently underprepared for a flu pandemic, and one in ten do not have any emergency recovery plans in place.
A survey of UK general practice managers has revealed an uneven level of pandemic flu preparedness, with 38% admitting to having no plans in place for such an eventuality. The government’s recently published National Risk Register stated that a flu pandemic could pose the greatest threat to national security and could claim up to 750,000 lives.* However, in a survey conducted by Management in Practice, the leading print and online information resource for general practice managers, only 62% of GP managers said their surgeries had specific contingency plans in place for such an event (see www.managementinpractice.com/surveys ). While many…

All industries today face perpetual change and the need to cope with new challenges; nowhere is this trend more prevalent than in the life sciences industries, ie pharmaceuticals, biotech, diagnostics, medical devices and healthcare services.
In addition to the traditional market forces of competition, globalisation, changing customer requirements and input costs, life science companies must transform structure and working methods continually to meet their own particular business objectives. Life sciences companies ranging from the smallest biotech to the largest multinational pharmaceutical have to balance spending plans with the need to satisfy shareholders/investors. For recruitment companies in this sector the impact of all this change creates its own set of challenges, particularly wh…

Nearly six million people in the UK suffer from migraines with 190,000 attacks occurring every day*. Two out of three sufferers are women** and, in total, migraines cost the UK around £1 billion per annum***.
Since physicians do not fully understand the cause of migraines, sufferers frequently remain abandoned by their healthcare practitioner. As a consequence of this lack of understanding, the condition is not straightforward to treat and where preventative orthodox drug treatments do exist, many are associated with unwanted side effects - not ideal when used on an ongoing basis. Research with national charity Migraine Action, amongst extreme migraine sufferers has found that the Nature’s Best ginger supplement produces excellent results when tackling the debilitating symptoms of nausea…

Scientists have just announced the development of new medical imaging technology that can spot signs of osteoarthritis even before it starts causing joint damage.
Many health problems can be effectively treated and managed if they are caught early enough. But until now, diagnosing the early stage of osteoarthritis – the often cripplingly painful disease that causes damage to the joints and is thought to affect around 8.5m Brits – has been tricky. That's because diagnosis currently relies on x-ray evidence and physical examination, both of which may not spot signs of the disease until it's in its later stages. However scientists have just announced the development of new medical imaging technology that can spot signs of osteoarthritis even before it starts causing joint damage. Dr Alexej…

With these increasing pressures upon the pharmaceuticals industry, it has never been more important to formulate an accurately informed pricing strategy
Examining HE strategies and requirements in major markets and producing an effective pricing policy - 30th September/1st October 2008, BSG House, London, UK - Now in its seventh year, The Annual Pricing & Reimbursement conference will provide you with the information and analysis you need to understand the dynamics of the market and create an effective pricing policy for both the forthcoming year and subsequent strategic development. This 2-day event will assist in better planning and marketing strategy and enable you to share your insights on this evolving industry issue. Key Industry Speakers Include - Anne-Toni Rodgers, Dire…

A child born in a Glasgow, Scotland suburb can expect a life 28 years shorter than another living only 13 kilometers away. A girl in Lesotho is likely to live 42 years less than another in Japan. In Sweden, the risk of a woman dying during pregnancy and childbirth is 1 in 17,400; in Afghanistan, the odds are 1 in 8.
Biology does not explain any of this. Instead, the differences between and within countries result from the social environment where people are born, live, grow, work and age. These "social determinants of health" have been the focus of a three-year investigation by an eminent group of policy makers, academics, former heads of state and former ministers of health. Together, they comprise the World Health Organization's Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. Today,…

This feature 'What is Psoriasis?' is one of three features that focuses on the topic of skin conditions.
Mild psoriasis (80% of people) is where there are a few patches that may need treatment but are not likely to cause problems and can be easily controlled. Moderate psoriasis (15% of people) is where more skin is involved and the condition is widespread but again can usually be controlled with self management under a GP or nurse supervision. Severe psoriasis (5% of people) is where large areas are covered with psoriasis and the condition becomes difficult to self-manage or no longer responds to treatment. At this stage referral to secondary care at a local hospital out-patient department or in extreme cases an in-patient stay may be felt necessary in order to provide optimum care and mo…