Articles

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…

Many of our candidates benefited from the previous book, and we are sure that the new edition will build on this success
Professor Peter Stonier was delighted to be asked to edit the updated version of “Careers with the Pharmaceutical Industry”. Peter is the Medical Director at AXESS, the Resourcing Solutions business that specialises in the Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology and Healthcare industries. Since the first book “Discovering New Medicines” was published nine years ago, it has been seen as a bible for those interested in starting, or further developing, a career in the Pharmaceutical industry. 28 authors, experts in their fields, have contributed to the book. It gives background and advice on a wide number of roles in research and development, marketing and sales. Sue Ransom, Dire…

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…

Over the past decade, behavioral disorders have received increasing attention, both from the media and medical professionals, however only attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder has emerged as a key
Over the past decade, behavioral disorders have received increasing attention, both from the media and medical professionals, however only attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder has emerged as a key market. Poor awareness and low treatment rates have in the past limited market opportunity, but pharmaceutical companies should be aware that the new understanding of behavioral disorders will lead to increased potential in the sector. In Behavioral Disorders: Opportunities to shape future markets , Datamonitor examines today's behavioral disorder market, providing key insight into why this s…

Asthma drives a large but competitive market. Current therapeutics are generally effective but patient compliance is often poor. Future commercial successes in the asthma arena will likely focus on mo
From 1980 to 1996, the number of Americans afflicted with asthma more than doubled to almost 15 million, with children under five years old experiencing the highest rate of increase. The steady rise in the prevalence of asthma constitutes an epidemic, which by all indications is continuing. Even if rates were to stabilize, asthma would continue to be a profound public health problem, responsible for 9 million visits to health care providers per year, over 1.8 million emergency room visits per year, and over 460 thousand hospitalizations per year. As well as placing a considerable burden in ter…

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…

Physicians, patients and even healthcare companies were equally well catered for by a number of important eHealth announcements that came to light in the past fortnight. The prospect of remote medical
Physicians, patients and even healthcare companies were equally well catered for by a number of important eHealth announcements that came to light in the past fortnight. The prospect of remote medical care moved a step closer, after services were launched permitting patients to choose a doctor online and even to have a virtual consultation. Important new disease and treatment websites were also launched in MS and anemia, while the needs of the industry were met in the shape of an international recruitment service for nurses and the use of electronic methods of data capture in clinical testing.…

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…

High-dose therapy for multiple myeloma is effective in increasing median survival, but is severely toxic, limiting its use. In addition, all patients eventually relapse and suffer disease progression.
High-dose therapy for multiple myeloma is effective in increasing median survival, but is severely toxic, limiting its use. In addition, all patients eventually relapse and suffer disease progression. This has led to a market ripe for the entry of low-toxicity therapies that will increase response rates and maintain remission. Datamonitor examines the future entrants to this field and their potential. In Multiple Myeloma with ASH Highlights, Datamonitor provides analysis of recent advances and topical issues in the treatment of multiple myeloma and investigates the multiple myeloma drug…

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…