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FDA fast tracks human African sleeping sickness (Trypanosomiasis) drug

Immtech International, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Immtech's first oral drug, DB289, fast track drug development designation for use to treat human African sleeping sickness (Trypanosomiasis).

26 Apr 2004

New cancer drug Tarceva - a breakthrough with significant survival benefit in patients with advanced lung cancer

OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Genentech, Inc., and Roche today announced that a Phase III study of Tarceva™ (erlotinib HCl), an investigational HER1/EGFR-inhibitor agent in previously treated patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), met its primary endpoint of improving overall survival, with patients receiving Tarceva™ living longer than those in the placebo arm of the study.

26 Apr 2004

Men encouraged to 'pop down to their local' more often

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain’s network of Branch Public Relations Officers (BPROs) will encourage men to make greater use of their local pharmacies as part of a national media campaign, Pop Down Your Local, to be launched on Thursday April 29.

25 Apr 2004

New Jersey announces automatic enrollment in new medicare drug discount program

New Jersey will take advantage of a recent decision by the federal government allowing states to automatically enroll low-income beneficiaries in the Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled Program (PAAD) into the new Medicare Drug Discount Card Program.

25 Apr 2004

Spice turmeric corrects the cystic fibrosis defect

Scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) and Yale University School of Medicine have found that a compound in the spice turmeric corrects the cystic fibrosis defect in mice. This research is reported in the April 23, 2004 issue of the journal Science.

24 Apr 2004

Canadian doctors oblivious to costs of prescribed drugs

For the most part, family physicians in British Columbia aren't even close when they guess the costs of the treatments and tests they prescribe for their patients, according to a new study published in the journal Canadian Family Physician.

23 Apr 2004

CellCept linked to reduced cancer incidence

A study presented today at an international transplant meeting showed that heart transplant patients treated with the immunosuppressant CellCeptÒ (mycophenolate mofetil) in standard immunosuppressive regimens had a significantly lower risk of developing cancer compared to those receiving non-CellCept-based treatment regimens.

23 Apr 2004

IVAX announces intention to revise offer for Polfa Kutno

IVAX Corporation announced today a revised offer to acquire the shares of Kutnowskie Zaklady Farmaceutyczne Polfa SA (“Polfa Kutno”). IVAX intends to acquire, in exchange for IVAX stock, up to 100%, but not less than 75% of the shares of Polfa Kutno for a price of 340 PLN per share.

23 Apr 2004

Potential new drug may slow the progression of the Parkinson's disease

An international team of Parkinson's disease researchers has shown that a potential new drug is effective at treating patients in the early stages of Parkinson's and may even slow the progression of the disease. The results from the Parkinson Study Group are in the April 19 issue of the Archives of Neurology.

22 Apr 2004

SSRI antidepressants may be unsuitable for children

A UK study in this week's issue of THE LANCET suggests that reliance on published studies alone to guide the treatment of childhood depression could be inappropriate. A systematic review including published and unpublished data shows that only one drug, fluoxetine (Prozac), was not associated with negative outcomes for children with depression.

22 Apr 2004

Research into link between oceans and human health

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), one of the National Institutes of Health, have announced funding for four joint Centers for Oceans and Human Health (COHH). The centers will be located at the University of Washington, the University of Hawaii, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, and the University of Miami.

22 Apr 2004

HHS approves first-ever multi-state purchasing pools for Medicaid drug programs

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today approved plans by five states to pool their collective purchasing power to gain deeper discounts on prescription medicines for their state programs.

22 Apr 2004

Clinical trial of curcumin in people with cystic fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Inc. (CFFT), the nonprofit drug discovery and development affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, today announced that it is funding a clinical trial of curcumin in people with cystic fibrosis (CF).

22 Apr 2004

SkyePharma delivery technologies for respiratory drugs to feature at two international conferences

SkyePharma PLC has announced that its proprietary delivery technologies for respiratory drugs will be presented later this month at two international conferences, one in the UK and one in America.

22 Apr 2004

Schering-Plough submits Japanese application for hepatitis C drug

Schering-Plough Corporation has announced that Schering-Plough K.K., the company's subsidiary in Japan, has submitted a New Drug Application (J-NDA) to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) seeking marketing approval for PEG-INTRON(R) (peginterferon alfa-2b) Powder for Injection for use in combination with REBETOL(R) (ribavirin) Capsules for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.

22 Apr 2004

FDA approval for drug to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals has received an approvable letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use of CONCERTA® (methylphenidate HCl) CII Extended-release Tablets in adolescents with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and to expand labeling to include a 72 mg dosing regimen.

22 Apr 2004