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Interactive conference session focuses on strengths and weaknesses of new trends in drug benefit plan design

Benefits executives from Caterpillar, Inc., Procter & Gamble, and Delta Air Lines are among the employers who will share innovative approaches to plan design at the 2010 Drug Benefit Conference sponsored by the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI).

17 Dec 2009

New application developed by AIM increases health plan staff productivity

A new application developed by American Imaging Management® (AIM) to manage the clinical review of specialty pharmaceuticals has increased health plan staff productivity and the number of drugs reviewed while reducing costs.

17 Dec 2009

FDA Advisory Committee votes against the approval of Tarceva

OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Genentech, Inc., a wholly owned member of the Roche Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) voted 12 to one recommending against approval of the daily pill Tarceva® (erlotinib) for first-line maintenance use in people with advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose cancer has not progressed (grown or spread) following first-line treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy.

17 Dec 2009

Proposed health care legislation to set new standards in employer-based insurance system

If proposed health care legislation is enacted, it would set new standards in the employer-based insurance system. Approximately 18.4 million Californians and 161 million Americans under the age of 65 rely upon employer-based insurance for their health care coverage.

17 Dec 2009

ODAC to review Cell Therapeutics' NDA for pixantrone

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) announced today that on February 10, 2010 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) will review the New Drug Application (NDA) for pixantrone for the treatment of relapsed/refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

17 Dec 2009

ODAC to conduct public advisory meeting to review ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals’ NDA for Omapro

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Limited announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified the company that the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) will conduct a public advisory meeting on 10 February 2010 to review the Company’s NDA for Omapro™ (omacetaxine mepesuccinate) for injection.

17 Dec 2009

Infection control program protects immunocompromised cancer patients from H1N1 infection

Despite a 100-fold increase in H1N1 influenza cases in the Seattle area during spring 2009, an aggressive infection control program to protect immunocompromised cancer patients and thorough screening measures resulted in no corresponding increase in H1N1 cases among the total patient population at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, according to a new study by researchers and physicians at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the SCCA.

17 Dec 2009

JCTM established to advance new research toward clinical applications

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have announced the establishment of the Joint Center for Translational Medicine (JCTM), which will advance experimental research into clinical applications, including the diagnosis and therapy of diseases such as cancer.

17 Dec 2009

Researchers identify genetic markers to help treat chronic kidney disease among diabetics

Researchers using a DNA analysis tool developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and UCLA have identified genetic markers that could help treat chronic kidney disease among diabetics.

17 Dec 2009

Group of drugs used to treat heart failure shows promise for fighting colon cancer

Scientists in Sweden are reporting for the first time that a group of drugs used to treat heart failure shows promise for fighting colon cancer. The study is in ACS' Journal of Natural Products, a monthly publication. Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States, with more than 150,000 cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year.

17 Dec 2009

Also in global health news: Kenya HIV/AIDS; Uganda bill; water project in Philippines; U.N. appeal for Yemen

U.S. Ambassador Michael Ranneberger on Wednesday announced the U.S. would provide $26.5 million (2.7 billion Kenyan shillings) between 2009 and 2013 to fight HIV/AIDS in Kenya, the Daily Nation reports (Sinundu, 12/16). In related news, the Standard reports the Kenyan government will be begin the gradual phase out of the antiretroviral drug, Stavudine, which is known to cause adverse side effects (Mwai, 12/15).

17 Dec 2009

More details emerge about UNITAID's plan for patent pool for HIV/AIDS drugs

News outlets continued to follow UNITAID's recent announcement to create a patent pool aimed at lowering the cost of HIV/AIDS drugs for low- and middle-income countries. Though UNITAID's board "voted Monday to create a board to run the new patent pool, and set a target of having five AIDS drugs in the pool by mid-2010," the group "punted on the thorny issue of which countries outside of Africa to include in the pool," Forbes reports.

16 Dec 2009

A selection of today's opinions and editorials

On the campaign trail, Barack Obama vowed to take on the drug industry by allowing Americans to import cheaper prescription medicine. "We'll tell the pharmaceutical companies 'thanks, but no, thanks' for the overpriced drugs. ... On Tuesday, the matter came to the Senate floor -- and President Obama forgot the "no, thanks" part (Dana Milbank, 12/16).

16 Dec 2009

Reid assures Medicare Part D 'doughnut hole' will be closed

CBS News: "With the clock ticking on Senate Democrats' efforts to draw up a health care bill they all can agree on before the end of the year, Senate leaders on Monday said they would commit to providing seniors with better prescription drug coverage through Medicare." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., pledged to close a gap -- known as the "doughnut hole" -- in Medicare's drug coverage.

16 Dec 2009

Awareness increase program of HIV/AIDS patients on ADAP waiting lists

In response to the growing number of HIV/AIDS patients on AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) waiting lists, the National Minority AIDS Council and the Flowers Heritage Foundation have joined forces to increase awareness of Bridge the Gap, a unique program that provides medication for people currently waiting for ADAP enrollment.

16 Dec 2009

Amendment to allow drug importation fails in Senate

A bipartisan plan to allow Americans to buy cheaper prescription drugs from suppliers in other countries, such as Canada, failed Tuesday in the Senate. The Wall Street Journal reports the two top supporters of the plan, Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and John McCain, R-Ariz., said shopping overseas via the Internet and mail-order companies could save consumers up to $80 billion over a decade if their amendment were added to the health overhaul legislation.

16 Dec 2009

Naurex' GLYX-13 demonstrates antidepressant-like and anxiolytic-like activity without CNS-related side effects

Naurex Inc., a new clinical stage company developing innovative treatments for depression and other CNS disorders based on its novel GFPA NMDA receptor modulators, today announced that data presented at a major medical meeting showed that its lead compound GLYX-13 demonstrated robust antidepressant-like and anxiolytic-like activity with no signs of the CNS-related side effects seen with other drugs targeting the NMDA receptor.

16 Dec 2009

Naurex commences dosing in its GLYX-13 Phase I clinical trial for treatment-resistant depression

Naurex Inc., a new clinical stage company developing innovative treatments for depression and other CNS disorders based on its novel GFPA NMDA receptor modulators, today announced that it has initiated a Phase I clinical trial of its lead compound GLYX-13 and has successfully dosed the first subjects in the study.

16 Dec 2009

First Edition: December 16, 2009

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey explores some of the key issues within current health reform proposals related to Medicare and cost. "In an effort to rein in health costs, Senate Democrats are proposing steps that would give federal agencies more power to overhaul how Medicare pays for medical care - and thus reduce Congress' own role in running the giant program for the elderly" (Kaiser Health News).

16 Dec 2009

Roche's P2X3 receptor program for chronic pain licensed to Afferent Pharmaceuticals

Roche announced today it has licensed its P2X3 receptor program aimed at developing first-in-class treatments for chronic pain to Afferent Pharmaceuticals. Afferent was co-founded by Anthony Ford, Ph.D., Pappas Ventures, and Third Rock Ventures, and is focused on developing compounds that treat chronic pain by targeting a novel biological pathway.

16 Dec 2009

Drugs News and Research

Interactive conference session focuses on strengths and weaknesses of new trends in drug benefit plan design

New application developed by AIM increases health plan staff productivity

FDA Advisory Committee votes against the approval of Tarceva

Proposed health care legislation to set new standards in employer-based insurance system

ODAC to review Cell Therapeutics' NDA for pixantrone

ODAC to conduct public advisory meeting to review ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals’ NDA for Omapro

Infection control program protects immunocompromised cancer patients from H1N1 infection

JCTM established to advance new research toward clinical applications

Researchers identify genetic markers to help treat chronic kidney disease among diabetics

Group of drugs used to treat heart failure shows promise for fighting colon cancer

Also in global health news: Kenya HIV/AIDS; Uganda bill; water project in Philippines; U.N. appeal for Yemen

More details emerge about UNITAID's plan for patent pool for HIV/AIDS drugs

A selection of today's opinions and editorials

Reid assures Medicare Part D 'doughnut hole' will be closed

Awareness increase program of HIV/AIDS patients on ADAP waiting lists

Amendment to allow drug importation fails in Senate

Naurex' GLYX-13 demonstrates antidepressant-like and anxiolytic-like activity without CNS-related side effects

Naurex commences dosing in its GLYX-13 Phase I clinical trial for treatment-resistant depression

First Edition: December 16, 2009

Roche's P2X3 receptor program for chronic pain licensed to Afferent Pharmaceuticals

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