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Vasogen announces full patient enrollment in its trial of Celacade in peripheral arterial disease

Vasogen today announced that it has reached full enrollment in its 500-patient pivotal phase III SIMPADICO trial of Celacade (immune modulation therapy) for the treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

16 Nov 2004

Use of the drug etodolac instead of drugs like Celebrex or Bextra could save $40 million annually

People in search of pain relief who take the generic anti-inflammatory etodolac suffer 60 percent fewer gastrointestinal complications than those who take similar drugs, according to researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

14 Nov 2004

Can poor countries help rich countries contain drug costs?

Rich countries could follow the lead of poor countries and adopt a more systematic way of selecting medicines for reimbursement, according to a paper in this week's BMJ.

14 Nov 2004

Canada puts in place a national plan to ensure an adequate flu vaccine supply

Per capita, more Canadians receive the flu shot than residents of any other country. The flu vaccine is the best protection against the flu virus, so it is encouraging to see that even more Canadians are getting the flu shot this season than ever before.

11 Nov 2004

Washington to get 160,000 additional doses of influenza vaccine

About 160,000 additional doses of influenza vaccine will be sent to Washington over the next two months. That is our state’s share under a formula used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to distribute the remaining vaccine around the nation.

11 Nov 2004

Dementia patients receiving long-term treatment with Reminyl may be able to stay at home for longer compared

Shire Pharmaceuticals Group has announced that Dementia patients receiving long-term treatment with Reminyl (more than 36 months) may be able to stay at home for longer compared to those receiving treatment for shorter periods of time.

10 Nov 2004

Pennsylvania to distribute 340,000 doses of influenza vaccine to most in need

Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Calvin B. Johnson today announced that the Department of Health will distribute about 340,000 doses of influenza vaccine that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has made available to Pennsylvanians most in need.

10 Nov 2004

Bretylium tosylate has unique benefits for patients with acute myocardial infarction

An "old" drug has unique benefits for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI; commonly known as heart attack), a finding that may contribute to a new understanding of how heart attacks develop, according to an article in the September/October American Journal of Therapeutics.

10 Nov 2004

Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals increases production of antiviral flu drug, Amantadine

During the current flu vaccine shortage, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, has issued guidance recommending the use of certain alternative antiviral medications.

8 Nov 2004

Generic statin drugs shown to produce similar or better results than expensive brand-name drugs

Researchers from Kaiser Permanente's Northern California region are presenting a study at this week's American Heart Association Scientific Sessions showing that patients who use a generic statin drug rather than its brand-name equivalent fared as well as- sometimes better than-patients on the more expensive drug.

8 Nov 2004

VaxGen gets $877.5 million to supply 75 million doses of anthrax vaccine

VaxGen announced today that the U.S. government has awarded the company an $877.5 million contract to supply 75 million doses of anthrax vaccine for civilian defense.

4 Nov 2004

New York redistributes existing flu vaccine supplies

New York State Health Commissioner Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H., has announced the New York State Department of Health has begun distribution of its current supply of flu vaccine to help address the needs of local health departments and children served by a federal vaccination program.

4 Nov 2004

Trial of new type of drug that attacks amyloid

Neuroscientists at the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia will begin a clinical trial testing a new type of drug that attacks amyloid, the protein substance that accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients.

4 Nov 2004

Pfizer licenses drug from University of Rochester for treatment of hot flashes

The University of Rochester has signed a license agreement with Pfizer which will allow Pfizer to market a specific class of non-hormonal drugs for the treatment of hot flashes associated with menopause.

4 Nov 2004

Cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors tested in both prevention and treatment clinical trials

Numerous compounds are examined by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for their potential to prevent or treat cancer. One class of compounds, cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors, is currently being tested in both prevention and treatment clinical trials.

4 Nov 2004

FDA fast tracks investigational anti-cancer drug, phenoxodiol

Marshall Edwards today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the investigational anti-cancer drug, phenoxodiol, Fast Track status for its intended use in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer.

4 Nov 2004

Psoriasis trial enters final stage

Solbec Pharmaceuticals Ltd today announced the successful completion of the first two stages of the Phase I clinical trial of its lead compound, CoramsineTM (SBP002), for the treatment of psoriasis.

4 Nov 2004

European approval for Taxotere (docetaxel) in prostate cancer

Aventis, part of the sanofi-aventis Group announced today that the European Commission has approved Taxotere (docetaxel) Injection Concentrate for use in combination with prednisone as a treatment for men with androgen-independent (hormone- refractory) metastatic prostate cancer.

4 Nov 2004

Cholesterol-lowering drugs can interact with grapefruit juice and increase the risk of the drugs' potential side-effects

Britain's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency recently issued prescribing advice reminding healthcare professionals that certain cholesterol-lowering drugs, namely Zocor (simvastatin) and Lipitor (atorvastatin), can interact with grapefruit juice and increase the risk of the drugs' potential side-effects.

4 Nov 2004

FDA warns against use of Actra-Rx and Yilishen

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned consumers not to purchase or to consume Actra-Rx or Yilishen, two products promoted and offered for sale on Web sites as "dietary supplements" for treating erectile dysfunction and enhancing sexual performance for men.

4 Nov 2004

Pharmaceutical News

Vasogen announces full patient enrollment in its trial of Celacade in peripheral arterial disease

Use of the drug etodolac instead of drugs like Celebrex or Bextra could save $40 million annually

Can poor countries help rich countries contain drug costs?

Canada puts in place a national plan to ensure an adequate flu vaccine supply

Washington to get 160,000 additional doses of influenza vaccine

Dementia patients receiving long-term treatment with Reminyl may be able to stay at home for longer compared

Pennsylvania to distribute 340,000 doses of influenza vaccine to most in need

Bretylium tosylate has unique benefits for patients with acute myocardial infarction

Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals increases production of antiviral flu drug, Amantadine

Generic statin drugs shown to produce similar or better results than expensive brand-name drugs

VaxGen gets $877.5 million to supply 75 million doses of anthrax vaccine

New York redistributes existing flu vaccine supplies

Trial of new type of drug that attacks amyloid

Pfizer licenses drug from University of Rochester for treatment of hot flashes

Cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors tested in both prevention and treatment clinical trials

FDA fast tracks investigational anti-cancer drug, phenoxodiol

Psoriasis trial enters final stage

European approval for Taxotere (docetaxel) in prostate cancer

Cholesterol-lowering drugs can interact with grapefruit juice and increase the risk of the drugs' potential side-effects

FDA warns against use of Actra-Rx and Yilishen

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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