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Topiramate help patients with alcohol dependence

The drug topiramate helps reduce drinking and improves overall quality of life among patients with alcohol dependence, according to an article in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

7 Sep 2004

Ezetrol co-administration with statin therapy lowers LDL cholesterol in diabetics

Results from two new clinical trials show that patients with diabetes and metabolic syndrome who are treated with ezetimibe (EZETROL®) co-administered with a statin experience greater reductions in LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, compared to patients taking a statin alone.

7 Sep 2004

Phico Therapeutics secures funding to tackle superbug

Phico Therapeutics Ltd, a Cambridge-based company that has developed a unique anti-bacterial technology to treat the hospital superbug, MRSA, has raised £550,000 with the help of Oxfordshire Investment Opportunity Network, Europe’s leading technology business angel network.

6 Sep 2004

More than 100 million doses of influenza vaccine available this year in the United States

Despite an Aug. 26 announcement that some doses of influenza vaccine to the United States have been delayed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the effects of the delay will be minimal - and physicians do not need to order more doses.

5 Sep 2004

Pfizer files lawsuits against eighteen internet sites for selling illegal copies of LIPITOR

Pfizer has filed lawsuits against a second group of operators of eighteen internet sites for selling unapproved and illegal copies of Pfizer’s leading cholesterol medicine, LIPITOR®, the company said today.

2 Sep 2004

New drug application for exenatide has been accepted for review

Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly today announced that the New Drug Application for exenatide has been accepted for review by the Food and Drug Administration.

2 Sep 2004

MGI PHARMA acquires Aesgen for $32 million

MGI PHARMA today announced that they have signed a definitive merger agreement under which MGI PHARMA will acquire all outstanding equity of Aesgen for $32 million in cash.

1 Sep 2004

Dronedarone is effective and well-tolerated in the prevention of atrial fibrillation

New anti-arrhythmic agent, dronedarone, is highly effective in the prevention of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter recurrence, serious disorders of cardiac rhythm, and is well-tolerated by patients.

29 Aug 2004

U.S. FDA study shows Canadian drugs to be more expensive

If you think all drugs from Canada are cheaper than U.S. drugs, think again. In the United States, generic drugs - roughly half of all prescriptions - are often cheaper than both Canadian brand-name drugs and Canadian generic drugs, according to a study by the Food and Drug Administration.

29 Aug 2004

Cymbalta, treatment for major depression hits the market

Cymbalta, a new treatment for major depression, is now available by prescription in pharmacies across the United States, Eli Lilly and Company has announced.

26 Aug 2004

FDA approves revised labeling for anti-inflammatory corticosteroid nasal spray

AstraZeneca has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved revised labeling for its anti-inflammatory corticosteroid nasal spray RHINOCORT AQUA® (budesonide).

26 Aug 2004

Chiron delays Fluvirin influenza virus vaccine shipments

Chiron has announced that, in conducting final internal release procedures for its Fluvirin(R) influenza virus vaccine, the company's quality systems have identified a small number of lots that do not meet product sterility specifications.

26 Aug 2004

FDA reinforces use of Sustiva in first-line HIV combination therapy

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced that Sustiva® (efavirenz) has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to include new long-term virologic and clinical data from BMS Study 006 in its prescribing information.

26 Aug 2004

Phase 1 clinical trial of new anticancer drug from Human Genome Sciences

Human Genome Sciences has begun dosing patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial of HGS-TR2J, a novel agonistic human monoclonal antibody to TRAIL Receptor 2, in patients with advanced solid malignancies.

25 Aug 2004

Cymbalta, a new treatment for major depression

Cymbalta, a new treatment for major depression, is now available by prescription in pharmacies across the United States, Eli Lilly and Company have announced.

25 Aug 2004

U.S. to vigorously defend against Vermont's lawsuit on importing drugs from Canada

The lawsuit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief based on FDA's denial of the State of Vermont's December 4, 2003, citizen petition requesting that the Vermont State Employee Medical Benefit Plan (VSEMBP) be allowed to establish a program for the importation of prescription drugs from Canada.

25 Aug 2004

Powerful new cancer-fighting property of Herceptin

For many patients with advanced breast cancer, the cancer drug Herceptin (trastuzumab) has offered new hope when traditional cancer drugs failed to work, shrinking tumors and sending some patients into remission.

23 Aug 2004

Pfizer receives approval for acute bipolar mania drug

Pfizer has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of its atypical antipsychotic Geodon(R) (ziprasidone HCI) for the treatment of acute bipolar mania including manic and mixed episodes.

23 Aug 2004

Genmab's HuMax-CD4 receives U.S. orphan drug designation

Genmab has announced that HuMax-CD4 for the treatment of Mycosis Fungoides (MF), which constitutes 75% of all Cutaneous T-cell Lymphomas (CTCL), has been designated an orphan drug by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The US prevalence of MF is estimated at 16,000 to 20,000.

23 Aug 2004

Pfizer drug effectively treats overactive bladder symptoms

Women with mixed incontinence, a combination of overactive bladder and stress incontinence, reported a greater treatment benefit for overactive bladder symptoms from DETROL® LA (tolterodine tartrate extended release capsules) than placebo, according to new study results published in the August issue of Urology.

21 Aug 2004