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Current information on the use of antidepressants in pediatric patients

The Food and Drug Administration has issued an update to provide health care providers and patients with the most current information on the use of antidepressants in pediatric patients.

21 Aug 2004

Consumer education campaign warning Connecticut residents of the dangers of illegal drug importation

Connecticut became the sixteenth state to join forces with the FDA to launch the "Looks Can Be Deceiving" educational campaign. During a press conference in Hartford, officials from CPA unveiled examples of the more than 40,000 flyers and prescription bag inserts that have been sent to 166 pharmacies across Connecticut.

18 Aug 2004

FDA fast tracks temsirolimus, first-line treatment of poor-prognosis patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted a new "fast track" designation for temsirolimus (CCI-779), an investigational mTOR kinase inhibitor, in the first-line treatment of poor-prognosis patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

18 Aug 2004

New guidelines urge early and long-term treatment with Aldosterone blockade therapy

Patients who have had a recent heart attack with ST-elevation (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction, or STEMI), complicated by heart failure should be treated with aldosterone blockers according to new guidelines issued recently by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA).

17 Aug 2004

Insomnia drug market will exceed $5.6 billion in 2013

The new Pharmacor study entitled Insomnia finds that upcoming launches of three new drugs from Sepracor, Pfizer, and Sanofi-Aventis will drive the market.

16 Aug 2004

Wyeth wins four combined diet drug cases

Wyeth has announced that the jury deliberating over four combined diet drug cases in the Court of Common Pleas of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania has returned a verdict in favor of the Company.

13 Aug 2004

Drug company fights to keep toxin in vaccines

The UK announced Saturday they will remove the mercury preservative Thimerosal from their vaccines. The news comes days after an LA Times article reported that Aventis-Pasteur, a pharmaceutical giant, is pushing to keep the toxin in U.S. vaccines.

13 Aug 2004

Thyroid expert concerned about recently approved generic levothyroxine preparations

Levothyroxine is taken by more than 13 million Americans to treat an underactive thyroid, thyroid gland enlargement, nodules, or cancer. In June, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that several generic levothyroxine preparations had the same clinical effect and safety profile as certain branded products.

11 Aug 2004

The U.S. FDA approves 2 drugs for treating radiation contamination

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two drugs, pentetate calcium trisodium injection (Ca-DTPA) and pentetate zinc trisodium injection (Zn-DTPA) for treating certain kinds of radiation contamination. The FDA is approving these two drugs as part of its ongoing effort to provide the American public the best available protection against nuclear accidents and terrorist threats.

11 Aug 2004

John Kerry outlines plan to bring down the costs of prescription drugs

Armed with the endorsement of the Alliance for Retired Americans, Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry Wednesday outlined his plan to bring down the costs of prescription drugs as part of his overall plan to make health care more affordable for all Americans.

11 Aug 2004

IBM and Cellomics offer new solution to accelerate cell-based drug discovery

IBM and Cellomics have announced they have launched a customized information technology (IT) solution that allows biopharmaceutical scientists and academic researchers to better understand how potential drug candidates or targets of interest affect cellular function.

11 Aug 2004

Genentech announces FDA approval of Avastin manufacturing

Genentech has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for the manufacturing of Avastin™ (bevacizumab) bulk drug substance at the company's facility in Vacaville, California.

11 Aug 2004

Promising families of drugs combat the spread of tumors in different ways

Pharmaceutical companies seeking to design more effective cancer chemotherapy agents may have an easier road ahead than was previously believed.

9 Aug 2004

Total global market for oligonucleotides is likely to grow from USD 340.0 million in 2003 to USD 776.0 million in 2010

Poised on the brink of phenomenal growth, the oligonucleotides market offers a plethora of opportunities to the enterprising investor. Recent analysis by Frost & Sullivan estimates that the total global market for oligonucleotides is likely to grow from USD 340.0 million in 2003 to USD 776.0 million in 2010.

9 Aug 2004

Promising new cancer drug, Nanotax

A Lawrence company that uses patented technology created at the University of Kansas to improve the effectiveness of drugs has won a $100,000 National Institutes of Health grant to support further testing of the company's promising new cancer drug, Nanotax.

5 Aug 2004

Approval of Cymbalta for treatment of major depressive disorder

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Cymbalta® (duloxetine HCl; pronounced SIM-BALL-TA), judging it a safe and effective treatment for major depressive disorder, Eli Lilly and Company have announced.

5 Aug 2004

Approval of fixed-dose combination treatments for HIV-1 infection

The Food and Drug Administration has announced the approvals of Epzicom (abacavir/lamivudine) and Truvada (tenofovir disoproxil/emtricitabine), two fixed-dose combination treatments for HIV-1 infection.

5 Aug 2004

Approval of cholesterol-lowering therapy Lipitor for the prevention of cardiovascular disease

Pfizer has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its cholesterol-lowering therapy Lipitor® (atorvastatin calcium) for the prevention of cardiovascular disease by reducing heart attack risk in people with normal to mildly elevated cholesterol levels who have other cardiovascular risk factors.

5 Aug 2004

Michigan settlement with pharmaceutical manufacturer Schering Plough

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox announced today a settlement with pharmaceutical manufacturer Schering Plough over its underpayment of Medicaid Drug Rebates on the antihistamine drug Claritin, netting more than $2.6 million for Michigan’s Medicaid program.

3 Aug 2004

Third of heart failure patients face increased risk of death because they do not receive an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor

Overwhelming evidence accumulated during almost 20 years of clinical experience has established the benefits of this drug, which blocks the harmful effects of angiotensin, a substance that causes blood vessels to narrow, said the study authors.

3 Aug 2004