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Helix BioMedix announces positive results of comparative product anti-wrinkle study

Helix BioMedix today announced that it has completed a 12-week consumer product test comparing the company's anti-wrinkle peptide, HB168 with Renova(R), a currently marketed FDA approved product.

27 Apr 2004

Parkinson’s disease drug Pergolide effective in treating restless legs syndrome

Pergolide, a drug commonly used to treat Parkinson’s disease symptoms, has recently been shown to be effective in treating restless legs syndrome. Researchers from seven countries collaborated on the study, published in the April 27 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

26 Apr 2004

Alzheimer’s drug has been shown to improve memory and cognition in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients

A drug widely used for treating dementia in Alzheimer’s patients has been shown to improve memory and cognition in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who are mild to moderately cognitively impaired.

26 Apr 2004

Experimental immune-boosting drug interleukin-2 helps HIV Patients

National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists report that brief, widely-spaced courses of the experimental immune-boosting drug interleukin-2 (IL-2) allow people with HIV to maintain near normal levels of a key immune system cell for long periods.

26 Apr 2004

Anti-counterfeiting coalition supports Giuliani to protect public from fake drugs

The Partnership for Safe Medicines, a nonprofit coalition of more than 40 healthcare and anti-counterfeiting groups, today expressed support for Mayor Giuliani and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) to educate Americans about the dangers of buying medicines from unknown, foreign sources and to tighten the rules for the distribution and sale of prescription drugs in the United States.

26 Apr 2004

Clinical trial of enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of Gaucher disease

Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc. today announced that it has initiated a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and clinical activity of GA-GCB, its enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of Gaucher disease.

26 Apr 2004

SARS antibody sent to China

Responding to a request from a Chinese biotechnology company working closely with officials in China, Medarex, Inc. and the Massachusetts Biologic Laboratories (MBL) of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) have shipped to Beijing a sample of the fully human antibody to SARS developed by Medarex and MBL/UMMS.

26 Apr 2004

NICE issues guidance on use of newer drugs for epilepsy in adults

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has today issued guidance to the NHS in England and Wales on the use of newer drugs for the treatment of epilepsy in adults.

26 Apr 2004

Oxford researchers find possible new type of antibiotic

Dr Ben Davis in the Department of Chemistry at Oxford University, England and his collaborators have discovered a possible new route to antibiotics.

26 Apr 2004

Aventis and Sanofi to become one

Aventis and Sanofi-Synthélabo agreed on a substantially improved offer as well as a balanced governance structure. After reviewing this new offer, the Management Board and the Supervisory Board decided to recommend this offer to Aventis shareholders.

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

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

Public Health Advisory for medical professionals with patients on anti-depression medication

On Monday, March 22, 2004 the Food and Drug Administration issued a Public Health Advisory for medical professionals to monitor for signs of suicidal ideation in individuals who have recently started taking anti-depression medication or have had a recent change in dosage, especially for children who are taking these medications. Antidepressant medications involved in this warning include: Prozac (Fluoxetine), Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Celexa, Lexapro, Wellbutrin, Effexor,, Serzone, and Remeron.

25 Apr 2004

7,000 U.S. hospital patients die each year and more than 750,000 are injured as a result of avoidable medication mistakes

Some 7,000 U.S. hospital patients die each year and more than 750,000 are injured as a result of medication mistakes. These errors have many causes, and many potential solutions, according to a Rutgers-Camden nursing scholar who has studied the topic extensively.

23 Apr 2004

Helping doctors to prescribe the right medication

With so many new drugs on the market to treat arthritis and related disorders, how do doctors know which ones to use?

23 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

Idebenone continues to show promise in treating Friedreich’s ataxia (FA)

Idebenone, a compound similar to coenzyme Q10, continues to show promise in treating the heart complications of Friedreich's ataxia (FA), notes correspondence published in the Feb. 10 issue of Neurology.

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

New steps to prevent drug card fraud

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. today announced efforts that CMS is undertaking to strengthen oversight of the Medicare-approved Discount Drug Card Program.

23 Apr 2004