Pharmacology News and Research

Latest Pharmacology News and Research

Overexpression of microRNA 125b can cause leukemia: Research

Whitehead Institute researchers have shown in mouse models that overexpression of the microRNA 125b (miR-125b) can independently cause leukemia and accelerate the disease's progression. Their results are published in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

30 Nov 2010

Calistoga to feature data on CAL-101 inhibitor for hematologic malignancies at ASH Annual Meeting

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leader in the development of delta-isoform-selective phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K-delta) inhibitors for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases, today announced the upcoming presentation of clinical and preclinical results supporting the clinical benefit of CAL-101, an oral, PI3K-delta inhibitor, in the treatment of patients with hematologic malignancies.

30 Nov 2010

DK Sinopharma third quarter sales increase 66% to $7,290,685

DK Sinopharma, Inc., announced its third quarter 2010 financial results. The Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q was filed with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission on November 22, 2010.

29 Nov 2010

Merck announces initial results from ISENTRESS Phase III study in HIV-1

Merck today reported initial results from the Phase III study investigating the efficacy and safety of a treatment regimen including ISENTRESS® (raltegravir) Tablets once daily in treatment-naïve adult patients infected with HIV-1. ISENTRESS is indicated in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced adults.

29 Nov 2010

Evotec to collaborate with Merck on neurological disease drug discovery program

Evotec AG today announced that it has signed within the "NEU²-Consortium" framework and partially funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium fuer Bildung und Forschung - BMBF), an agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, to develop pre-clinical candidates for an undisclosed neurological disease. Evotec will provide drug discovery expertise covering in vitro biology, medicinal chemistry and in vitro and in vivo pharmacology.

23 Nov 2010

VYTORIN reduces major vascular events in patients with chronic kidney disease

In a new investigational study of VYTORIN, the cholesterol-lowering medicine from Merck, VYTORIN 10/20 mg reduced the incidence of first major vascular events defined as non-fatal heart attacks or cardiac death, stroke or any revascularization procedure by a highly statistically significant 16.1 percent compared to placebo, Study of Heart and Renal Protection study involved more than 9,000 patients who, on average, had advanced or end-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD)

22 Nov 2010

New editorial dispel doubts about Lou Gehrig's ALS diagnosis

A recent study suggesting that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be attributed to repetitive head trauma experienced in collision sports lacks scientific epidemiological evidence to support this claim.

20 Nov 2010

Harvard researcher to receive 2010 Naomi Berrie Award from Columbia University Medical Center

Columbia University Medical Center will present the 2010 Naomi Berrie Award to a Harvard researcher who has made important advances in understanding the molecular basis for links between obesity, diabetes and heart disease. A promising young investigator at Columbia will also be recognized for her novel investigations regarding the basis for disordered lipid metabolism in diabetes.

20 Nov 2010

Merck wins third FOSAMAX bellwether trial

Merck & Co., Inc. today said a federal court jury in New York found in its favor in the Graves v. Merck case, rejecting the claims of a Florida woman who blamed her dental and jaw related problems on her FOSAMAX use. With today's verdict, Merck has won three of the first four bellwether cases in the FOSAMAX litigation.

20 Nov 2010

Researchers document novel form of splicing in nerve cell cytoplasm

Cells have their own version of the cut-and-paste editing function called splicing. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have documented a novel form of splicing in the cytoplasm of a nerve cell, which dictates a special form of a potassium channel protein in the outer membrane.

19 Nov 2010

Neural differences may help explain prevalence of mental disorders in boys

Many mental health disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia, produce changes in social behavior or interactions. The frequency and/or severity of these disorders is substantially greater in boys than girls, but the biological basis for this difference between the two sexes is unknown.

18 Nov 2010

PAREXEL reaches milestone in early phase studies

PAREXEL International Corporation, a leading global biopharmaceutical services provider, today announced that it reached a milestone of completing 200 early phase studies in patient populations during the past three years.

From Parexel 18 Nov 2010

Anti-cancer drug smuggled using a nanocarrier past protective blood-brain barrier into brain tumours

Scientists in Germany have developed a way of smuggling an anti-cancer drug past the protective blood-brain barrier and into brain tumours and metastases using a nanocarrier - a tiny capsule specially designed to pass through cell membranes and deliver its anti-cancer drug to the cancer cell.

18 Nov 2010

Merck announces FDA Advisory Committee approval of GARDASIL for anal cancer and AIN treatment

Merck announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee has advised that the data presented support an indication for GARDASIL® [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16, and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant] for the prevention of anal cancer and anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) in both males and females 9 through 26 years of age.

18 Nov 2010

5-lipoxygenase protein modulates amyloid beta formation linked to Alzheimer's disease

A protein known to exist in the brain for more than 30 years, called 5-lipoxygenase, has been found to play a regulatory role in the formation of the amyloid beta in the brain, the major component of plaques implicated in the development of Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at Temple University's School of Medicine.

18 Nov 2010

miR765 RNA may play a role in development of heart failure: Research

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found a potential genetic target for heart disease, which could lead to therapies to prevent the development of the nation's No. 1 killer in its initial stages.

18 Nov 2010

Researchers discover new cardioprotective protein during heart attack

University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have discovered a new protein that could be cardioprotective during heart attack, potentially leading to more targeted treatments for patients at risk.

17 Nov 2010

Alkermes's ALKS 33 drug candidate offers potential treatment for multiple disease indications

Alkermes, Inc. today announced the presentation of promising preclinical results for its proprietary opioid modulator, ALKS 33, showing the drug candidate's potential in multiple disease indications.

17 Nov 2010

Epizyme announces publication of EZH2 enzyme for lymphoma in PNAS

Epizyme, Inc., a company leading the discovery and development of first-in-class, targeted cancer therapeutics against epigenetic targets, today announced the publication of breakthrough new research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA). The discovery, centered on the epigenetic enzyme EZH2, illuminates a clear path for the translation of basic science into targeted therapies for the safe and effective treatment of specific forms of human lymphomas.

16 Nov 2010

Researchers discover circadian rhythms regulate fat metabolism

UC Irvine researchers have discovered that circadian rhythms the internal body clock regulate fat metabolism. This helps explain why people burn fat more efficiently at certain times of day and could lead to new pharmaceuticals for obesity, diabetes and energy-related illnesses.

16 Nov 2010