26 Aug 04

ATLANTA--Aug. 25, 2004--Endovascular intervention, employing minimally invasive, catheter-based technologies, is expected to become the dominant therapeutic modality for atherosclerotic diseases in the lower limbs, according to a new report published by THE SAGE GROUP
LeadDiscovery

25 Aug 04

DailyUpdates 25th August, 2004: Despite legal appeals by Pfizer, Ivax's generic equivalent of the blockbuster gabapentin (Neurontin) went on sale earlier this month increasing the need for Pfizer to push the follow-on, pregabalin onto the US market. Pregabalin was approved by European authorities in July of this year for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain and as an adjunctive therapy for partial seizures in patients with epilepsy. Most recently a US study has been published data furthe
LeadDiscovery

24 Aug 04

DailyUpdates 24th August, 2004: Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), one of the enzymes responsible for the production of carbon monoxide, is induced under conditions of ischemic stress. Clinical data has previously demonstrated that increased expression of HO-1 may limit post-transplant ischemia reperfusion injury, a major cause of reduced graft survival. Now researchers have reported that maintaining transplant recipients in an atmosphere of elevated carbon monoxide promotes extended graft survival
LeadDiscovery

23 Aug 04

DailyUpdates 23rd August, 2004: The use of insulin forms the cornerstone of diabetes treatment. A body of data also suggests however that this hormone directly modulates both memory and mood suggesting that endogenous insulin may be of benefit to many of the 180 million people around the world with memory disorders, and especially those with co-morbid mood disturbances such as schizophrenic or depressed individuals. A recent study has shown that intra-nasal administration of insulin improves m
LeadDiscovery

23 Aug 04

Pharmaceutical practices from manufacturing to marketing are coming under increasing scrutiny from watchdogs, regulators and shareholders. As huge fines and record settlements erode profits, Datamonitor's Andrew Jones argues that pharma companies must focus on tightening compliance...
Datamonitor

19 Aug 04

DailyUpdates 18th August, 2004: Recent data suggest that women may be more susceptible to the chronic airway disorders emphysema and bronchitis, together known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The reasons for this are unclear however data published this month demonstrate a key role of the estrogen receptor in maintaining alveolar surface area and airway elasticity. This suggests that menopause may contribute to the acceleration of COPD and prompts investigation into the develop
LeadDiscovery

17 Aug 04

DailyUpdates 17th August, 2004: Researchers from Protein Design Laboratories report that an antibody-drug conjugate that links the chemotherapeutic agent Auristatin to a prostate cancer specific antibody, anti-TMEFF2 mAb, via a cathepsin B-sensitive linker prevents tumor growth in a murine model of prostate cancer.
LeadDiscovery

17 Aug 04

DailyUpdates 18th August, 2004: Researchers from at Arizona State University have demonstrated that beta amyloid light chain proteolytic antibody fragments can cleave beta-amyloid, altering the aggregation and neutralizing the cytotoxic effects of this peptide.
LeadDiscovery

17 Aug 04

In recent years a greater effort has been made by international healthcare organizations and governments to tackle diseases that have their heaviest impact in the developing world. Many of these diseases have been called ‘neglected diseases’ as few new drugs have been launched to tackle them during the last 20 years.
Dr Faiz Kermani

13 Aug 04

Rigel's new intranasal inhibitor R112 could offer a useful alternative therapy for patients suffering from allergic rhinitis, as Datamonitor's Shaun Falkingbridge explains. Bolstered by supportive recent trial results, Rigel can now go on to seek partner firms to realize full commercialization of the drug...
Datamonitor

11 Aug 04

The p38-MAPK pathway has long been targeted by the pharmaceutical industry in an attempt to identify new anti-inflammatory agents. The development of p38-MAPK inhibitors has however been impeded by adverse effects. Boston University researchers have now demonstrated that the lipoxin A4 (LXA4) mimic, ATLa inhibits the p38-MAPK cascade explaining in part its anti-inflammatory efficacy and offering a new approach to this promising pharmaceutical target. Although ATLa has a poor pharmacokinetic p
LeadDiscovery

10 Aug 04

After a period of exceptional performance due to a steady flow of investment in the sector, the biotechnology industry in France was hard hit by the global economic depression of 2002. The government must support the French Biotechnology sector to allow it to assert its position at an international level and to enable consolidation of new start-up companies.
Yohan Vezinhet

03 Aug 04

Bacterial skin diseases like gangrene can now expect an onslaught of new specialist medications. However, skin infections make up a relatively small proportion of the $20.4 billion annual global antibacterial market, which, says Datamonitor's Amber Gibson, raises questions about why such conditions are the current focus of so much antibacterial product development...
Datamonitor

19 Jul 04

New clinical research presented at the 15th International AIDS Conference (IAC) shows that Fuzeon is proving to be remarkably effective in the first long-term trial of its benefits.
Datamonitor

13 Jul 04

Acute pain resulting from conditions such as headache, muscle spasms, dental problems or following surgery, affects 90 million Americans every year. A recent study has demonstrated the analgesic activity of corticotropin-releasing-hormone (CRH) and has shown that this activity is probably due to activity within the central nervous system.
LeadDiscovery

09 Jul 04

Analysts have recently predicted that the market for airway inflammatory diseases will increase by 35% to over $18 billion by 2011. A recent target evaluation report produced for the drug development sector concluded that the TH2-derived cytokines IL-4, and more so IL-13 represent promising targets. Both cytokines activate IL-4Ralpha to produce multiple functional changes observed in asthma patients. A recent report published in the Journal of Immunology elucidates the divergent mechanisms th
LeadDiscovery

09 Jul 04

Recently published data from the GENOA study has demonstrated that dyslipidemia is highly prevalent in hypertensive adults and that this condition is insufficiently treated in more than half of the cases. As Datamonitor's Laurent Chanroux explains, the results lend further support to cross risk-factor, single pill combination therapies such as Pfizer's Caduet...
Datamonitor

05 Jul 04

SureScripts, in partnership with the Massachusetts Medical Society, is launching an educational network providing physicians with information from the early adopters of ePrescribing technology. Datamonitor's Kimberly O'Malley argues that educational forums like this allow members to more efficiently evaluate and subsequently adopt electronic prescribing as a solution for their practices...
Datamonitor

05 Jul 04

Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of common metabolic disorders including obesity, pre-diabetes, abnormal lipid levels and high blood pressure, is now approaching epidemic proportions worldwide.
Datamonitor

25 Jun 04

Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the more common autoimmune diseases. LeadDiscovery’s recent state of the art evaluation of rheumatoid arthritis therapeutics evaluates advances in our understanding of the etiology of the disease. One field of research extensively analyzed in this report is angiogenesis. Inhibitors of receptor tyrosine kinase with specific activity against the VEGFRs have been developed in an attempt to prevent angiogenesis. One such molecule is PTK787/ZK222584, synthesized and dev
LeadDiscovery

23 Jun 04

An estimated 5 million individuals suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. Corticosteroids are the most dramatically effective short-term anti-inflammatory drugs; however, clinical benefit for rheumatoid arthritis often diminishes with time. Because of their long-term systemic side effects, corticosteroids are usually given only after a careful and prolonged trial of less hazardous drugs. Liposomes are artificial vesicles efficiently phagocytosed by macrophages and recent advances such as the developm
LeadDiscovery

22 Jun 04

The R&D activity surrounding novel oral treatments of diabetes is considerable and one particular target that has recently received attention is the Kv1.3 potassium channel. Blocking this channel has been thought to be of value in the treatment of multiple sclerosis and more recently for preventing weight gain. Now researchers from Yale have demonstrated that Kv1.3 channel blockers may also increase insulin sensitivity in genetically obese and diabetic mice
LeadDiscovery

21 Jun 04

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) represents an unmet market. Initial breakthroughs in treatment focussed on the rare form of this condition, idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Recently however a key advance in the treatment of PAH was made with the launch of Actelion's twice-daily Tracleer (bosentan) as the first orally active treatment of both idiopathic and secondary PAH. Tracleer is the first generation of a class of drugs known as endothelin receptor antagonists and blocks two
LeadDiscovery

16 Jun 04

Researchers have developed a series of assays to identify improved DDP-IV inhibitors for the treatment of diabetes and possibly cancer. The technology described here can also be applied to improving the oral absorption of poorly absorbed drugs in general
LeadDiscovery

07 Jun 04

Datamonitor

20 May 04

DailyUpdates 20th April: Nearly 423,000 new cases of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are expected to have been diagnosed in the seven major pharmaceutical markets in 2003. Despite the high level of pharmaceutical interest, there are significant unmet needs in the disease in terms of poor survival. Docetaxel is the only drug currently approved in both the U.S. and Europe to treat patients with non-small cell lung cancer in the second-line setting. While the dr
LeadDiscovery

11 May 04

DailyUpdates 11th May: A number of clinical studies including the VIGOR trial have suggested that the NSAID naproxen may reduce the incidence of myocardial infarction. However the gastrointestinal side-effects of naproxen and its ability to exacerbate hypertension preclude its use in at-risk individuals. Upcoming data about to be published in the journal JPET demonstrate the efficacy of the safer and anti-hypertensive nitro-derivative of naproxen, HCT 3012, in a model of myocardial infarction.
LeadDiscovery

26 Apr 04

There are certainly a variety of challenges available in industry but it often means moving to different parts of the company and uprooting to get that variety.
Mike Breese and Jeff Webb

16 Dec 03

Redundancy – meaning a position of employment is no longer tenable – is a traumatic experience. It is possibly one of the most devastating events you’ll have to go through in your career but one that is becoming all too frequent across the industry.
Aileen Parlane

16 Sep 03

‘Drug Rep Success’ is the most complete of the numerous books published in the last 18 months or so that purport to offer guidance to the wannabe Medical Sales Rep and enhance the productivity of the established rep.
Mark Stacey