Article Listing - New findings show long-term RA therapy with Abbott's Humira is effective
Prana's PBT434 shows potential as "next-generation" treatment in Parkinson's
20 June 2013
Australia-based Prana Biotechnology (ASX: PBT) drug candidate PBT434 shows significant disease-modifying capability in multiple animal models of Parkinson's Disease (PD) with potential utility in a range of movement disorders, according to new data presented at the 17th Annual Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders in Sydney.
Positive Ph III findings on ALK's new house dust mite allergy immunotherapy; EU filing expected in 2014
20 June 2013
Denmark-based allergy specialist ALK Abello (ALKB: DC) has announced positive outcome of the first of two pivotal Phase III trials with its new allergy immunotherapy tablet for the treatment of house dust mite-induced respiratory diseases. The MERIT trial meets its primary endpoint and demonstrates that the new treatment has a significant clinical effect in allergic rhinitis. The positive outcome allows for a European filing in 2014, the company said.
Pfizer details final spinoff of Zoetis
20 June 2013
US pharma behemoth Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) has announced the final exchange ratio of 0.9898 for the animal health business Zoetis (Nasdaq: ZTS) exchange offer in connection with its previously announced offer to its shareholders to exchange some or all of their shares of Pfizer common stock for shares of Zoetis Inc held by Pfizer (The Pharma Letter March 23).
Therapy's induction of remission an attribute that most influences Rxing decisions in rheumatoid arthritis
20 June 2013
The majority of US and European rheumatologists surveyed by health care advisory firm Decision Resources cite a therapy's induction of remission as one of the attributes that most influences their prescribing decisions for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Over 60% and 70% of US and European rheumatologists, respectively, rank the percentage of patients achieving remission at six months as one of the top three most persuasive end points when prescribing a new drug for rheumatoid arthritis.
Takeda debuts three new diabetes drugs, Nesina, Kazano and Oseni, in USA
20 June 2013
Japan's largest drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4502) says that its new diabetes products Nesina (alogliptin), a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i), and the fixed-dose combination therapies Kazano (alogliptin and metformin HCl) and Oseni (alogliptin and pioglitazone) are now available by prescription in pharmacies in the USA. All three drugs were approved early this by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults, as adjuncts to diet and exercise (The Pharma Letter January 28).
$200+ billion annual opportunity in USA from using medicines more responsibly, IMS finds
20 June 2013
Avoidable costs of more than $200 billion are incurred each year in the US health care system as a result of medicines not being used responsibly by patients and health care professionals, according to a new study released yesterday June 19) by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. This represents 8% of the country's total annual health care expenditures and amounts to millions of avoidable hospital admissions, outpatient treatments, pharmaceutical prescriptions and emergency room visits for patients.
It's official: "obesity is a disease," says AMA
20 June 2013
The American Medical Association at its annual meeting this week adopted a policy that recognizes obesity as a disease requiring a range of medical interventions to advance obesity treatment and prevention."Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue that affects approximately one in three Americans," said AMA board member Patrice Harris, adding: "The AMA is committed to improving health outcomes and is working to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, which are often linked to obesity."
EU Commission fines Lundbeck and other Pharmas over "pay-for-delay" deals
19 June 2013
In a much awaited decision following its investigations of patent settlements (or pay-for-delay deals) between pharmaceutical companies and generic drugmakers started in 2008, the European Commission revealed today (June 19) that it has imposed a fine of 93.8 million euros ($125 million) on Danish pharmaceutical company Lundbeck (LUND: CO) and fines totalling 52.2 million euros on several producers of generic medicines.
Mixed results for AstraZeneca/B-MS' Onglyza; Newron's safinamide does well in PD
19 June 2013
Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) and US partner Bristol-Myers Squibb have announced mixed top-line results of the Phase IV SAVOR-TIMI-53 (Saxagliptin Assessment of Vascular Outcomes Recorded in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus) clinical trial of diabetes drug Onglyza (saxagliptin).
Actavis and Kissei file law suits against Sandoz and Hetero over Rapaflo patent
19 June 2013
USA-based Actavis (NYSE: ACT), itself predominantly a generic drug marketer, and Japan's Kissei Pharmaceutical confirmed that they have filed law suits against Swiss drug major Novartis' (NOVN: VX) Sandoz unit and India's Hetero in the US District Court for the District of Delaware for infringement of US Patent No 5,387,603 covering Rapaflo (silodosin), a treatment for the signs and symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
- Takeda debuts three new diabetes drugs, Nesina, Kazano and Oseni, in USA
- Aspen Pharma offers to buy GlaxoSmithKline's thrombosis brands and manufacturing site
- Athera and Boehringer Ingelheim enter option agreement on a novel therapy for atherosclerosis
- It's official: "obesity is a disease," says AMA
- Mixed results for AstraZeneca/B-MS' Onglyza; Newron's safinamide does well in PD
