Breaking News on Drug Discovery

A drug cocktail to bust brain tumours

02-Jan-2008 - A team of US researchers have uncovered a cocktail of three drugs that could be effective at treating every patient with a particular type of brain cancer that typically has a dismal prognosis.

New drug target leaves lung cancer cells alone, lonely and dying

02-Jan-2008 - It seems even tumour cells can get lonely; scientists have discovered that by cutting off a key gene, lung cancer tumour cells are left 'homeless' and they can't survive on their own.

Annual round up of all drugs entering Phase I

Small molecules still leading the way into the clinic

20-Dec-2007 - DrugResearcher.com brings you its annual round up of all the drugs that entered clinical development in 2007.

New drug on the blocks for athletes

19-Dec-2007 - Scientists have discovered a potential new drug target that will prick up the ears of sportsmen and athletes alike. Not that this is an performance-enhancing drug; instead, it could help athletes recover from injury more quickly.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 39

18-Dec-2007 - The last in a series of periodic roundups of drugs that have moved from preclinical research into clinical testing via the announcement of a Phase I trial or an application for a trial to industry regulators.

Semen fibrils ferry HIV into cells

17-Dec-2007 - Tiny protein fibres in semen have been found to enhance the ability of HIV to infect cells by up to 100,000 fold and could provide drug developers with a potent new target to tackle the virus.

Shire snaps up Alba's gastrointestinal drug for $325m

17-Dec-2007 - US biopharma firm Alba Therapeutics has received a boost to its coffers after Shire agreed to pay up to $325m (€226m) to help bring its lead gastrointestinal drug candidate to market.

GSK allies with OncoMed to beat cancer stem cells

11-Dec-2007 - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and OncoMed are teaming up to develop novel antibody therapies that target the cancer stem cells believed to play a key role in forming cancers.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 38

06-Dec-2007 - The latest in a series of periodic roundups of drugs that have moved from preclinical research into clinical testing via the announcement of a Phase I trial or an application for a trial to industry regulators.

Addex and Merck target new cure for Parkinson's

04-Dec-2007 - Merck & Co. has entered into an exclusive collaboration and licensing deal with Addex Pharma to develop a new class of orally available Parkinson's therapies.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 37

04-Dec-2007 - The latest in a series of periodic roundups of drugs that have moved from preclinical research into clinical testing via the announcement of a Phase I trial or an application for a trial to industry regulators.

Astellas snaps up cancer antibody specialists Agensys

27-Nov-2007 - Japanese drugmaker Astellas has agreed to acquire US biotech firm Agensys as part of its plan to ramp up antibody research, especially in the field of cancer.

Targeted Genetics restarts trial after death

26-Nov-2007 - The US Food and Drug Administration has allowed Targeted Genetics to restart testing its arthritis gene therapy after deciding the drug wasn't at fault when one person died in the original clinical trial.

Merck, Vertex halt aurora kinase cancer trial

22-Nov-2007 - Merck & Co. and its partner Vertex Pharmaceuticals have stopped enrolling cancer patients to the clinical trial of its aurora kinase trial after one patient suffered heart problems.

Take off immune system brake to improve cancer vaccines

22-Nov-2007 - The discovery of a new molecule that can act as a brake for the immune system could lead to new therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases such as diabetes.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 36

22-Nov-2007 - The latest in a series of periodic roundups of drugs that have moved from preclinical research into clinical testing via the announcement of a Phase I trial or an application for a trial to industry regulators.

Men get the heads up on possible oral contraceptive

21-Nov-2007 - It might be years away yet, but men could be the ones popping a pill for contraception if GTx has anything to do with it.

Cystatin C can wash away Alzheimer's plaques

20-Nov-2007 - Scientists have discovered that a protein called cystatin C can prevent damaging Alzheimer's plaques from forming by keeping their constituent protein water soluble.

Cancer antibody marches on quoths Raven Biotechnologies

20-Nov-2007 - Raven Biotechnologies have announced positive initial clinical trial results for their anticancer antibody that causes tumour cells to swell up and die.

Pfizer saves Coley with $164m buyout

19-Nov-2007 - After a clinical hiccough five months ago set Coley Pharmaceutical's drug development funding back several years, Pfizer has stepped in to save the day, snapping up the biotech for $164m.

Targeted lupus treatment on the horizon

15-Nov-2007 - Researchers have uncovered some of the underlying causes of lupus, and have even suggested certain targeted therapies to tackle the autoimmune disease.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 35

15-Nov-2007 - The latest in a series of periodic roundups of drugs that have moved from preclinical research into clinical testing via the announcement of a Phase I trial or an application for a trial to industry regulators.

Giving lung cancer a Smac

13-Nov-2007 - A small molecule version of a protein called Smac can turn the survival signal for a variety of tumour cells into a death signal and could be effective as a new class of drug, especially for lung cancer patients.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 34

08-Nov-2007 - The latest in a series of periodic roundups of drugs that have moved from preclinical research into clinical testing via the announcement of a Phase I trial or an application for a trial to industry regulators.