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All news articles > December 2004
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22-Dec-2004
Deal focuses on new diabetes drug class
Arena Pharmaceuticals has entered into collaboration with Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical to develop a new class of oral drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Arena can expect to net $300 million (€224 million) excluding milestone and royalty payments.
Spotlight falls on naproxen
The ongoing controversy concerning certain drugs and a link to heart trouble gained further momentum after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning for the pain reliever naproxen after researchers found an increased number of heart attacks and strokes among users.
New drug class treats neurodegeneration
The first study to confirm the potential of a new class of drug for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's could herald a breakthrough in drug treatment for a disease that affects up to 4 million adults in the United States, and 10 million worldwide.
Porvair Sciences adds to microplate range
UK-based Microplate manufacturers Porvair Sciences, adds to its range of microporous products that are suitable for a range of industrial and domestic applications including drug discovery, protein purification and high throughput screening.
Tepnel acquires Diaclone Research
Tepnel announced it had completed the acquistion of Diaclone Research adding customisable monoclonal antibodies (mABs), complimentary reagents and ELISA test kits to its range of life sciences instrumentation and services.
20-Dec-2004
Inpharmatica announces Novartis Chematica agreement
Inpharmatica has announced a discovery collaboration with Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research which is to focus on identifying protein targets for Novartis' drug discovery projects.
Flamel starts trials of Medusa interferon
France's Flamel Technologies has enrolled the first patient in a clinical trial of its Medusa drug delivery technology, used to develop sustained-release formulations of therapeutic proteins.
Pfizer: Celebrex poses heart risk
The safety of cox-2 inhibitors was plunged into further uncertainty after Pfizer released details of trials that found an increased risk of heart problems with patients taking its painkiller Celebrex. The drug is in the same class as Vioxx, which was pulled from the market in September because of a link with heart problems.
DiscoveRx and B-Bridge enters Japanese territory
DiscoveRx and B-Bridge International are to venture into the Japanese assay market that aims to provide Japanese researchers with a homogenous GPCR and Kinase assay platform for drug development and screening.
Wyeth seeks approval of new class antibiotic
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has announced the submission of a global registration dossier for its investigational antibiotic Tygacil (tigecycline), a new class of treatment for intra-abdominal and skin infections.
New class of virus changes shape during infection
A new approach to prevent infection of West Nile and dengue fever may be on the horizon after a US team identified interactions involving the alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV). The virus is a close relative of the flaviviruses that cause the killer infections.
15-Dec-2004
Miltenyi Biotec sets up Singapore HQ
Miltenyi Biotec strengthened its presence in the Asia-Pacific Rim by opening new headquarters in Suntec City, Singapore. The magnetic cell separation and cellular therapy specialists already have a presence in several European countries as well as the US.
Merck slashes staff and revamps R&D
Merck & Co, still reeling from the impact of pulling its painkiller Vioxx (rofecoxib) from the market, is to slash its staff by 5,100 positions in a bid to save hundreds of millions of dollars by the end of the year.
European cell-based assay use to grow
Cell-based assays are set to become the preferred choice of screening, potentially overtaking more traditional approaches that include traditional enzyme- or antibody-based assays.
Genevac launches EZ-Bio
Genevac has launched a brand new evaporation system aimed at the molecular biology market. The technology marks a significant departure for the company as its products have been focussed on drug discovery chemistry until now.
EPO revokes Applera's PCR patent
Applera suffered a setback to its European sector after the European Patent Office revoked its patent covering real-time PCR thermal cycler technology.
13-Dec-2004
Rare disease EU patients treated unequally
A study into the price of orphan drugs in the EU revealed that access to treatments for patients with rare disorders can vary by as much as 70 per cent within individual EU member states.
Inpharmatica raises $25 million financing
Drug Discovery outfit Inpharmatica announced the successful completion of third round financing in which £13.8 million (€25 million) was raised.
Cresset Biomolecular launches Fieldscreen
A novel lead-finding, series-switching technology, which can accelerate selection of leads for targets based on molecular fields rather than molecular structure, has been launched.
Definiens, BioImage, collaboration for HCS products
A worldwide non-exclusive co-development and marketing agreement has been formed between Definiens and BioImage with the aim of delivering tailored applications to the high content screening (HCS) market.
Hovione head seeks level playing field for API players
European contract manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are operating under a system of regulatory double standards that is destroying their ability to compete in the marketplace.
RNAi offers fresh approach to drug discovery
With the advent of ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) offering a radical approach to drug discovery, the emphasis is now placed on finding the most efficient means to deliver or transfect RNAi into mammalian target genes,writes Wai Lang Chu.
10-Dec-2004
Malarial drug target revealed
A potential new drug target for malaria was revealed this week after scientists discovered the structure and function of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, for the first time. The findings represent a breakthrough for future pharmaceutical research.
Antibiotic target signals pneumonia end
Scientists have found a molecular weakness in the organism that causes pneumonia, providing a target for the development of a new class of antibiotics that could eventually eradicate the disease.
08-Dec-2004
One-pot process for toxic APIs
Manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) can reduce the risk of exposure to highly toxic active ingredients using a new process system developed by Collette, part of Niro Pharma Systems.
Chiesi buys dose counter for Modulite inhaler
Italy's Chiesi Farmaceutici has signed a deal with Ontario, Canada-headquartered Trudell Medical International for the latter's MDI actuation indicator, designed to make it easuer for asthmatics to see when their inhaler is empty.
06-Dec-2004
Novartis, Emisphere alliance expanded into osteoporosis
Novartis has paid a US drug delivery company $10 million for an option to an oral formulation of an injectable drug used to treat osteoporosis that is currently the subject of litigation with Eli Lilly.
05-Dec-2004
Wound healing drug reduces cardiac damage
A naturally occurring protein, which promotes the ability to repair heart muscle after a myocardial infarction, significantly reducing cardiac damage, may have drug applications as a wound healing treatment for the heart.
Sanofi Aventis to spin off anti-infective unit
A new anti-infectives company, spun out of the Sanofi-Aventis group, has received €40 million in financing from an international group of leading life science investors led by Atlas Venture and including Sofinnova, 3i, Abingworth and Novo A/S.
Animal extremism: Queen announces law changes
New laws to stop increasingly violent animal extremists from harassing scientists involved in medical experiments have received the seal of approval by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).
Neonatal Jaundice drug awarded patent
WellSpring Pharmaceuticals has been awarded a US patent for the synthetic method of preperation for a new drug being developed for the treatment of jaundice in newborns.
Invitrogen licenses protein chip technology
Invitrogen announced that it has obtained the licensed rights for the development of protein microrrays, which contain more than 200 protein-based analytes, further increasing its intellectual property position in the burgeoning microarray field.
MassARRAY technique targets drug resistance
A technique used to conduct fully automated high throughput mutation detection in microbial genomes, has shown greater sensitivity over existing methods. The method analyses genetic modification in bacteria and other disease causing organisms, pinpointing the changes leading to antibiotic drug resistance.
Human trials initiated for ricin vaccine
A potential vaccine for the deadly ricin, a "Category B" biological agent, is to proceed with the first phase of human clinical testing of RiVax, a genetically engineered vaccine for the toxin for which there is currently no effective vaccine or treatment for ricin poisoning in humans.
Prolysis enter drug discovery deal
The need for a new class of antibiotics to tackle the rising threat of antibiotic resistance was the focus of a drug discovery agreement between two UK companies. The deal aims to produce broad-spectrum antibiotics that are urgently needed to treat resistant hospital and community-acquired infections.
03-Dec-2004
J&J to stop topiramate obesity trials
Pharmaceutical giants Johnson and Johnson announced today it is to discontinue its current clinical development program for its controlled release formulation of topiramate in obesity after studies revealed the formulation did not improve on its proceeding formulation.
SGX and CFFT map Cystic Fibrosis protein
Structural GenomiX (SGX) and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, have made a breakthrough in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) research by identifying the three-dimensional crystal structure of a protein that has been implicated in the onset of the genetic disorder.
AstraZeneca gains nuclear receptor license
Astrazeneca has licensed exclusive worldwide rights to a patent family relating to a nuclear receptor/co-activator binding motif, which represents a host of therapeutic targets for many clinical conditions including respiratory and inflammation.
Quantum Dots hires sales veteran
US biomolecular company, Quantum Dot, has added impetus in its drive to position the company from product development to a commercially driven organization by appointing a new vice president.
Newron gains ION channel drug funding
Newron Pharmaceuticals has announced the company and a consortium will use the money raised from European funding to utilise drug-screening technology for the HTS of molecules for ion channel targets for neurological and psychiatric disorders.
02-Dec-2004
New generation PEG launched
UK company Warwick Effect Polymers has launched a new type of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to improve the half-life of biologic drugs in the body.
01-Dec-2004
Organon investigates non-hormonal menopausal therapy
Dutch drug company, Organon, has initiated further studies to develop a specific class of non-hormonal drugs to treat the hot flushes associated with menopause. The new drug, currently in development, is set to be amongst the first of its kind on the market.
GlaxoSmithKline selects InforSense for cheminformatics
Pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has entered into collaboration with InforSense with the aim of establishing a new generation of flexible, informatics platforms that are able to deal with the growing quantities of data in drug discovery and development.
Inyx study validates new aerosol technology
Inhaled drug delivery company Inyx has reported positive results from a two-year stability study of a non-ozone-depleting, hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) propelled salbutamol metered dose inhaler (MDI) for treating asthma and other respiratory conditions.
Galapagos adds chief scientific officer
Belgium genomics company Galapagos has put in place another element in its strategy to develop in-house drug products functions with the appointment of a new chief scientific officer.
H&R Wasag triples pharmachem sales
German chemical company H&R Wasag was hit once again by the tough market environment in the third quarter of the year, but offset some of the impact by buying up businesses insulated from rises in raw material prices.
Sumitomo, Dainippon marriage adds to Japanese M&A
Japanese drugmakers Dainippon Pharmaceutical and Sumitomo Pharmaceuticals are to merge in an attempt to increase their standing in international markets and fend off competition at home.
Bioreason launches software for lead optimization
Bioreason has launched ClassPharmer Suite Lite, a new edition of the company's software system to increase success in the hits-to-leads-to-clinic process within drug discovery.
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