Category Archives: Drugs

By Russ Britt, MarketWatch LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) After a number of false starts, drugs used as therapies for the once-untreatable, debilitating disease multiple sclerosis are gaining traction in pharmaceutical labs, and are beginning to catch the eye of Wall Street. The latest development came Wednesday, when the New England Journal of Medicine published two studies online that said a new drug, known as BG-12, that Biogen Idec Inc. /quotes/zigman/91573/quotes/nls/biib BIIB +0.66% is developing was deemed effective in preventing relapses of MS in a Phase III study. In those trials, the publication said, BG-12 significantly reduced the number of patients who had a relapse, the relapse rate and the rate at which patients became disabled as well as the number of lesions found in MRIs on the brain and spinal cord. The findings did little to boost Biogen Idec shares Thursday, though the stock was up marginally in early trading Thursday. Analysts, however, are saying that the drug could help the companys product pipeline down the road. Shares of Biogen Idec have nearly doubled since hitting a 52-week low of $88.64 on Oct. 3. RBC Capital Markets analyst Michael Yee said in a note to clients that he favors Gilead Sciences … Continue reading →

TRENTON, N.J. Pharmaceutical-industry heavyweights are teaming up to address a challenge that has long vexed drugmakers: how to improve the way experimental drugs are tested so they can be approved, and reach patients, faster. Ten top U.S. and European drugmakers on Wednesday said they have started a nonprofit organization, TransCelerate BioPharma, to collaborate on the problem. Research productivity across the industry has been declining while costs have been rising over the past few decades. About 5,000 to 10,000 potential drugs fail for every one approved, although all but about five of those compounds are scrapped by the time costly tests in people begin. Including all the failed drugs, the cost of getting one approved has risen from about $140 million in the 1970s to more than $1.2 billion, according to the industry group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. That's partly because the process from finding a compound to getting it approved by regulators takes 10 to 15 years. TransCelerate will aim to shorten that time and reduce costs along the way, initially by developing strategies to make it easier and quicker to set up and run clinical tests of experimental drugs. That will include developing standard methodology for collecting … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Sep. 19, 2012) Nanoparticles have shown great promise in the targeted delivery of drugs to cells, but researchers at the University of Georgia have refined the drug delivery process further by using nanoparticles to deliver drugs to a specific organelle within cells. By targeting mitochondria, often called "the powerhouse of cells," the researchers increased the effectiveness of mitochondria-acting therapeutics used to treat cancer, Alzheimer's disease and obesity in studies conducted with cultured cells. "The mitochondrion is a complex organelle that is very difficult to reach, but these nanoparticles are engineered so that they do the right job in the right place," said senior author Shanta Dhar, an assistant professor of chemistry in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Dhar and her co-author, doctoral student Sean Marrache, used a biodegradable, FDA-approved polymer to fabricate their nanoparticles and then used the particles to encapsulate and test drugs that treat a variety of conditions. Their results were published this week in early edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. To test the effectiveness of their drug targeting system against cancer, they encapsulated the drug lonidamine, which works by inhibiting energy production in the mitochondria, and, separately, … Continue reading →

Enlarge Sunday Alamba/Associated Press Ayo Bello grabs a box of malaria medication at a pharmacy in Lagos, Nigeria. A pilot project by the Global Fund has helped private pharmacies and clinics sell top quality malaria drugs at wholesale prices in Nigeria and seven other African countries. Ayo Bello grabs a box of malaria medication at a pharmacy in Lagos, Nigeria. A pilot project by the Global Fund has helped private pharmacies and clinics sell top quality malaria drugs at wholesale prices in Nigeria and seven other African countries. Two years ago the United Nations' Global Fund launched an experiment that aimed to reduce the cost of malaria drugs in parts of Africa where they're needed most. The idea was to subsidize the cost of drugs, sometimes making them available even cheaper than wholesale. Did it work? The results for the first phase of the pilot were unveiled yesterday in Washington, and they looked pretty good at least for the short time the project has been up and running. The Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria program, or AMFm, had brought more than 100 million doses of malaria drugs to clinics and pharmacies in 2011. It also increased access to the top malaria medicines … Continue reading →

Collingwood's Gavin Crosisca in action against Carlton in 1999. Photo: Vince Caligiuri THE AFL's three-strike illicit drug policy may be far from perfect, but it is a step in the right direction in stopping players living a secret double life, as Collingwood defender Gavin Crosisca did, said his 1990 premiership teammate Craig Kelly. Crosisca revealed yesterday that he battled a drug and alcohol addiction secretly since he was 16 and throughout his career. After being forced into rehabilitation by his wife Nicole last year, Crosisca finally told a handful of his former teammates what he had hidden for 25 years. ''We always enjoyed a drink but we had no idea what Gavin was going through until he explained it 12 months ago,'' Kelly said. ''He only told a few of us.'' Advertisement Kelly pointed out that in the early 1990s the AFL had no illicit drug policy and no drug tests, which meant Crosisca could hide his habit. ''Although people may argue the three strikes and drug-testing policy is not ideal, it is a step in the right direction to identify examples like Gavin as early as possible,'' Kelly said. The AFL became a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Sep 19, 2012) - The toxicity of drugs is an important concern for pharmaceutical manufacturers, as seen with fairly recent scares such as Vioxx, FenPhen and Baycol -- products that seemed to be free of toxicity challenges during testing but caused damage to patients once launched. For many companies, this means considering these issues early, at the discovery stage, and often requires the assistance of an outsourcing company. Healthcare market research publisher Kalorama Information projects that there could be a $1.1 billion market by 2015 for companies that can help pharmaceutical companies with early toxicology services. This projection was made in its most recent report: Early Toxicology: Markets and Approaches. "Toxicity properties are not the same as chemical discovery ones, they are biological and descriptive; they are not as easy to quantify," said Melissa Elder, Kalorama Information analyst and author of the report. "It is common now to turn over this process to specialist companies." At first glance, the discovery ofnew drugs is a straightforward process of screening compound candidates, optimizing leads, performing pre-clinical evaluations and then, with these steps completed, clinical trials can begin. According to the report, the reality is not so neat. These … Continue reading →

19 September 2012 Last updated at 11:55 ET Two men have been jailed after being caught exchanging 40,000 worth of drugs at the scene of an undercover police stakeout in Perth. Perth Sheriff Court heard Scott Kirton, 43, and Kevin Malone, 28, were caught by officers who were monitoring a completely different drugs gang. Sheriff Michael Fletcher told both men he had no option but to send them to prison. Kirton was jailed for four and a half years and Malone given 27 months. The pair were observed passing 40,000 pounds worth of mephedrone and 20,000 in cash by officers in a car parked just yards away at the Travelodge car park in Broxden in Perth. Officers had set up with the intention of catching another drug deal, resulting in them catching both gangs. The accidental discovery also led to a further 15,000 worth of cocaine being discovered in Kirton's home. Officers suspected they might have seen a drugs handover Fiscal depute Catherine Fraser told Perth Sheriff Court: "On 14 October two drug squad officers were on duty in an unmarked police car at the Travelodge on another operation." See the article here: Drugs exchanged in police sight … Continue reading →

By Meg Tirrell - 2012-09-19T04:01:00Z Obesity drugs are getting a lift after years of languishing even as populations around the globe get heavier. Rather than pharmaceutical giants, though, its small companies with an appetite for risk leading the charge. Plagued with failures and side effects, drug development in obesity slowed to a near halt in the last decade as most large pharmaceutical companies abandoned efforts, leaving smaller biotechnology companies to forge ahead. This year, after 13 years with no new drug approvals, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared two medicines for obesity, kick starting what many hope will be a rejuvenation for the field. A few years ago we were in the darker days of obesity where the regulatory environment was uncertain and pharma was doubtful this would ever be a market segment, Kevin Starr, a partner at Boston-based venture capital firm Third Rock Ventures LLC, said in a telephone interview. Theres been a sea change at the FDA in their recent approvals. Prospects brightened for obesity drug development this year as the FDA signaled it would be more willing to seriously consider drugs as a viable way to treat some forms of obesity, calling it a major public … Continue reading →

By Cormac OKeeffe Wednesday, September 19, 2012 Irish suppliers of synthetic drugs are buying the substances through a sophisticated encrypted online system, according to a drugs researcher. Tim Bingham said these drugs were "widely available" over the internet and said he expected the scale of the problem to get worse. He said users "didnt have a clue" what was in the product they might be buying from dealers here. His comments come as garda and customs officers continue to investigate the importation of 23kg of synthetic drugs into Waterford City in a controlled delivery operation. A 32-year-old man arres-ted in the city is expected to be charged in relation to the investigation. Garda recovered 18kg of a synthetic drug mix at an apartment in the city on Monday. The haul is a mixture of three different substances PVP, methylone, and flephedrone which mimic the effects of street drugs such as ecstasy, cocaine and amphetamine. It is thought to be the first time PVP has been seized in Ireland. It is understood that in addition to the 18kg seized, a further 5kg was en route in the post. Garda sources said there were reports of the postal system being increasingly used … Continue reading →

Biologics and other high-cost specialty drugs can significantly increase spend -- and they are poised to make inroads into workers' compensation claims. By Brian Carpenter and Kimberly DuBrueler For risk managers looking to reduce workers' comp claims costs, they should perhaps look no further than specialty drugs. Although their use in workers' comp is not widespread, they can quickly drive up claims costs. Specialty drugs include biologics, or protein-based medications like Enbrel, Humira and Remicade for rheumatoid arthritis, and nonbiologics, or chemically-derived medications such as Synvisc and Hyalgan for osteoarthritis. Many are injectable -- requiring broader service capabilities -- or have specific storage requirements. In the last 15 to 20 years, the specialty drug segment has increased from about 30 products to more than 200 -- a number that is expected to double in the next decade. The Express Scripts (ESI/Medco) 2011 Drug Trends study notes that nearly 600 specialty drugs are in Phase II or III clinical trials. By 2020, ESI/Medco expects specialty drugs to occupy eight out of 10 spots on the Top 10 Drugs list, generate $1.7 trillion in sales and account for 40 percent of total drug spending. With an estimated 7 percent of specialty drugs … Continue reading →