Biotech Week back issues from February 2004:
New drug improves outcomes when added to existing therapy for AD.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The drug memantine lessens the decline in cognition and activities of daily living for patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer disease (AD) who are also receiving donepezil (another drug used to treat AD), according to a new study. ...
Successful, rapid protein crystallization possible with new technique.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An innovative method that allows increased success and speed of protein crystallization - a crucial step in the laborious, often unsuccessful process to determine the 3-dimensional structure unique to each of the body's tens of thousands of folded ...
U.S. patent granted for treatment of human papillomavirus infections.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Advanced Viral Research Corp. (ADVR) announced that it has been awarded U.S. Patent Number 6.670,118 entitled "Method for Treating Papillomavirus Infections." The patent describes the use of AVR118 (previously known as Product R) for ...
Phase III study of Actimmune published in leading journal.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- InterMune, Inc., (ITMN) announced the publication in the New England Journal of Medicine of previously presented results of the company's initial randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III trial (GIPF-001) evaluating the efficacy and ...
NCX 4016 successfully achieves primary efficacy endpoint in phase II study.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NicOx, SA, (NICOX) announced that NCX 4016 reached its primary efficacy endpoint in a phase IIa study in patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial obstructive disease (PAOD). NCX 4016 is a nitric oxide-donating derivative of aspirin ...
Drop in hormone therapy use shows doctors heed research findings.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The dramatic drop in prescriptions for postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy after the risks of long-term estrogen/progestin use were announced suggests that physicians respond more readily to new clinical evidence than previously observed, ...
Health insurance lobby group releases forecast of states' issue in 2004.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- At a January 14, 2004, press briefing, the American Association of Health Plans-Health Insurance Association of America (AAHP-HIAA) released its State Forecast 2004 report outlining issues that will be the subject of state action in 2004. ...
Results of CHF drug trials reported.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Results from a variety of CHF drug trials have been reported. "There is now evidence for the efficacy and safety of a variety of neurohormonal modulators in chronic heart failure (CHF)," cardiologists in Italy explained. "Angiotensin ...
New board members named at pharmaceutical company.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ARYx Therapeutics, Inc., announced the election of Paul Goddard, PhD, and Lars Ekman, MD, PhD, as members of the company's board of directors. Goddard was also appointed chairman of the board. "Paul and Lars bring many years ...
Device firm provides preliminary outlook on fourth quarter results.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ATS Medical, Inc., (ATSI) reported that fourth quarter revenue is expected to increase more than 50% to approximately $5.6 million, as compared to sales of $3.7 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2002. For the 12 months ended ...
Inhibition of SARS coronavirus with Neugene antisense drugs reported.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AVI BioPharma, Inc., (AVII) presented confirmatory positive results on the inhibition of the SARS coronavirus using its Neugene antisense drugs. Michael Buchmeier, PhD, of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in La Jolla, California, ...
A 10-degree reverse Trendelenburg position can reduce pressure during craniotomy.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- During craniotomy, a 10-degree reverse Trendelenburg position rapidly reduces subdural pressure and dural tension reducing cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP). "Recently we studied the effect of 10-degree reverse Trendelenburg position on ...
Myriad Genetics agreement to include pharmacogenetics.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Myriad Genetics, Inc., (MYGN), and Abbott Laboratories, Inc., (ABT) have expanded their strategic alliance to include a broad new pharmacogenetics program. The research collaboration will focus on identifying genetic variation within the ...
Malignant stem cells express high levels of FGFR-3.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Leukemic stem cells express heightened levels of FGFR-3. Scientists in the Czech Republic had previously found that "expression of myeloma-associated (proto) oncogene fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR-3) is increased in white ...
Milestone achieved as Allergan advances glaucoma drug candidate.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Acadia Pharmaceuticals announced that it has achieved a milestone in its collaboration agreement with Allergan (AGN) to discover, develop, and commercialize selective muscarinic drugs for the treatment of glaucoma. The milestone was ...
$32M raised to advance multiple cardiovascular device opportunities.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Accelerated Technologies, Inc., (ATI), a New York-based partnership model for the creation and acceleration of cardiovascular devices into the market, announced that it received $32 million in funding in its second round of financing. ...
Agreement signed with Wyeth for OTC product using OraDisc technology.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (AKC) announced that it has executed a licensing agreement with Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, a division of Wyeth (WYE), granting Wyeth the North American rights to develop and market an OTC product utilizing our OraDisc ...
Abnormal scotopic threshold response linked to stationary night blindness.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Abnormalities of the scotopic threshold response correlate with gene mutation in X-linked retinoschisis and congenital stationary night blindness. According to a study from England, "Scotopic threshold responses (STRs) and dark-adapted ...
Milestone payment of $3M received from deal with GlaxoSmithKline.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Advancis Pharmaceutical Corporation (AVNC) announced the achievement of the first milestone in a collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). As a result, Advancis received a payment of $3.0 million from GSK, bringing the total payments ...
Chief financial officer appointed at drug delivery development firm.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aesgen, Inc., announced the appointment of David J. Cammarata as its chief financial officer (CFO). Before joining Aesgen, Inc., Cammarata was CFO at Lavipharm Corporation and CFO, vice president of finance and controller for Impath ...
Mayo Clinic official joins board of pharmaceutical company.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aesgen, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, announced the appointment of Steven Stenhaug to its board of directors. Stenhaug's 20-year career includes extensive experience in finance, acquisitions, negotiations, budgeting, ...
Hepatitis C glycoprotein expression leads to cryptic intron excision.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Expression of unmodified hepatitis C virus envelope glycoprotein-coding sequences leads to cryptic intron excision and cell surface expression of E1/E2 heterodimers comprising full-length and partially deleted E1. According to published ...
Rats exposed to morphine before birth exhibit normal maternal behaviors.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Rats exposed to morphine before birth exhibit normal maternal behaviors. According to a study from the United States, "previous studies have demonstrated that chronic morphine treatment of pregnant rats alters maternal behavior. Other ...
Women with systemic lupus erythematosus are at risk for losing bone density.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Women with systemic lupus erythematosus are at risk for losing bone density. According to recent research from Bulgaria, "the aim of this study was to analyze the heterogeneity of bone mineral density (BMD) reduction across measurement ...
Survey shows healthcare a top issue in 2004 election.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- As the 2004 election cycle begins in the U.S., voters expect candidates to address healthcare issues, according to a new national survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research on behalf of the American Hospital ...
Report: Medicare ER bills show worrisome variations in hospital coding.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More than a year after implementation of the Medicare outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS), there are unexpected variances in the assignment of evaluation and management (E&M) codes on emergency department claims. These codes ...
Report gives failing grades to state of Missouri.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a national report released by the American Lung Association, the state of Missouri received mostly failing grades for its efforts to fight the harmful effects of tobacco use, demonstrating little progress since a similar report was issued last ...
Insurance company extends consumer-centric products with HSAs.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- American Medical Security Group, Inc., (AMZ, AMS) announced that the independent agents marketing its products to individuals are now offering Health Savings Accounts (HSA) coupled with the company's qualified high-deductible health insurance ...
Group adopts new policies, some addressing women's issues.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The American Public Health Association (APHA) recently adopted 27 policies addressing a broad range of issues in public health from emergency contraception and the public health nursing shortage to threats to public health science and the marketing ...
Genome Therapeutics retains certain rights to bone diseases' research program.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genome Therapeutics Corp. (GENE) and Amgen, Inc., have concluded their research collaboration focused on discovering and developing therapeutics for bone diseases. Announced in January of 2003, the collaborative research efforts ...
Swiss regulatory application for Symlin withdrawn.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (AMLN) announced receipt of correspondence from the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic) indicating that Symlin could not be approved for marketing in Switzerland based on data received to date. ...
Drug makers sign deal to develop combined diabetes product from Actos, Fortamet.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Andrx Corporation of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, (ADRX) and Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, have entered into an agreement to develop and market a combination product consisting of Takeda's Actos (Pioglitazone) and Andrx's Fortamet ...
FDA grants tentative approval for generic Ortho Tri-Cyclen.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Andrx Corporation (ADRX) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has tentatively approved the company's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Ortho Tri-Cyclen (norgestimate/ethinyl estradiol) tablets, an Ortho-McNeil ...
Longer interferon regimens might clear hepatitis D virus.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Longer interferon regimens might clear hepatitis D virus. According to published research from Turkey, "chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a common infectious disease in the world. Two percent of the patients with chronic HBV ...
Agreement signed with ProSkelia for new gel products.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Antares Pharma, Inc., (ANTR) announced that it had signed a development and licensing option agreement with ProSkelia, SAS, a company with headquarters near Paris, France, for the development and future licensing of products utilizing Antares ...
Argentina IDUs have high HIV rate.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Drug injecters in Argentina have a high rate of HIV infection. Researchers there conducted a study "to compile published data and to describe the prevalences of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among injection drug users ...
Vaccines based on Plasmodium vivax Sal I strains show promise.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Malaria vaccines based on Plasmodium vivax Sal I strains show promise in animal models. "We have previously demonstrated that mouse antisera against yeast-produced recombinant forms of the ookinete surface proteins of Plasmodium vivax ...
Published study results show BIS monitoring reduces intraoperative awareness.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aspect Medical Systems (ASPM) announced that results from a Swedish study documenting a 77% reduction in the incidence of intraoperative awareness with recall when BIS monitoring was used was published in the January issue of Acta Anaesthesiologica ...
Apolipoprotein-E-deficient mice resistant to atherosclerosis.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mice deficient in apolipoprotein E but not LDL receptors are resistant to accelerated atherosclerosis associated with obesity. "The aims of this study were to determine whether mice induced to become obese also exhibited accelerated ...
Iressa phase II trial data published.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New data published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) highlight the first phase II clinical trial of Iressa (gefitinib) Tablets in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. Glioblastoma is the most common of the primary malignant ...
Trade publication recognizes pharmaceutical company's product pipleine.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AstraZeneca was named to have the best product pipeline in the pharmaceutical industry by R&D Directions, a pharmaceutical trade publication. The editors of R&D Directions have identified 10 pharmaceutical and biotech product pipelines ...
Atrigel formulation advances into additional human clinical testing.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Atrix Laboratories, Inc., (ATRX) announced that Atrix's partner, Pfizer Inc, has completed the initial phase of clinical testing of CP-533,536 formulated in the Atrigel sustained-release drug delivery system and is advancing the product into ...
Atrisone completes pivotal phase III studies.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Atrix Laboratories, Inc., (ATRX) announced that the company's proprietary acne drug, Atrisone (5% topical dapsone gel) has successfully completed two pivotal phase III clinical efficacy studies. More than 3000 patients were enrolled in ...
Specialist clinic service for HIV+ mineworkers helps prevent TB.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel clinic helps prevent tuberculosis and other infections in HIV+ mineworkers. "Occupational settings offer an ideal opportunity to provide preventive health services for HIV-infected workers," scientists in South Africa argued. ...
Bone disease biotech company closes $1.6M financing.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Auxeris Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of medicines to treat a broad range of bone diseases, announced the completion of a $1.6M extension to its Series A financing round, bringing ...
Alliance to develop, commercialize influenza vaccines.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aventis (AVE) and Crucell N.V. (CRXL) announced that they have entered into a strategic agreement to further develop and commercialize novel influenza vaccine products based on Crucell's proprietary PER.C6 cell line technology. The ...
CsA derivatives show promise as antiretroviral agents.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A series of novel CsA-derived agents strongly inhibit HIV activity with limited immunomodulatory effects. In a study conducted by M. Evers and colleagues at Aventis Pharma S.A. in Vitry-sur-Seine, France, "Original cyclosporin A (CsA) ...
Blood clot risk not treated preventively, study finds.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a nationwide study of hospitalized patients, researchers at Duke University Medical Center and Brigham and Women's Hospital found that people at risk for developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) - a disorder characterized by the formation of blood ...
Clinical trials firm names Bennett as director.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Averion, Inc., announced the appointment of Randy Bennett as director of late phase studies and clinical monitoring. In this role, Bennett will direct the coordination and execution of late phase trial programs and all clinical ...
$50 million private placement of common stock and warrants issued.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Axonyx, Inc., (AXYX) announced that the company has entered into definitive agreements with new and existing institutional investors relating to a private placement of $50 million of securities through the sale of 9,650,183 shares of common stock ...
Rise in homocysteine level rapidly increases arterial stiffness.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A rise in homocysteine levels causes a rapid increase in arterial stiffness. "Homocysteine appears to be causally related to cardiovascular disease and shown to induce endothelial dysfunction," cardiologists in Australia explained ....
Health contracts guide older adults into regular exercise.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Sedentary older adults exercise more by entering into a health contract that combines a fitness regimen with motivation, social support and memory recall techniques, says a Ball State University gerontologist. A study involving 25 ...
Tentative approvals granted for Modafinil, Topiramate.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (BRL) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Barr Laboratories, Inc., has received tentative approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its generic version of Cephalon's Provigil tablets ...
Inhaled pharmaceuticals maker changes name to Ventaira.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- BattellePharma announced that it has changed its name to Ventaira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., to reflect the company's transition to a specialty pharma company focusing on inhaled pharmaceuticals. "Ventaira is committed to greatly improving ...
Flavonoids inhibit Syk activity and promote degranulation of human mast cells.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Flavonoids inhibit Syk activity and promote degranulation of human mast cells. According to a study from Japan, "To investigate the effect of flavonoids on the activation of p72[superscript]syk (Syk) protein tyrosine kinase which plays a ...
Deoxyribonuclease II cripples nonviral transfection.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Deoxyribonuclease II cripples nonviral transfection. According to recent research from the United States, "DNA delivered in nonviral vectors or as naked DNA must overcome a number of extracellular and intracellular barriers to ...
Idarubicin unlikely to be used for treating primary CNS tumors.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Study results indicate that it is unlikely that Idarubicin (IDA), daunomycin, or other related anthracyclines will be useful for treating primary CNS tumors," researchers say. "IDA, the 4-demethoxy analog of daunomycin, has had ...
New highly scalable GenomeLab system launched.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Beckman Coulter, Inc., (BEC) began shipping its new GenomeLab SNPstream Genotyping System. Capable of performing 4,600 to more than 800,000 genotypes per day, SNPstream offers scalability unmatched by any genetic analysis system ...
Pharmaceutical company announces almost all redeemable warrants exercised.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bentley Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (BNT) announced that almost all of the company's outstanding Class B redeemable warrants were exercised prior to expiration on December 31, 2003. Approximately 5,740,000 Class B warrants were exercised in ...
Report: Market research critical to blockbuster launches.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In an increasingly competitive market, pharmaceutical companies invest more and more in market research to improve product positioning, according to a study by pharmaceutical research firm, Best Practices, LLC. Today's top-performing ...
Lab company reports record operating results for fourth quarter.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc., (BRLI) released its fourth quarter, fiscal year 2003 earnings for the 3 months ending October 31, 2003. For the quarter, the company posted record pre-tax net income of $3,364,174 on record net revenues ...
Pharmaceutical companies establish alliance to develop periodontal product.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- BioMimetic Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (BMPI) announced that it has established a worldwide strategic alliance with Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of Sankyo Co., Ltd., for research, development, marketing and manufacturing of GEM 21S, ...
Subcontract given to develop anthrax vaccines using nanotechnology.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (BPA) announced that it has been awarded a subcontract valued at $658,207 for the development of anthrax vaccines for delivery via alternative routes of administration. The subcontract was awarded to ...
Nanotechnology portfolio expands with U.S. patent.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biophan Technologies, Inc., (BIPH), an innovator, developer, and marketer of advanced biomedical technology, announced that its licensor for nanomagnetic particle technologies has been issued a U.S. patent that covers the use of nanomagnetic ...
Hemopure regulatory status updated following FDA meeting.
Feb 04, 2004 ... 2004 FEB 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biopure Corporation (BPUR) reported that, on January 6, 2004, the company and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) met at Biopure's request to discuss its reply to the FDA complete response letter regarding the company's biologics license ...