Research & Development News

Last week Sanofi-Aventis signed on to a new discovery pact with Germany's Pieris.

Genzyme announced that Renvela (sevelamer carbonate) is being formally launched in the UK market this week.

Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Actelion last night each reported the failure of one of their drugs in pivotal clinical trials.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation has launched what it claims is the first large-scale clinical study focused on identifying and validating biomarkers of Parkinson disease (PD) progression.

Oxford Gene Technology (OGT) has presented potentially highly significant, preliminary data on the development of a panel of biomarkers for the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

AstraZeneca reported that the closely watched prostate cancer therapy zibotentan failed a late-stage trial.

An additional approval for Vectibix in head and neck cancer would have significantly expanded the market for the drug.

Movetis NV, a European gastrointestinal (GI) specialty pharmaceutical company, has started a Phase III clinical trial with prucalopride in male patients with chronic constipation.

Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca received positive news about the most recent late-stage trial of their experimental Type 2 diabetes drug, dapagliflozin.

Evotec has entered into a collaboration with Almirall S.A. to identify small molecule modulators of an ion channel target, selected by Almirall, involved in respiratory diseases.

An all-in-one drug could help prevent hundreds of arthritis sufferers from dying from gastric bleeding.

Almac's Clinical Technologies division has successfully passed one of the UK's first joint routine GCP/GMP Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency inspections at its Craigavon (UK) site.

Novartis has announced that the results of a Phase III study of SOM230 (pasireotide) showed a reduction in cortisol levels in patients with Cushing's disease.

ProtAffin AG presents compelling preclinical data in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for its lead product PA401 at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Barcelona.

Cerno Bioscience has announced that spectral accuracy is a proven companion concept for mass spectrometry (MS).

In this second article exploring new methods of quantifying and analysing the performance characteristics of controlled release products outlines tests for parenteral forms of controlled delivery systems.

Attempts to protect the population from the contagious herpes virus have been hindered by its ability to hide from the body’s immune system. The biotech company BioVex explains how its new vaccine addresses this problem.

US biotech Alnylam is taking another tack – it is developing an RNAi-based drug to attack respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

Wipro Technologies highlights how its electronic solution has helped to manage a client’s process of data collection and trial management in a cost-effective and efficient way.

The provision of instantly injectable, thermo-stable vaccines in tropical temperatures could make cold storage problems a thing of the past. Nova Bio-Pharma Technologies believes it has the technology.

Omecamtiv mecarbil1 is being developed by Cytokinetics in collaboration with Amgen.

Dr Sarah Houlton reviews recent development of gene manipulation technology and its potential application in providing new medicines.

There are several points along the clotting cascade that could be targets for anticoagulants.Edoxaban is being developed by Daiichi Sankyo, and is showing promise in clinical trials.

The annual CPHI events move back to Paris next month. Hilary Ayshford questioned the organisers on their expectations for the shows and the future outlook.

New drug delivery systems or ‘combo’ devices are becoming more prevalent in the market. Mark Botting, UK commercial manager, Isotron, reviews some current challenges and potential future changes in sterilising drug device combination products...

Clinical trials are usually tendered for and awarded on cost. Paul Naybour, md at Parallel Project Training, and Roger Joby, project management consultant at 1to1to1, argue that the focus should be on value rather than cost.

Elastomer maker Precision Polymer Engineering and ChargePoint Technology explain how the optimum elastomer was selected for a split butterfly valve.

Many companies in the cell therapy regenerative medicine market including Roche, Genzyme, Athersys, Miltenyi Biotec, Hospira, Lonza and Life Technologies will join ISCT to launch a series of new initiatives that will create greater strategic alignment ...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved ella? (ulipristal acetate) tablets for emergency contraception. The prescription-only product prevents pregnancy when taken orally within 120 hours (five days) after a contraceptive failure or unprot...

StemCells, Inc. announced the publication of new preclinical data demonstrating that the company’s proprietary human neural stem cells restore lost motor function in mice with chronic spinal cord injury.

Genetix, a leading provider of solutions for imaging and image analysis, announces that it was granted a patent, US 7,776,584 on August 17, 2010. Aspects of this patent are incorporated into ClonePix FL, which is used for the screening and selection of...

Strand Life Sciences has entered into a strategic collaboration with Mazumdar Shaw Comprehensive Cancer Centre (MSCC), part of the multi-specialty hospital, Narayana Hrudalaya, in the area of translational cancer research.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed to withdraw approval of the drug midodrine hydrochloride, used to treat the low blood pressure condition orthostatic hypotension, because required post-approval studies that verify the clinical benefit of ...

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted, for filing and review, the Biologics License Application (BLA) for ipilimumab for the treatment of adult patients with advanced melano...

Nature’s keys – catalysts – can unlock doors to better product yields and faster reactions. Dr Sarah Houlton reviews the latest research using carbon nanofibres, enzymes and even gold for producing new catalysts.

Freelance Sarah Webster describes how Biopharma Technology is using laser-based headspace moisture analysis for rapid and non-destructive moisture determination of freeze-dried pharmaceutical products.