Archive for the 'International News' Category
December 22nd, 2010 by admin
In a rare victory against AIDS, German scientists say that three years after a unique stem cell transplant was tried on a patient, “cure of HIV has been achieved in this” man. This is the first time anyone has been pronounced cured of the disease. But as New Scientist notes, their radical therapy strategy offers no hope for the tens of millions of people around the world with the lethal virus.
Continue reading ‘First HIV “Cure” Comes with a Very Big Catch’
November 10th, 2010 by admin
Research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B reveals that a group of researchers based in Germany have developed a retinal implant that has allowed three blind people to see shapes and objects within days of the implant being installed.
Continue reading ‘Retinal Implant Enables Blind People to See’
November 9th, 2010 by admin
Underscoring the rapid global shift of drug R&D into China, Eli Lilly announced plans to set up a new research center in Shanghai that will initially hire up about 100 scientists and support staff to explore new therapies for diabetes and its twin co-morbidities–obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Continue reading ‘Lilly Plans New R&D Complex in China’
October 18th, 2010 by admin
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have shown how stem cells, together with other cells, repair damaged tissue in the mouse spinal cord. The results are of potential significance to the development of therapies for spinal cord injury. There is hope that damage to the spinal cord and brain will one day be treatable using stem cells (i.e. immature cells that can develop into different cell types). Stem cell-like cells have been found in most parts of the adult human nervous system, although it is still unclear how much they contribute to the formation of new, functioning cells in adult individuals.
Continue reading ‘Stem Cells Repair Damaged Spinal Cord Tissue’
October 14th, 2010 by admin
The Indian pharmaceutical industry has been shaken up lately, worried that multinational drugmakers will come in and completely take over their drug market. The fears aren’t unfounded; Big Pharma, after all, has been targeting the subcontinent as a key location for expansion, as sales-growth slows in the U.S. and Europe.
Continue reading ‘Pharma Protests Indian Licensing Proposal’
October 12th, 2010 by admin
Next year is shaping up to be slightly better for global pharma growth. But once again, it’s emerging markets leading the charge. According to IMS Health’s annual forecast, double-digit expansion in developing countries next year will make up for less-exciting growth in the U.S. and Europe.
Continue reading ‘China to Fuel Bigger Pharma Growth in 2011′
October 8th, 2010 by admin
With all the buzz about Sanofi’s new Covance deal and its ongoing struggle to gain control of Genzyme, it was easy to overlook CEO Chris Viehbacher’s pipeline review for the Big Pharma company. Viehbacher has been engaged in a head-to-toe revamp of R&D from his first day at the helm. Late last week he pronounced the effort as still very much a work in progress. But he laid bare some key strategies that will drive partnerships and outsourcing plans for years to come–regardless of what happens with Genzyme.
Continue reading ‘Big Pharma’s Finding New Ways to Cut Costs and Speed Up Trials’
October 7th, 2010 by admin
Singapore strengthened its research and development focus on money-making outcomes and will set up a S$1.35 billion ($1 billion) fund to promote closer ties with the science and technology industries. Out of the $16.1 billion the government has budgeted to spend on research and development from 2011 to 2015, 70 percent will be for projects aimed at achieving economic success, rising from 65 percent in the past five years, Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang said in a speech in Singapore.
Continue reading ‘Singapore Plans $1 Billion Fund for Research, Focuses on Economic Returns’
October 6th, 2010 by admin
A group of European experts are pondering a new set of rules to govern the development of biosimilar monoclonal antibodies, paving the way for a lower-cost version of some of the world’s priciest therapeutics. But despite the big market that waits for these biosimilars, regulators say this field will be so tough to crack that they expect to see only a handful of applications each year.
Continue reading ‘Few Pharmas Expected to Tackle Biosimilar Antibodies’
September 28th, 2010 by admin
Takeda Pharmaceutical Industries is just the latest major drugmaker to announce its aims for big growth in China. But this time, the company isn’t looking for triple or even quadruple its current sales in the country. It’s looking to boost its Chinese revenues tenfold. President Yasuchika Hasegawa freely admits that the company’s been trying for years to increase its annual Chinese sales past $40 million, Bloomberg reports. That’s because 50 percent to 60 percent of its local sales force was bailing out every year. That’s a huge rate of attrition, even compared with the 10 percent to 20 percent seen at other Chinese companies.
Continue reading ‘Takeda Hopes to Boost Chinese Ops’
