Researchers at the University of Liverpool and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland have discovered a gene that has the potential to indicate if epilepsy patients starting drug treatment are likely to experience side-effects resulting in blistering of the skin.
New research from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) has proven that there are very specific changes in the genetic makeup of people suffering from cancer and those who don’t have cancer. The researchers from VBI have developed a new technology that catches these genetic changes, which help in differentiating cancer patients from healthy individuals. The future purpose of this technology could be in creating a cancer predisposition test. The team also included scientists from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Continue reading ‘Genetic Differences between Cancer and Non-Cancer Patients’
More drugs are hitting the recall list these days. As CNN Money reports, the number of recalls hit 1,742 last year–that’s an increase of 309 percent over 2008. “We’ve seen a trend where the last four years are among the top five for the most number of drug recalls since we began tallying recalls in 1988,” says Bowman Cox, managing editor of the Gold Sheet, a trade pub that analyzes FDA data. “That’s a meaningful development.”
Think Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) has had enough of buyouts for awhile, now that it’s partially digested the $68 billion Wyeth acquisition? Think again. CFO Frank D’Amelio told the German newspaper Handelsblatt that the company is scouting for potential buys in several specific areas, including emerging markets.
A Utah doctor is being sent to jail for his connection to an illegal online pharmacy that sold more than eight million weight-loss pills manufactured in Mexico. Dr James A Brinton was sentenced to three years in a federal penitentiary after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute phentermine and conspiracy to commit international money laundering, according to the Desert News. The doctor was one of 18 people who were charged with crimes in connection to the Lighthouse Meds website.
Continue reading ‘Utah Doctor Sentenced to Three Years for Illegal Online Pharmacy’
Over the next five years, the market for biosimilars will swell to $10 billion, but only a handful of players with deep pockets and world-class R&D facilities will be able to play. And that means that most small- and medium-size drug developers will never have a chance of leaping into the new market for follow-on biologics.
Continue reading ‘Only the Biggest Developers can play the Biosimilar Game’
Chang Lu and his chemical engineering research group at Virginia Tech have discovered how to “greatly enhance” the delivery of DNA payloads into cells. The description of their work will be featured on the cover of Lab on a Chip, the premier journal for researchers in microfluidics. Lu’s ultimate goal is to apply this technique to create genetically modified cells for cancer immunotherapy, stem cell therapy and tissue regeneration.
Continue reading ‘New Spin on DNA Delivery: Enhanced Delivery Method of DNA Payloads into Cells’
The clock is ticking on Pfizer’s final, 18-month countdown on its $11.5 billion Lipitor franchise, but analysts are growing increasing fretful about the pharma giant’s ability to find new drugs to fill the looming revenue chasm. Pfizer had to admit that it suspended a slate of osteoarthritis trials after its highly touted pain drug tanezumab–billed as the world’s first likely biologic for pain–was linked to potentially perilous safety issues. And that came just two days after the company had to pull the cancer therapy Mylotarg from the market.
Continue reading ‘Pfizer’s Litany of Pipeline Snafus Cause Analysts to Fret’
While the overall economy may be flagging, Maryland says that its biotech industry is booming. And the governor wants to keep the momentum going with a few new industry incentives. Gov. Martin O’Malley told reporters that the biotech industry added more than a thousand jobs in the last three months; that’s 10 percent of the state’s total tally of new jobs. And he touted a report from Battelle Technology Partnership Practice claiming that the state’s biotech industry has been expanding aggressively for the last several years.
Continue reading ‘MD Governor Touts a Booming Biotech Biz, New Jobs’
Craig Venter has never been reluctant to credit himself for a lead role in sequencing the human genome. And he’s certainly not the least bit shy about placing a high value on the overall significance of the work. “I think it’s far more important than walking on the Moon; not much has happened since walking on the Moon,” he tells the BBC on the tenth anniversary of the grand achievement, which took 2,000 scientists more than 10 years and $2.7 billion to accomplish.
Continue reading ‘Importance of Human Genome Sequencing Still Debated – 10 Years Later’
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