On Apr. 27, 2011, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the composition of a working group tasked with making recommendations about the training of the next generation of biomedical researchers. The group will be co-chaired by Dr. Shirley Tilghman, president of Princeton University, and Dr. Sally Rocky, NIH deputy director for extramural research. Ten other scientists, most of them from academia, will complete the group.
Warner Chilcott, a specialty pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Dublin, announced its plans to restructure in a press release on Apr. 18, 2011, which places 500 Western European jobs on the line. The decision came after a strategic review of operations following the loss of Actonel's patent exclusivity in late 2010. Accounting for approximately 70% of the company's Western European revenues, Actonel (risedronate sodium) is a monthly, oral medication for the prevention and treatment of ostioporosis.
FDA has released a list of its strategic priorities for the next five years to address new global challenges. The document, titled ?Strategic Priorities 2011?2015: Responding to the Public Health Challenges of the 21st Century?, provides a vision for FDA. This vision includes a new field of regulatory science that uses innovations in science and technology to ensure the safety and effectiveness of products, according to the document, which also includes proposals for meeting the needs of the world?s unique populations.
Shanghai Pharmaceutical and Pfizer have signed a memorandum of understanding for the companies to jointly pursue potential business opportunities in China.
The IMS institute has released its report on the use of medicines in the United States during 2010. The report looks at consumer spending on prescription drugs, and presents data on how many prescriptions have been filled, in which therapeutic areas, and compares use of generics with branded drugs.
A Record Number of Therapies for Cancer Currently in Development
Merck Forms Joint Venture with Sun Pharmaceutical
FDA Publishes Guidance for Preventing Cross-Contamination
J&J Announces Settlement for Corrupt Practices
J&J Reorganizes Consumer Group
Pfizer's Capsugel Fetches $2.375 Billion
Nigeria Looks to Simple Packaging Controls and International Cooperation to Curb Counterfeit Drugs
sanofi Completes Genzyme Acquisition
AstraZeneca Agrees to $1.1-Billion Settlement to US and UK Tax Authorities
Biosimilars Market will be Worth $3.7 Billion by 2015
New Challenges for Use of Embryonic Stem Cells
Sanofi Issues Bonds to Fund Genzyme Acquisition
Merck Sells Contract Biopharmaceutical Business to Fujifilm
Johnson and Johnson Acquires Vaccine Developer Crucell
EMA Challenged Over Conflict-of-Interest Case
Rare Disease Day 2011 ? "Rare but Equal"
President's Budget Allocates More Funding to FDA
EMA Releases New Guidance on Stem Cell Products
Follow-on Biologics Grow in India
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the vaccine Gardasil, manufactured by Merck and Co. Inc. (Whitehouse Station, NJ), for the prevention of anal cancer and associated precancerous lesions due to human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16, and 18 in people ages 9 through 26, according to an FDA press release.
At a press conference in Edina, Minnesota, on Dec. 30, 2010, US Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) urged the US Food and Drug Administration and the pharmaceutical industry to address what she called an ?unprecedented? shortage of prescription drugs, especially for chemotherapy. ?Physicians, pharmacists, and patients are currently among the last to know when an essential drug will no longer be available. That?s not right. There needs to be better coordination between the pharmaceutical industry, the FDA, and healthcare providers so patients don?t lose access to the medications they depend on,? said Klobuchar in a press release.
London-based drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Immutep S.A. (Orsay, France) have signed a license agreement granting GSK exclusive worldwide rights to ImmuTune IMP731 and any other antibodies that deplete LAG-3 positive cells. IMP731 has demonstrated potency at low doses in preclinical models of T-cell mediated inflammation and could represent a new therapeutic approach to the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
US researchers say they have developed a vaccine that may someday help cocaine addicts kick their habits. The vaccine combines a segment of the common cold virus with a molecule similar to cocaine, according to a study published in the online edition of Molecular Therapy.
Amgen (Thousand Oaks, CA) and Xencor, Inc. (Monrovia, CA) will collaborate to develop XmAb5871, an Fc-engineered monoclonal antibody dually targeting CD19 and CD32b. XmAb5871 is currently in late-stage preclinical development for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Avila Therapeutics, Inc. (Waltham, MA) and France-based sanofi-aventis have signed a global alliance to discover targeted covalent drugs for the treatment of cancers. Under the alliance agreement, sanofi-aventis obtains a worldwide exclusive license to develop and commercialize the compounds resulting from the discovery collaboration.
