There’s a ton of stuff going on this week, plus we’re in pre-ASCO mode (so lots of oncology news – scroll down for those headlines). Here we go:
What’s a vaptan? Maybe something pretty exciting – A new class of drugs called vaptans may be able to treat a wide variety of conditions including painful periods, brain hemorrhage, psychotic disorders and glaucoma, Belgian researchers report…more
One less tree in that Forest – Forest Laboratories Inc has ended its agreement with Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd to co-promote Daiichi’s blood-pressure drug Azor, as Forest shifts resources to support other products, the companies said on Monday…more
Viagra: good for MD? – Researchers found the way the drug works to combat impotence may also help ward off heart failure in muscular dystrophy patients…more
OK, it’s not pharma per se, but it’s way too cool: Nanohealing – A startup based in Cambridge, MA, says that it plans to soon begin clinical trials of a nanostructured material that stops bleeding almost instantly…more
Here’s a switch: the FDA downgrading a warning – The FDA has eased restrictions on drugs used to enhance ultrasound images of the heart…more
Abbott’s new stent looking very good: interesting backstory – Abbott said this morning that its Xience stent outperformed Boston Scientific’s Taxus on several measures in a two-year study. The results mean the stent is likely to get the green light from the FDA soon…more
Merck and Ranbaxy: let’s develop something together – Merck signed a deal on Monday with Indian generics giant Ranbaxy to codevelop a new line of anti-infectives. As part of the agreement, Ranbaxy stands to receive more than $100 million for each drug that passes a certain milestone. That’s on top of an undisclosed upfront payment…more
Takeda’s financial results hiccup: no surprise when you’re buying another company! – Japan’s largest drug manufacturer, Takeda Pharmaceutical, reported on Friday its first operating profit decline in 16 years and warned that the net profit in fiscal 2009 would diminish by more than a half as a result of its recent $8.8 billion deal to buy Millennium Pharmaceuticals in the United States…more
Daiichi Sankyo: the ups and downs of growth – Daiichi Sankyo Co., Japan’s third- largest drugmaker, had a 44 percent jump in quarterly net income, led by higher sales of its blood pressure treatments. The company predicts profit will drop this year…more
Trasylol bows out – Bayer AG is removing remaining supplies of its heart-surgery drug Trasylol from the U.S. market after a long-awaited study found it raised the risk of death compared to two alternatives, U.S. regulators said on Wednesday…more
Diabetes beating cholesterol on spending – Diabetes treatments are now the leading driver of prescription drug spending growth, displacing lipid-lowering drugs which fell precipitously after a decade of reigning in the top position, as generic drugs cut the cost of treating high cholesterol…more
The heartbreak of psoriasis to be lessened soon? – A top Johnson & Johnson research official said on Wednesday the company’s experimental drug ustekinumab could become the “gold standard” for treating psoriasis, in part because it would require only four injections a year…more
J&J gets crossed off in court – Remember that truth-is-stranger-than-fiction drama that featured Johnson & Johnson suing the American Red Cross over the use of the red cross logo? Turns out it’s not going so well for J&J. A judge today threw out most of what was left of the case, the Associated Press reports…more
On the Oncology/pre-ASCO front:
Cancer drugs: the big growth area? – Sales of cancer drugs will grow at nearly double the rate of the global pharmaceutical market and could reach $80 billion by 2012, according to IMS Health, which tracks prescription drug sales…more
Novartis’ experimental RAD001 making strides with kidney cancer – Nearly two-thirds of kidney cancer patients taking Novartis AG’s RAD001 had progression of their disease delayed by a year, a significantly better result than in those taking placebo, investigators said…more
Novartis’ Zometa may slow cancer progression: A drug prescribed to prevent fractures in breast cancer patients whose tumors have spread may actually help slow the cancer itself, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday…more
Pharmalot has links to some other early ASCO news, including Avastin, Herceptin, Vectibix, Denosumab, and Alimta.
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