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Mar31
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Findings of Merck's two-year Phase lll study of taranabant, the investigational cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1R) blocker, showed that patients had a statistically significant weight loss when combining the drug with diet and exercise. The findings, presented at the 57th annual scientific session of the American College of Cardiology, found that those taking 2 mg of taranabant had more than twice the weight loss in a 52 week period than those taking a placebo. "Based on the benefit-risk considerations and the lack of a substantial improvement in the efficacy of taranabant at the 4 mg and 6 mg doses seen in our clinical program compared to the 2 mg dose, we have decided to continue to evaluate taranabant in doses up to and including 2 mg in our Phase III studies," said John Amatruda, M.D., vice president of clinical research, Metabolic Disorders, Merck Research Laboratories. "We have a robust Phase III clinical program in place, and we look forward to presenting further results later this year."
The drug is a highly selective blocker of CB1R which is believed to be responsible for regulating weight by controlling appetite and food intake, energy expenditure and food cravings. [Source: CentreDaily]
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Mar31
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A recent study by Dr Rene Kahn of the University Medical Centre Utrecht in the Netherlands found that newer schizophrenia drugs are no more effective that the older drug haloperidol. However, the study also found that patients tended to believe...
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Norvasc (Amlodipine Besylate) is a prescription medication for hypertension from Pfizer Inc. It is available in 88 countries and has been tested in over 700 clinical studies.Norvasc controls high blood pressure for 24 hours and is also used to treat...
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Novartis’ new hypertension drug Lotrel proved to be so effective that a clinical trial was stopped early. The medication which combines two blood pressure medications is targeted to prevent heart attacks and strokes.The trial compared two high blood pressure pills to...
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Mar28
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced new guidelines for testing drug-coated stents. This comes after two years and is in response to safety concerns towards the use of the devices. It will be recommended that large, analytic studies be...
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Company Name, Symbol, Share Price, Change Abbott Laboratories' (NYSE:ABT) - $53.07 -0.48 (-0.90%) AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) - $36.54 -0.82 (-2.19%) Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) - $21.48 +0.18 (+0.85%) Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE:LLY) - $50.29 -0.14 (-0.28%) GlaxoSmithKline(NYSE:GSK) - $42.28 -0.30 (-0.70) Merck & Co. (NYSE:MRK) -...
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It's been a busy couple of weeks in the pharma and health industry. Here are some of the more interesting articles that we didn't get time to cover:Gaps Persist in Use of Less Invasive Breast Cancer Procedure (HealthDay) Once-Daily Insulin...
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Mar27
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that a Johnson and Johnson foot gel that is used by diabetics may increase the risk of cancer.The gel, Regranex, was found to increase the number of cancer deaths of people who had...
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Pharmaceutical companies will need to share information about clinical trials with regulators. Britain plans to force these companies to share their information after GlaxoSmithKline PLC purposely withheld important information regarding one of their antidepressants. They found that this particular antidepressant...
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The newest drug that has been linked to suicidal behavior, in both adults and children, is the ever popular asthma medication Singulair. This drug, used to treat allergy type symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing as well as asthma, is...
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Mar26
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New research at Scott & White Clinic at in Temple, Texas suggests that the solution used in preparation for a patient to undergo a colonoscopy can cause acute kidney failure and long-term kidney damage.The research suggests that while the risks...
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Mar25
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Treanda (bebdanustine hydrocloride) for patients with the slow growing blood and bone marrow cancer chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).The drug, marketed by Cephalon, is a chemotherapy drug that has shown to slow the...
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a statement concerning Pfizer’s drug Spiriva stating that the drug may increase the risk of stroke. While the FDA stated that the risk assessment of the lung drug is not conclusive, the agency...
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Mar24
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A new study by found that patients who received free drug samples had significantly higher prescription drug expenses that patients who did not receive samples. The study found that patients who received free samples spent $166 in the six months...
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Accentia Biopharmaceuticals announced that its SinuNase has failed to meet the main goal of a late-stage clinical trial.SinuNase which was a potential treatment for chronic sinusitis did not achieve te required level of statistical difference when compared to results of a placebo.Accentia...
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Mar14
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Company Name, Symbol, Share Price, ChangeAbbott Laboratories' (NYSE:ABT) - $51.38 -1.17 (-2.23%) AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) - $36.15 -1.40 (-2.88%) Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) - $20.64 -0.77 (-3.06%) Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE:LLY) - $47.81 -1.35 (-2.75%) GlaxoSmithKline(NYSE:GSK) - $40.85 -0.59 (-1.42) Merck & Co. (NYSE:MRK) -...
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This week saw a number of articles about pregnancy, breast feeding and advice for newborn screenings. We also saw a number of articles covering the discovery of a biochemical that may lead to tests for depression. Here are those stories...
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Dr. Jim Young of University Hospital Basel, Switzerland believes that a recent study he led shows that doctors often have difficulty discerning between sinus infections that can be cured by antibiotics and those that can't.Due to the increased resistance to...
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IMS Health released compiled data that showed that prescription drug sales rose by 3.8 percent in 2007 making it the slowest growth rate in over 45 years.Total sales were $286.5 billion in 2007 with a growth rate of 3.8%. Prescription...
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The U.S Food and Drug Administration issued an alert on the safe use of Tussionex Pennkinetic Extended Release Suspension. The alert is in reposnse to numerous reports of adverse events including death due to improper use of the product.The prescription...
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Mar 7
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It's been an busy week in the world of health news and here are some of the more interesting articles.They aren't all pharmaceutical related but they do relate to health and well-being and are a good read. Interesting Articles for Week of...
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At the end of January Baxter Healthcare issued a voluntary recall of specific batches of their heparin products due to reports of adverse events. On Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that test had revealed a "heparin-like contaminant...
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued Warning Letters to six U.S companies for marketing unapproved and misbranded drug that are being sold over the internet claiming to prevent and treat sexually transmitted diseases.The products are sold as Tetrasil, Genisil,...
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A new study suggests that a vaccine that blocks angiotensin II receptors could eventually replace hypertension medications. Blocking the angiotensin II receptors results in relaxing the blood vessels and thus reduces blood pressure. The benefit of this type of vaccine is...
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