Treatment | Page 379 of 465

Diabetes :: Merck KGaA & Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Collaboration on DPPIV Inhibitor for Type 2 Diabetes

Merck KGaA and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals S.A (Switzerland), a wholly owned subsidiary of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals India (GPL), have entered into an agreement for Glenmark?s DPPIV inhibitor GRC 8200, a treatment for type 2 diabetes in Phase II of clinical development. The transaction is expected to close this year upon approval of the exclusive license to GRC 8200 by the U.S. anti-trust agencies under the HSR Act.

Heart Disease :: Ivabradine – treatment for individuals with angina, stable angina

Heart rate reduction is the cornerstone of the treatment of angina. To date, β-blockers have been the best drugs with which to achieve this. Heart rate is set by the pacemaker cells in the sinus node. Specific cardiac ion channels, f-channels, have been identified that control the rate at which these pacemaker cells initiate cardiac contraction. A selective and specific f-channel (f) current inhibitor, ivabradine, has now been developed that reduces heart rate to a degree similar to that achieved with β-blockers, but without their side effects. Ivabradine is now available for clinical use and promises to be a major and exciting treatment for individuals with angina.

Diabetes :: NovoMix insulin – effective & safe for patients with type 2 diabetes

Data presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 42nd Conference in Copenhagen showed NovoMix? 30 (biphasic insulin aspart) to have comparable efficacy to basal-bolus combination therapy, with a similar safety profile in patients previously treated with oral antidiabetic therapy. These findings follow on from the European Commission?s recent decision to approve NovoMix? 30 as the first premixed insulin suitable for once-daily initiation and subsequent intensification of treatment, if needed. The data also confirm the position of NovoMix? 30 as an appropriate treatment choice for patients who prefer a convenient, effective once or twice-daily insulin therapy.

Erectile Dysfunction :: Cialis – tadalafil for erectile dysfunction, with Eli Lilly

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced that it has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire ICOS Corporation (Nasdaq: ICOS), based in Bothell, Washington, in a cash transaction. Since 1998, Lilly and ICOS have been partners in Lilly ICOS LLC, the joint venture that manufactures, markets and sells Cialis?(tadalafil). Successfully launched in 2003, Cialis is an oral PDE-5 inhibitor for the treatment of erectile dysfunction that is available in more than 100 countries.

Diabetes :: JANUVIA, sitagliptin phosphate – the First and Only DPP-4 Inhibitor for Type 2 Diabetes

Merck & Co., Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved JANUVIA (sitagliptin phosphate), the first and only DPP-4 inhibitor available in the United States for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. JANUVIA has been approved as monotherapy and as add-on therapy to either of two other types of oral diabetes medications, metformin or thiazolidinediones (TZDs), to improve blood sugar (glucose) control in patients with type 2 diabetes when diet and exercise is not enough. The recommended dose of JANUVIA is 100 mg once daily. JANUVIA should not be used in patients with type 1 diabetes or for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis, as it would not be effective in these settings.

Hepatitis :: Roche and InterMune’s ITMN-191 HCV protease inhibitor for hepatitis c

Roche and InterMune Inc. announced that the companies have entered into an exclusive worldwide collaboration agreement to develop and commercialize products from InterMune?s Hepatitis C (HCV) protease inhibitor program. The agreement includes InterMune?s lead candidate compound ITMN-191, expected to enter clinical trials before the end of the year. The companies will also collaborate on a research program to identify, develop and commercialize novel second-generation HCV protease inhibitors.

Flu :: GlaxoSmithKline?s new generation flu vaccine shows a significant seroprotection

New data released today demonstrate significantly better immune responses in the age range 65 and above when vaccinated with GSK?s new generation (adjuvanted) seasonal flu vaccine compared to a traditional seasonal flu vaccine. These new data are highly important, since the disease burden and death toll is highest among the elderly in each flu season. The data, presented at the Influenza Vaccines for the World (IVW) 2006 Congress, showed the seroprotection rate (90.5%) achieved by the new adjuvanted vaccine in the elderly to be more than 25% higher than that reported in the age matched comparator group.

Influenza :: Switzerland to purchase GSK?s H5N1 influenza vaccine for pre-pandemic use

GlaxoSmithKline (plc) today announced that a supply contract has been signed by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health and GlaxoSmithKline for 8 million doses of GSK?s H5N1 antigen influenza vaccine and its proprietary adjuvant for pre-pandemic use. The order provides enough doses, one per head of the entire Swiss population, to help prepare the immune system against the threat of a human influenza pandemic and is the first national programme to do so. Supply and stockpiling of the pre-pandemic vaccine is expected in early 2007 once the Swiss regulatory agency, Swissmedic, has reviewed and approved GSK?s regulatory file.

Eyes :: Bayer & Regeneron’s VEGF Trap for the treatment of eye diseases, AMD

Bayer HealthCare (NYSE: BAY) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: REGN) today announced that the companies have entered into a collaboration agreement for the global development, and commercialization outside the U.S., of the VEGF Trap for the treatment of eye disease by local administration (VEGF Trap-Eye). The VEGF Trap-Eye, currently in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials, is a protein that binds to or ?traps? vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and blocks its activity. VEGF is thought to play a critical role in certain eye diseases.

Eating Disorders :: Hair reveals eating disorders – Utah’s Brigham Young University

US scientists have come up with a new way to determine whether someone is suffering from an eating disorder – examining their hair. A study released by researchers from Utah’s Brigham Young University found that examining carbon and nitrogen in the proteins of hair could reveal information about a person’s day-to-day nutrition.