Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/pharma_industry/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114029.php The Biotechnology Industry Organization congratulates the Codex Alimentarius Commission for approving key guidelines to further promote the safety of products from agricultural plant and animal biotechnology. The Codex Commission took final action at its 31st session in Geneva, Switzerland. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113989.php American farmers have adopted genetically engineered (GE) crops widely since their introduction in 1996, especially corn, cotton and soybean varieties, according to a new USDA report. USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) report, Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S. was released July 2, 2008. Key findings include: - Adoption of GE soybeans with HT (herbicide-tolerant) traits reached 92 percent in 2008. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113884.php Low-osmolar contrast media, such as GE Healthcare's Omnipaque (Iohexol), make effective oral contrast agents for abdominal CT scans concluded a technical note written by a team of physicians from Johns Hopkins Medical and published in the March/April 2008 edition of the Journal of Computed Assisted Tomography. "It [Low-osmolar contrast media] is relatively non-absorbable and of low risk to the patient if aspirated," according to the technical note. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113782.php Whistle-blower lawsuits alleging that pharmaceutical companies and government contractors defrauded the federal government have created a backlog of more than 900 cases at the Department of Justice, the Washington Post reports. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113794.php Indian generic pharmaceutical company Cipla recently received full FDA approval to sell and market in the U.S. an oral generic version of the antiretroviral drug zidovudine, the Drug Industry Daily reports. Cipla's application for zidovudine was considered under the expedited review provisions of the Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113784.php An Alabama state court jury on Tuesday found pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis guilty of defrauding the state Medicaid program by charging artificially high prices for medications and ordered the two companies to pay more than $114 million in restitution, the Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113827.php When chemists want to produce a lot of a substance -- such as a newly designed drug -- they often turn to catalysts, molecules that speed chemical reactions. Many jobs require highly specialized catalysts, and finding one in just the right shape to connect with certain molecules can be difficult. Natural catalysts, such as enzymes in the human body that help us digest food, get around this problem by shape-shifting to suit the task at hand. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113805.php Research conducted at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) has contributed significantly to a major licensing agreement signed between Australian biotechnology company, Bionomics, (ASX:BNO) and Germany- based pharmaceutical company, Merck Serono. Under the Development and Licensing Agreement, Merck Serono will seek to develop new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune conditions. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113748.php Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ:TEVA) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted final approval for the Company's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) to market its generic version of Janssen's antipsychotic agent Risperdal® (Risperidone) Tablets, 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg, 3 mg, and 4 mg. Shipment of these products has commenced. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113706.php A broad coalition of Canadian business groups welcomes the bold vision and ambitious scope of the final report of the Competition Policy Review Panel and calls on the federal government to secure the economic future of all Canadians by acting quickly on the report's recommendations. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113648.php Indian generic pharmaceutical companies Cipla and Matrix Laboratories and the HIV/AIDS advocacy group Delhi Network of Positive People, or DNP+, recently filed an objection to an Indian patent office's decision to give a patent to Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113678.php Carbon offsets increasingly are becoming a major component in the arsenal for reducing global warming. Even Bon Jovi, the Rolling Stones and the Dave Matthews Band are doing it: acquiring carbon offsets to reduce the carbon footprint of their tours. As more organizations and businesses start trading in carbon offsets, the need for accurate measurements of carbon emissions also is becoming critically important for fair and exact exchanges. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113511.php Conformia, the market leader of product and process lifecycle management (PPLM) solutions for life sciences, announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Office of Pharmaceutical Sciences (OPS) has asked the Company to expand its Cooperative Research and Development Study (CRADA) focusing on process and product development to 25 companies. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113406.php The Brazilian group Interdisciplinary AIDS Association, or ABIA, has joined Indian patient advocacy groups to oppose a patent application for Gilead Science's antiretroviral drug Tenofovir, saying that the patent would have a direct impact on Brazil's ability to produce and access affordable generic versions of the drug, India's Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113395.php An "intensifying focus on safety and a diminished tolerance for side effects" by FDA have "dramatically lowered" the chances that experimental medications will reach the market and have led to a recent decrease in approvals of new treatments, according to pharmaceutical companies, the Wall Street Journal reports. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113432.php On 1 July 2008, a new Code of Practice comes into effect across Europe to ensure relationships between the pharmaceutical industry and patient organisations are transparent and ethical. The "Code of Practice on Relationships between the Pharmaceutical Industry and Patient Organisations", adopted in October 2007, applies to the 2,200 companies that the European Pharmaceutical Industry Association EFPIA represents directly and indirectly in 31 European countries. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113336.php Clinical Data, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLDA), a leader in the development of targeted therapeutics and predictive tests from its growing portfolio of proprietary genetic biomarkers, announced today that the European Patent Office has granted Patent No. 1232260 to Bernried, Germany-based Epidauros Biotechnologie AG, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Clinical Data, relating to the use of a genetic variant, or biomarker, of the gene MDR1 (also known as ABCB1), which encodes P-glycoprotein (PGP). Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113326.php Praxis, a company specializing in centralized patient recruitment for clinical research studies, recently provided patient recruitment services to a major pharmaceutical company for a study to test an investigational medication for a women's health indication. The recruitment program saved over 13 months off the enrollment period and delivered a 370% return on investment for the sponsor. Praxis' centralized recruitment program directly delivered 58% of all patients randomized into the study. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113237.php Legislation (S 1695) that would create an FDA approval pathway for follow-on biologics would reduce federal health care spending by $5.9 billion and national spending on biotechnology drugs by $25 billion over the next 10 years, according to a Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113153.php Dr Alessandro Banchi (62), Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors at Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH and responsible for Marketing and Sales, has decided after more than 35 years with the Corporation to retire at the end of 2008. His successor will be the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors, Dr Andreas Barner (55), who is currently responsible for Research, Development and Medicine. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113110.php Research scientists and industry leaders will present progress in developing advanced biotech fuels and chemicals through genomics, synthetic biology, and genetic engineering at the upcoming Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy, Sept. 10-12 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Biotechnology Industry Organization announced the full schedule of educational sessions for the Pacific Rim Summit. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112898.php Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood released the following statement regarding the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report issued projecting cost savings from S. 1695, the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2007: "The CBO report shows that developing a pathway to review and approve follow-on biologics will result in cost savings to public and private purchasers of biologic products over a ten year period. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113000.php The European Medicines Agency has recommended updating the product information for ergot-derived dopamine agonists with new warnings and contraindications in relation to the risk of fibrosis. Ergot-derived dopamine agonists are mainly used to treat Parkinson's disease. The class comprises bromocriptine, cabergoline, dihydroergocryptine, lisuride and pergolide, all five of which are authorised at the level of the Member States. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112875.php Proteins are the workhorses of our cells. They help to digest our food, are at the core of our immune system, and literally shape our body from top to toe. Proteins also play an important role in biotechnology in the form of enzymes, which are important in the creation of anything from pharmaceuticals to bread, washing powder and much more. Their possibilities are virtually without limit. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112835.php The pharmaceutical industry spent $168 million on lobbying in 2007, a 32% increase over the previous year, according to a report released Tuesday by the Center for Public Integrity, the Wall Street Journal reports.