Hello, everyone, and how are you today? Once again, a spot of rain is descending on the Pharmalot campus, where we are keeping our spirits up by quaffing cups of stimulation. Our flavor today is Blueberry Cobbler, for those keeping track. As always, we invite you to join us, or, if you prefer, a bottle of water may do the trick. In any event, time to get cracking. Here are some tidbits to help you along. Hope you have a successful day …
Despite significant medical advances, the US remains in danger of losing the war on AIDS, according to an essay in The New England Journal of Medicine that was co-authored by Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, who heads the Center for Disease Prevention and Control. “Hundreds of thousands of people with diagnosed HIV infection are not receiving care or antiretroviral treatment,” they wrote. “These people account for most new HIV transmission.”
Valeant Pharmaceuticals stock is rebounding, somewhat, after the drug maker found itself enduring a scandal over its business practices, The Wall Street Journal writes. The shares jumped almost 10 percent Tuesday and closed at $98.72, up $8.76 for the day and marked the highest close in a month. Still, the stock is down 31 percent so far this year, and has fallen 56 percent in the last three months.
A second patient in a Zafgen clinical trial testing an obesity drug in people with a rare genetic disorder has died from a pulmonary embolism, Xconomy reports. The death further clouds the future of the drug as Zafgen stock fell about 50 percent yesterday on the news. The protocol for the Phase III trial had been modified in October after a trial participant died of an embolism.
China is gearing up to bolster its domestic pharmaceutical industry and multi-national drug makers report they are encountering more competition from local generic drugs, Reuters says.
The number of new cases of diabetes in the US is declining, falling by about a fifth from 2008 to 2014, The New York Times writes, citing CDC data.
Novo Nordisk purchased a type 2 diabetes drug program from Xoma in a deal that could be worth up to $295 million, according to Pharmafile.
The European Medicines Agency says drug makers cannot replace pivotal clinical trials that do not comply with standards while their marketing applications are being assessed, Regulatory Focus reports.
The European Commission expanded usage of Pfizer’s Xalkori to include first-line treatment of adults with a form of lung cancer, Pharma Times writes.
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