When only a handful of manufacturers supply a given drug, production problems at any of those companies can lead to a shortage. Earlier this year, problems at Ben Venue’s Bedford, Ohio, site contributed to shortages of the cancer drug Doxil. The shortages are likely to continue now that Ben Venue has suspended manufacturing at the plant. Read more »

The coming patent cliff and the nation’s continuing economic problems have tightened many drugmakers’ R&D budgets. Cancer research has remained a priority, however, as GE Healthcare’s recent $1-billion investment in oncology demonstrates. Two recent studies show the importance of this research by offering glimmers of hope. Read more »

Every now and then, media headlines become excited by a new potential ‘cure’ for cancer. Usually, this excitement stems from the results of very early research, which often involves a vegetable. Tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, sprouts and beetroot have all had their turn in the spotlight over the years. Read more »

A dosage form that delivers several drugs, either at once or in succession, can have many benefits for patients. The administered drugs could have synergistic effects when delivered together, and the convenient dosage form could improve patient compliance. And, of course, reformulating several drugs for codelivery could help breathe new life into a company’s patents. All of these advantages came to mind when I learned about a multiple-compartment gel capsule developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Read more »

Innovative research is constantly being carried out in the pharma industry so it’s easy to start letting your eyes glide over some of the developments taking place. This week though a lot of eyes have been pulled to a study involving magnetically controlled pills. Many people would rather take drugs orally than via injection, but tablets do not always dissolve at exactly the right site in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract for absorption into the bloodstream. Magnetically-controlled pills, however, enable a tablet to be held in place at the correct site in the GI tract to optimize absorption. Read more »

The start of a new year, particularly a new decade, brings a sense of resolve that helps to bring a clarity of purpose. Looking back at 2009, we have chronicled much change in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries—the megamergers, the impact of the financial crisis on the emerging pharma sector, slowing pharmaceutical industry growth, the rise of emerging markets, and the resulting changes on the supplier base. All important concerns, but in the spirit of the beginning of a new year and decade, I would like to take a moment to look at the heart of the matter for the pharmaceutical industry—the promise of new drug development. Read more »

This week the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), which is the California state body responsible for stem-cell research funding, and two international partners in Canada and the United Kingdom, announced awards totaling $230 million to 14 research teams in California, Canada, and the UK to develop stem-cell-based therapies for 11 diseases. The funding, in the form of four-year grants, marks the first CIRM funding that is explicitly expected to result in filings with the US Food and Drug Administration for initial human clinical testing of therapies based on stem-cell research, according to a CIRM press release. Read more »

I’ve been paying attention to Merck’s (Whitehouse Station, NJ) Gardasil vaccine ever since I first heard of it because it’s a subject that combines biopharmaceuticals, gender issues, and the politics of public health. At first, critics contended that giving young girls Merck’s human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine would not just prevent cervical cancer, but also promote promiscuity. This concern may have subsided, but two new wrinkles in the Gardasil story came to light on Friday. Read more »

The pace of progress in stem-cell research seems to be quickening, and the field’s future looks promising. Last week, a team at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute found what looks like a revolutionary way to create stem cells that could be safe enough to use as treatments in humans. Read more »

Prostate cancer remains one of the most common cancers and the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men, according to the American Cancer Society. So far, treatments for prostate cancer include drugs that affect the entire body, instead of only cancer cells. Work by a team of researchers at Purdue University offers hope they have found a new method of not only finding and targeting these cancer cells, but also carry therapeutic drugs directly to the site of infection. Read more »