Pharma News

Tata 1mg, a digital healthcare platform, on Friday announced that one-third of the people who tested for HbA1c at Tata 1mg Labs, were found to have diabetes, with the highest incidence reported among the 40-60 years age group.

Bayer announced the acquisition of German biotech start-up Targenomix. The spin-off of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology (MPI MPP) uses novel systems biology and computational life science tools to identify new modes of action for crop protection compounds.

In Alzheimer's disease, the degeneration of brain cells is linked to formation of toxic protein aggregates and deposits known as amyloid plaques. Similar processes play an important role also in type 2 diabetes. A research team under the lead of the Technical University of Munich has now developed “mini-proteins”, so-called peptides, which are able to bind the proteins that form amyloids and prevent their aggregation into cytotoxic amyloids.

How can a drug be delivered exactly where it is needed, while limiting the risk of side effects? The use of nanoparticles to encapsulate a drug to protect it and the body until it reaches its point of action is being increasingly studied. However, this requires identifying the right nanoparticle for each drug according to a series of precise parameters.

Novartis announced results from the Phase II open-label extension ORION-3 trial, which showed that Leqvio provides effective low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction over a four-year period in patients with either atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) or ASCVD risk equivalent, and elevated LDL-C despite maximally tolerated statin therapy.

Viatris intends to create an ophthalmology franchise by acquiring Oyster Point Pharma and Famy Life Sciences.

The costliness of drug development and the limitations of studying physiological processes in the lab are two separate scientific issues that may share the same solution.

New findings from a pre-specified analysis of DELIVER Phase III trial data show that AstraZeneca’s Farxiga (dapagliflozin) improved symptom burden and health-related quality of life in patients with heart failure (HF) and mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction (EF) compared with placebo1. The results were presented today at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2022 in Chicago, Illinois, US, and are currently in press in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) which automatically diagnoses lung diseases – such as tuberculosis and pneumonia – could ease winter pressures on hospitals, University of the West of Scotland researchers believe.

Tuberculosis and pneumonia – potentially serious infections which mainly affect the lungs – often require a combination of different diagnostic tests – such as CT scans, blood tests, X-rays, and ultrasounds. These tests can be expensive, with often lengthy waiting times for results.