Pharma News

Scientists have reported first-ever measurements of a key neurotransmitter involved in learning with unprecedented precision in the brains of people with Parkinson's disease.

European and North American blood pressure guidelines, issued last year, may actually increase the stroke risk if adapted for Asian patients, particularly the elderly, experts have warned.

The number of adolescent deaths from AIDS has tripled over the last 15 years, most of the patients having acquired the disease when they were infants, according to new data released on Friday by Unicef.

In a setback to Cipla, the Delhi High Court on Friday held that the Indian drug major was infringing Swiss pharmaceutical company Hoffman-La Roche's patent in lung cancer drug erlotinib hydrochloride, sold under the name of Tarceva.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved NINLARO® (ixazomib) capsules, the first and only oral proteasome inhibitor, indicated in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy. NINLARO is a once-weekly pill.

Novartis announced  that the European Commission (EC) has approved EntrestoTM (sacubitril/valsartan) for the treatment of adult patients with symptomatic chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Entresto is a twice a day tablet and has a unique mode of action which is thought to reduce the strain on the failing heart.

Mylan N.V.  announced the U.S. launch of Dextroamphetamine Saccharate, Amphetamine Aspartate, Dextroamphetamine Sulfate and Amphetamine Sulfate Tablets (mixed salts of a single entity amphetamine product), 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg and 30 mg, which is the generic version of Teva's Adderall® Tablets. Mylan received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for this product, which is indicated for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

GSK announced that the European Commission has approved a variation to expand the current therapeutic indication for Volibris® (ambrisentan) to include its use in combination treatment for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Volibris is indicated for treatment of PAH in adult patients of WHO Functional Class (FC) II to III, including use in combination treatment.

In some good news for people with receding hairlines, scientists have identified new drugs that could stimulate rapid and robust hair growth, offering a potential cure for baldness. The drugs inhibit a family of enzymes inside hair follicles that are suspended in a resting state, restoring hair growth, researchers said. In experiments with mouse and human hair follicles, Angela M Christiano from Columbia University Medical Center and colleagues found that drugs that inhibit the Janus kinase (JAK) family of enzymes promote rapid and robust hair growth when directly applied to the skin.