Pharma News

A new study shows that intense immunosuppression followed by a hematopoietic stem cell transplant may prevent disability associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) from getting worse in 71% of people with relapsing-remitting MS for up to 10 years after the treatment. The research is published in the January 20, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study also found that in some people their disability improved over 10 years after treatment.

A new potential therapy for COVID-19 developed by researchers at Rush University Medical Center has shown success in preventing the disease’s symptoms in mice.

UV-radiation can affect hormone levels of postmenopausal women negatively and this may contribute to several health issues.
The concentration of oestrogens in the blood affects a woman’s health in many ways. For example, oestrogens contribute to a strong bone structure and help wounds heal more quickly.

“When a woman reaches menopause, we see the levels of oestrogens decline and an increase of other hormones, called gonadotropins”, says Kai Triebner at the University of Bergen.

EdiGene, Inc announced the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved the Company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for ET-01, an investigational CRISPR/Cas 9 gene-editing therapy for patients with transfusion dependent β-thalassemia. It marks the first gene-editing therapy and the first hematopoietic stem cell therapy IND application approval in China.

“NextPharma is an established and well-respected company, with extensive experience in oral and topical finished dosage forms. As such, it is the ideal buyer given the technologies available at the Ploermel and Edinburgh sites. We are confident that the capabilities and experience at the two sites are a complementary fit with NextPharma’s portfolio and that it is ideally placed to develop both to their full potential.

KU Leuven researchers have identified the biological mechanism that explains why some people experience abdominal pain when they eat certain foods. The finding paves the way for more efficient treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and other food intolerances. The study, carried out in mice and humans, was published in Nature.

Health committee, PHDCCI in association with Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Govt. of India organized the second series of Self Sufficiency in Medical Technology on “Innovation & Incentivisation of Indigenous MedTech Manufacturing” on 15th January 2021.

In a significant development, Bharat Biotech has sought Drug Controller General India's (DCGI) approval to conduct nasal COVID-19 vaccine trials in India. The company has developed a new single-dose nasal COVID-19 vaccine in a partnership with Washington University in St Louis, USA. There are no intra-nasal COVID-19 vaccines under trial in India at the moment.

There is currently no cure for osteoarthritis, but a group of scientists believe they've discovered a method through which a simple knee injection could potentially stop the disease's effects. These researchers showed that they could target a specific protein pathway in mice, put it into overdrive and halt cartilage degeneration over time.