Pharma News

With their expertise in the safe and effective use of medications, pharmacists can help in the management of chronic diseases. A review and analysis published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology indicates that initiatives--such as patient education, medication review, and physical assessments - led by pharmacists can make important contributions to the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

As part of Project Orbis, a collaboration with the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and Health Canada, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted supplemental approval to Calquence (acalabrutinib) for the treatment of adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). This new approved indication for Calquence provides a new treatment option for patients with CLL or SLL as an initial or subsequent therapy.

The Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) program for Parkinson’s disease (PD) has launched a data portal to provide de-identified information collected from 4,298 PD patients and healthy controls to researchers working to develop effective therapies for the disease. The portal enables researchers to study complex data sets and perform genome-wide analyses at a scale previously impossible.

The “WHO status report on prison health in the WHO European Region” presents an analysis of data collected on the health status of people in prison and prison health systems for 39 countries in the Region. The WHO survey collected data from Member States between 2016 and 2017 to enable monitoring and surveillance of health in prisons.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved XCOPRI (cenobamate tablets) to treat partial-onset seizures in adults.

A seizure is a usually short episode of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Seizures can cause uncontrolled movements,  abnormal thinking or behavior, and abnormal sensations. Movements can be violent, and changes in consciousness can occur. Seizures occur when clusters of nerve cells (neurons) in the brain undergo uncontrolled activation. A partial-onset seizure begins in a limited area of the brain.

Scientists have known that genetic mutations leading to the production of a defective protein called GFAP cause Alexander disease (AxD), a debilitating neurodegenerative condition that can present during infancy, adolescence, or adulthood.

Caption : Immunofluorescence staining of Alexander Disease iPSC-astrocytes showing cell nuclei (white), cytoplasmic GFAP filaments (magenta), and perinuclear GFAP aggregates (green; marked by yellow arrowheads). Credit  : Lab of Natasha Snider, PhD, UNC School of Medicine

Many people with the rare condition die within the first few years, but some survive for several decades. Now, UNC School of Medicine researchers are learning about the differences in the underlying biology of patients with severe and milder forms of AxD. Led by Natasha Snider, PhD, assistant professor of cell biology, an international group of scientists has discovered that the mutant form of GFAP undergoes different chemical modifications, depending on time of onset of symptoms.

People living with or beyond cancer are more likely to die from stroke than the general public, according to new Penn State research, and certain types of cancer may boost the risk even more.

Eminence Business Media’s “2nd Annual Pharma Manufacturing & Automation Convention 2019” concluded on October 17th & 18th, 2019 at Hotel Radisson Blu Plaza Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. The theme of the summit was “From Ideation to Innovation: Aligning with trending market demands”. The event was an outstanding success with 150+ delegates attending the conference with Honeywell, Zenith Technologies, Caliber Group, UL &  Pharma Mantra partnering the event.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Adakveo (crizanlizumab-tmca), a treatment to reduce the frequency of vaso-occlusive crisis – a common and painful complication of sickle cell disease that occurs when blood circulation is obstructed by sickled red blood cells – for patients age 16 years and older.

The Committee recommended granting a marketing authorisation for Isturisa* (osilodrostat) for the treatment of Cushing’s syndrome, a rare disorder that occurs when the body produces too much corticosteroid hormone. It leads to patients experiencing weight gain, fat build-up on the face and bruising.