Pharma News

Pfizer Inc. announced that PROFILE 1029, a Phase 3 study of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor XALKORI® (crizotinib), met its primary objective of significantly prolonging progression-free survival (PFS) in previously untreated East Asian patients with ALK-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) when compared to a standard chemotherapy doublet. In this study, XALKORI was used as the first systemic therapy for patients with advanced ALK-positive NSCLC, and patients could have received therapy and/or surgery for early stage disease before they were diagnosed with metastatic disease.

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and Pfizer announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted avelumab*, an investigational fully human anti-PD-L1 IgG1 monoclonal antibody, Breakthrough Therapy designation for the treatment of patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) who have progressed after at least one previous chemotherapy regimen. Breakthrough Therapy designation is designed to accelerate the development and review of medicines that are intended to treat a serious condition, and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the therapy may demonstrate a substantial improvement over current available therapies.

Medtronic plc announced US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and US commercial availability of the MyCareLink Smart Monitor, the world's first app-based remote monitoring system for patients with implantable pacemakers. With the MyCareLink Smart Monitor, patients with a Medtronic pacemaker can use their own smartphone or tablet technology, with cellular or Wi-Fi service, to securely transmit data from their pacemakers to their physicians, who can then interpret the data to make treatment decisions.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan nasal spray, the first FDA-approved nasal spray version of naloxone hydrochloride, a life-saving medication that can stop or reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Opioids are a class of drugs that include prescription medications such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine, as well as the illegal drug heroin.

US ambassador to India Richard R. Verma on Friday said India is worst effected by tuberculosis (TB) and needs more efforts to fight the disease. Verma said TB was grabbing and finishing India. He said every year 2.2 million people were becoming victim of TB.

A drug currently used in the treatment of Type II diabetes can also be effective in clearing fatty liver disease from some patients, a significant research has found.

Two £10 million manufacturing research Hubs that will address major, long-term challenges facing the UK’s manufacturing industries, and capture opportunities from emerging research were announced today by Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson.

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(BWI); Portea Medical, India’s largest home healthcare company, today announced that it has acquired specialty pharmaceutical distributor MedybizPharma in a move that will enable Portea to strengthen patient engagement and provide better care for chronic disease patients in India.

With over 12,500 dengue cases in Delhi, a green NGO claimed that the ongoing fogging drive in the city was "not effective" in fighting thevector-borne disease, and has rather "harmful" effects on health, as the gas contains "95 per cent" of diesel in it. Saying that fogging only creates a "false" sense of security and is a way of "appeasing" people at the cost of their health, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) urged the government to focus on systematic preventive measures towards clean environment and sanitation.