Pharma News

Intas Pharmaceuticals on Friday announced launching of Razumab, a biosimilar to Lucentis (ranibizumab). Novartis' eye drug Lucentis has long had a target on its back from biosimilar makers who would love to get some piece of the $4 billion in annual sales it racks up.  Razumab will be 25 per cent cheaper than its imported alternate.

An antidepressant and a heart drug approved for use in humans may also help treat the deadly Ebola disease, a new study in mice suggests. Researchers screened about 2,600 compounds for their ability to hinder Ebola's activity, and identified 30 drugs that were effective against the virus in a lab dish. Two of the drugs — the antidepressant sertraline and a heart drug called bepridil - appeared particularly promising for their action against Ebola. The drugs appear to inhibit Ebola infection by preventing the genetic material of the virus from getting inside the host's cells.

Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited's generics subsidiary, Daiichi Sankyo Espha, will launch seven new generic drugs with four new active ingredients. The products: Naftopidil OD tablets 25mg, 50mg, 75mg “DSEP” (Flivas OD tablets 25mg, 50mg, 75mg) for the treatment for urination disorder due to enlargement of prostate; Metformin hydrochloride tablets 250mgMT, 500mgMT “DSEP” (Metgluco tablets 250mg, 500mg) for biguanide-type oral hypoglycemic agent; Letrozole tablets 2.5mg “DSEP” (Femara tablets 2.5mg)  Aromatase inhibitor/postmenopausal breast cancer treatment; Oxaliplatin IV infusion solution 200mg “DSEP” (Elplat IV infusion solution 200mg) anti-malignant tumour agent.

Cinnamaldehyde, chemical constituent of  cinnamon has distinctive flavor and smell. Associate Professor Georg Wondrak, and Professor Donna Zhang, at the University of Arizona recently completed a study in which they proved that adding cinnamaldehyde, the compound that gives cinnamon its distinctive flavor and smell, to the diet of mice protected the mice against colorectal cancer. In response to cinnamaldehyde, the mice's cells had acquired the ability to protect themselves against exposure to a carcinogen through detoxification and repair.

Researchers have successfully engineered E coli bacteria to produce new forms of antibiotics — including three that show promise in fighting drug-resistant bacteria. Blaine A Pfeifer, an associate professor of chemical and biological engineering in the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, has been studying how to engineer Escherichia coli (E coli) to generate new varieties of erythromycin, a popular antibiotic.