As the end of the week nears, we look forward to catching up on all manner of interesting things. Here are a few to help you do the same thing...
Novartis won European Union approval for Aclasta, the first once-a-year treatment for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. The med, which is given as a 15-minute infusion, was cleared for all 27 EU member states, as well as Norway and Iceland. This comes just as the FDA have begun a safety review over a report suggesting the drug, which is called Reclast in the US, may be linked to irregular heart rhythms.
Wyeth has agreed to buy Scotland's Haptogen in hopes of discovering new meds and findings ways to make existing treatments more effective. Haptogen, which was spun off from the University of Aberdeen in 2002, has developed technologies for protein therapy, an avenue of treatment for diseases such as cancer or diabetes. Terms of the deal, which comes after several setbacks for Wyeth, weren't disclosed.
Australia's medicines regulator has warned that the Avandia and Actos diabetes drugs may be linked to an increased risk of bone fractures in older women. A study into thiazolidinediones monitored 4,360 patients for four years on average after their diagnosis. The drugs are not being withdrawn, but their manufacturers have sent letters to doctors describing the increased risk, The Age reports.
1 Comment
Hi, I was wondering about the Haptogen website that has already come down (October 5) and is being redirected to Wyeth website. It makes it very difficult to have a look at what Wyeth is acquiring (pipeline, etc). Aps