Shared digital NHS prescribing record could avoid nearly 1 million annual drug errors
Implementing a single shared digital prescribing record across the NHS in England could avoid nearly 1 million drug errors every year, stopping up to 16,000 fewer patients from being harmed, and saving up to 22 lives every year, suggests a modelling study, published online in BMJ Quality & Safety. The figures, which are based on the assumption that such a system could reduce medication errors by at least 10%, and by as much as 50%, could also save £millions for the NHS, say the researchers. (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - March 27, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured Research Research and Development Source Type: news

Global study could change how children with multiple sclerosis are treated
A ground-breaking study - the largest of its kind globally - has found children with multiple sclerosis (MS) have better outcomes if treated early and with the same high-efficacy therapies as adults. There are a limited number of therapies approved for children with MS, with only one considered to be of high-efficacy - meaning highly effective. (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - March 26, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured Research Research and Development Source Type: news

FDA approves nonsteroidal treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Duvyzat (givinostat) oral medication for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) in patients six years of age and older. Duvyzat is the first nonsteroidal drug approved to treat patients with all genetic variants of DMD. It is a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor that works by targeting pathogenic processes to reduce inflammation and loss of muscle. (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - March 25, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured FDA Regulatory Affairs Source Type: news

Reducing the side effects of breast and ovarian cancer treatment
Some anti-cancer treatments not only target tumour cells but also healthy cells. If their effects on the latter are too strong, their use can become limiting. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with Basel-based FoRx Therapeutics, has identified the mechanism of action of PARP inhibitors, used in particular for breast and ovarian cancer in patients carrying the BRCA gene mutation. (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - March 22, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured Research Research and Development Source Type: news

Experimental gene therapy for giant axonal neuropathy shows promise in NIH clinical trial
An investigational gene therapy for a rare neurodegenerative disease that begins in early childhood, known as giant axonal neuropathy (GAN), was well tolerated and showed signs of therapeutic benefit in a clinical trial led by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Currently, there is no treatment for GAN and the disease is usually fatal by 30 years of age. Fourteen children with GAN, ages 6 to 14 years, were treated with gene transfer therapy at the NIH Clinical Center and then followed for about six years to assess safety. (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - March 21, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured Research Research and Development Source Type: news

Bayer and Thermo Fisher Scientific collaborate to increase patient access to precision cancer medicines
Bayer AG and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. today announced a collaboration to develop next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based companion diagnostic assays (CDx) together. These will help identify patients who may benefit from Bayer's growing portfolio of precision cancer therapies by offering decentralized genomic testing and rapid turnaround time. (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - March 20, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured Bayer Business and Industry Source Type: news

Cell therapy approach harnesses the immune system in a different way to stop cancer
A new cancer treatment that uses a person’s own immune cells has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating the most dangerous type of skin cancer. Now this form of cellular therapy (tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte - or TIL therapy) is showing promise in advanced lung cancers through clinical trials underway at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC - James). (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - March 19, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured Research Research and Development Source Type: news

Bacteria commonly found in the body contribute to stomach cancer
A new study has discovered that a type of bacteria commonly found in the body, which usually does not pose problems for healthy people, plays a significant role in causing stomach cancer, the fifth most common cancer in the world. Streptococcus anginosus bacteria exist alongside other germs in the mouth, throat, intestines and vagina. Occasionally, they may cause mild infections like sore throats and skin infections. (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - March 18, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured Research Research and Development Source Type: news

Bayer and Aignostics to collaborate on next generation precision oncology
Bayer and Aignostics GmbH announced a strategic collaboration on several artificial intelligence (AI)-powered approaches with applications in precision oncology drug research and development. Aignostics is a spin-off from one of the world's leading hospitals, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and a global leader in using computational pathology to transform complex biomedical data into biology insights. (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - March 15, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured Bayer Business and Industry Source Type: news

AstraZeneca to acquire Amolyt Pharma, expanding late-stage rare disease pipeline
AstraZeneca announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Amolyt Pharma, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel treatments for rare endocrine diseases. The proposed acquisition will bolster the Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease late-stage pipeline and expand on its bone metabolism franchise with the notable addition of eneboparatide (AZP-3601), a Phase III investigational therapeutic peptide with a novel mechanism of action designed to meet key therapeutic goals for hypoparathyroidism. (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - March 14, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured AstraZeneca Business and Industry Source Type: news

European Commission approves Pfizer & #039;s PREVENAR 20 ® to help protect infants and children against pneumococcal disease
Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for the company's 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, marketed in the European Union under the brand name PREVENAR 20®, for active immunization for the prevention of invasive disease, pneumonia and acute otitis media caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae in infants, children and adolescents from 6 weeks to less than 18 years of age. (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - March 13, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured Pfizer Business and Industry Source Type: news

Novel molecules from generative AI to Phase II
There are thousands of diseases worldwide with no cure or available treatments. Traditional drug discovery and development takes decades and billions of dollars and more than 90% of these drugs fail in clinical trials. The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) holds promise for streamlining and improving the entire process. However, ushering in a new era of AI-driven drug discovery requires costly and lengthy validation in preclinical cell, tissue, and animal models and human clinical trials. (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - March 12, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured Research Research and Development Source Type: news

Key protein linked to immune disorders
A new study has shed light on the importance of the protein STAP-1 in activating certain immune cells. Understanding the role of STAP-1 in these cells could give researchers a better glimpse into immune-related disorders and ways to treat them. The researchers found that STAP-1 plays an important role in the activation of T cells, which are white blood cells that play a critical role in defending the body against infections and maintaining overall health. (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - March 11, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured Research Research and Development Source Type: news

Researchers open new leads in anti-HIV drug development, using a compound found in nature
A team of University of Michigan researchers has successfully modified a naturally occurring chemical compound in the lab, resulting in advanced lead compounds with anti-HIV activity. Their results, published March 7 in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, offer a new path forward in the development of drugs that could potentially help cure - rather than treat - HIV. (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - March 8, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured Research Research and Development Source Type: news

Researchers discover new cancer-fighting role for neutrophils
In a study published in Cell on March 5, Prof. ZHANG Xiaoming at the Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection (SIII) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Profs. GAO Qiang, FAN Jia and YANG Li at Fudan University have uncovered an unexpected level of complexity hidden within neutrophils, which were previously thought to be a relatively uniform population of short-lived immune cells. (Source: World Pharma News)
Source: World Pharma News - March 7, 2024 Category: Pharmaceuticals Tags: Featured Research Research and Development Source Type: news