EASD 2009: Lantus defended amid allegations of increased cancer risk

Datamonitor attended this year's European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting in Vienna, Austria. Following the issuance of guidance on a potential link between Lantus and increased cancer rates in June 2009, presenters at the conference discussed the current evidence and its limitations. However, a potential mechanism by which insulin could promote cancer cell growth was also proposed.

ESMO 2009: new lease of life for Vectibix in colorectal cancer?

Results from two Phase III studies presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2009 show statistically significant benefits via the addition of Vectibix to both first- and second-line chemotherapy for wild-type KRAS metastatic colorectal cancer. These positive data could help Vectibix to overcome Erbitux's first-to-market status and usurp its current position.

Biotech needs the right policies to stay on track in new EU Member States

Brussels, 25 September 2009

EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, and Venture Valuation, with the collaboration of national stakeholders, yesterday published a ground-breaking report "Biotech in the new EU Member States: an emerging sector"(1), evaluating the biotech industry across the 12 newest EU Member State, as well as Turkey and Croatia.

ICAAC 2009: promising pipeline presents hope in the battle against MRSA resistance

The increasing prevalence of community-acquired strains of the MRSA virus stood as one of the key issues at this year's Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. The severity of MRSA disease, and its ability to accumulate resistance to antibiotics, illustrates the high unmet need for suitable treatment, particularly drugs that can be administered orally.

Getting Social

Network innovation is growing... person to person in online forums and office corridors.

Innovation has gotten a bad rap. The term evokes scientists toiling over test tubes under the harsh glare of laboratory lights. To be sure, a good deal of R&D, particularly around specific product development, results from such structured discovery. Increasingly, however, radical innovations are being hatched outside the lab. And companies are often learning that open communication unlocks innovation better than reliance on lonely pursuit does. Informally, in online forums and office corridors, people from divergent backgrounds learn of each other's interests and challenges and discover unexpected business opportunities. And ascompanies pursue innovation, technology becomes a vital tool in connecting global networks of consumers, suppliers and even competitors.

PricewaterhouseCoopers is featuring Farmavita.Net in their recent report on innovation. Donwnload free 16 pages report at our Download Section 

Study setback presents ominous signs for key osteoporosis drug class

Eli Lilly terminates development of osteoporosis drug.

Eli Lilly has discontinued the development of osteoporosis drug arzoxifene after a recent study found that treatment with the second generation selective estrogen receptor modulator caused an increase in adverse events. The results raise further questions over the commercial potential of this drug class, with regulatory bodiesthe FDA likely to be increasingly concerned over their safety.

Genzyme: FDA panel verdict presents setback to leukemia drug

Genzyme's plan to expand Clolar's label to include adult myeloid leukemia (AML) has been held up after an FDA advisory committee voted against its approval due to a lack of data. This news comes as a setback to Genzyme, and unless Clolar can show the desired efficacy among Genzyme's target patient population of elderly AML patients, further uptake of the drug in the clinical setting is unlikely.

AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim steal limelight at European Society of Cardiology meeting

Well crafted, positive results for AstraZeneca's Brilinta and an unexpected coup for Boehringer Ingelheim's Pradaxa dominated the headlines following this year's European Society of Cardiology's Annual Meeting in Barcelona. Both announcements have a number of important implications for the wider cardiology market, from both therapeutic and commercial perspectives.