In The News

In a blow to its pipeline that casts doubt on an entire class of novel pain drugs, Pfizer said it would end two more sets of clinical trials on tanezumab, an inhibitor of nerve growth factor upon which the company halted Phase III trials for osteoarthritis last month.

FDA Gives Positive Review on Qnexa
The investigational obesity drug Qnexa -- a combination of phentermine and topiramate -- could become the first new prescription drug for paring pounds approved in several years, based on review documents released today by the FDA.

New anti-clotting drugs: stopping the silent killers
Blood clots are a major killer, but the threat they pose is poorly understood by the general public compared to more high profile conditions.

FDA: 'Female Viagra' falls short
A pink pill designed to boost sex drive in women -- the latest attempt by the drug industry to find a female equivalent to Viagra -- fell short in two studies, federal health regulators said Wednesday.

Weight-loss pills market slimming
It’s a paradoxical situation. Despite the growing numbers of obese, weight loss medications hold lean chances of success.

Diabetes Death Watch Slipped Into Health Law by Lilly, Novo
More than 70,000 Americans a year die from complications of diabetes, making it the country’s fifth-largest medical killer. While that sounds dire, Novo Nordisk A/S says the real picture may be worse.

Salix Liver-Failure Win Puts Spotlight on Xifaxan in IBS
Salix Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s path forward should become clear shortly with the approved antibiotic Xifaxan in its third potential, and much-coveted, indication: irritable bowel syndrome.

Pfizer Cholesterol Failures Cleared Path for Canadian Upstart
Resverlogix Corp., without a marketed product, may accomplish what Pfizer Inc., the world’s biggest drugmaker, couldn’t: Creating a new medicine that fights heart disease by raising so-called good cholesterol.

Mystery Medicine for Alzheimer’s May Yield Advance for Pfizer
Doctors may learn next month that Dimebon, a 27-year-old hay fever treatment and one of the most mysterious compounds yet tried to fight dementia, is poised to become their newest and perhaps best weapon against Alzheimer’s.

Five Drugs That Could Be Blockbusters
These treatments could help the bottom lines of companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Bayer and Novo Nordisk
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