Industry news

New drugs for hepatitis and diabetes may come from Siberia

Marchmont Innovation News

In Siberia, scientists have leveraged years of research into the properties of stem cells in a new project aimed at developing new drugs to fight hepatitis and diabetes, portal Inforeactor.ru  reported. The research is said to have led them to discover that stem cells are capable of migrating into the affected areas of the human body, thus causing tissue regeneration. Moreover, the scientists found that such activity is not dependent on what has caused an affliction. 

Hey doc, what's on the menu when pharma comes calling? Hint: It's not health food

Emily Wasserman / FiercePharmaMarketing

When pharma reps order in lunch or dinner for events at doctors' offices, they come with a big appetite. The spread is likely to include burgers and fries, but pizza won't even make it to the table.

New FDA policy gives its staff wide latitude on social media. Could pharma freedom follow?

Beth Snyder Bulik / FiercePharmaMarketing

Tweet at will, FDA employees. One of the most liberal social media policies in the federal government now belongs to the FDA. Just last month, the FDA finally set out its own departmental policy that encourages its scientists and other employees to use "social media technologies to enhance communication, collaboration, and information exchange in support of FDA's mission to protect and promote public health."

Heated nanoparticles offer weapon against drug-resistant bacterial infections

Emily Wasserman / FierceMedicalDevices

As scientists explore ways to reduce hospital-acquired infections and cut down on bacteria found on medical devices, researchers in New Zealand discovered a way to trick drug-resistant bacterial biofilms into shedding their protective layer by using nanotechnology and heat.

Senate committee: Price hikes threaten to topple U.S. health care system

Jennifer Boggs / BioWorld

Implementing pathways to encourage competition and placing government regulation on generic drugs that lack competition were two suggestions offered during this week's Senate Special Committee on Aging to tackle a recent spate of off-patent drug hikes epitomized by Turing Pharmaceuticals Inc., which raised the price on a 62-year-old drug by nearly 5,500 percent and limited its access to specialty pharmacies.

Regenerative medicine partnerships get attention of Japanese drugmakers

Matthew Driskill / FiercePharmaAsia

Takeda Pharmaceuticals and other Japanese drugmakers are latching on to regenerative medicine and stem cell research as a future growth market and are quickly developing partnerships and acquiring overseas ventures to tap the market.

University of California commits $250M for a new tech venture fund for biotech, more

John Carroll / FierceBiotech

The University of California is committing $250 million to back a venture fund that will be led by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Vivek Ranadivé, who will take the lead on investing in a slate of university spinouts involved in biotech and more.

Drug costs soar as China tops world ranking in cancer

Matthew Driskill / FiercePharmaAsia

As World Health Organization figures show China rising to the top of the list of countries with the most cancer cases, its people are facing increasing problems in trying to find ways to pay for their treatments. Healthcare costs are soaring in the nation despite the government's efforts to force drug prices lower.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em; looking for immuno-onc boost

Brian Orelli / BioWorld

Last week, Threshold Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced the failure of two phase III evofosfamide trials, one in pancreatic cancer and another in soft tissue sarcoma, but Barry Selick, CEO of the South San Francisco-based company, gave investors some hope that the drug might work in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors. 

A Universal Virus Test Could Be Just What the Doctor Ordered

Olga Kharif / Bloomberg Business

Lipkin and six researchers developed a shoebox-size add-on to a genetic sequencer they say can accurately identify more than 1,000 viruses known to affect vertebrates, so doctors don’t have to test for infections one at a time.