Category Archives: Drugs

24 March 2012 Last updated at 20:01 ET Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina has said the war on drugs has failed, and it is time to end the "taboo" on discussing decriminalisation. He was addressing a Central American summit in the Guatemalan city of Antigua. Mr Perez Molina convoked the meeting to consider decriminalisation as a way of reducing drug-related violence. But the presidents of Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras all cancelled their attendance at short notice. Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, Mauricio Funes of El Salvador and Porfirio Lobo of Honduras decided not to attend. All three countries were represented by senior officials, and Mr Perez Molina was joined by President Laura Chinchilla of Costa Rica and Ricardo Martinelli of Panama. "We have seen that the strategy that has been pursued in the fight against drug trafficking over the last 40 years has failed," he said. "We have to look for new alternatives. We must end the myths, the taboos, and tell people you have to discuss it," he added. Central America is a major transit route for South American cocaine heading north to the US. Follow this link: Guatemala raises legalising drugs … Continue reading →

By Amanda Gardner HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Americans troubled by a range of ailments might someday more easily obtain medications that are now only available by prescription. On Thursday and Friday, experts at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are holding hearings on whether to expand the availability of certain prescription drugs by giving them "conditional" over-the-counter, or OTC, status. The details of the new plan are sketchy, but certain drugs used to treat such conditions as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, asthma and migraine may no longer require a prescription. Dispensing of these drugs would vary on a case-by-case basis and would include "conditions of safe use," possibly to be determined by the consumer with the help of a pharmacist. "There are a lot of unanswered questions right now but we're advocating that the pharmacist would be involved with the patient as they . . . determine if the product is right for them," explained pharmacist Ronna Hauser, vice president of policy and regulatory affairs at the National Community Pharmacists Association. "The information would be relayed back to a physician if necessary." According to Brian Gallagher, senior vice president of government affairs at … Continue reading →

Coroners rule that the "I Will Always Love You" singer used cocaine immediately before she died prompting further questions Just over one month after R&B supernova Whitney Houston was found dead in the bathtub of a Beverly Hilton hotel room, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office is offering an official cause of death: Drowning due to heart disease and cocaine use. The singer's history of drug abuse is well-known, but how big of a role did drugs play in her death? Here, a brief guide: What did we already know about Houston's death? The "I Will Always Love You" singer was discovered in the bathtub, "underwater and apparently unconscious." Paramedics rushed to the scene and performed CPR for 20 minutes, but were unable to revive her. Small quantities of prescription drugs were found in Houston's suite, and the singer's most recent room service order included a Heineken and a glass of champagne. In the days before her death, Houston was spotted at the hotel "acting strangely, skipping around a ballroom, and doing handstands near the hotel pool," leading to speculation that she had been using drugs. SEE ALSO: Are boybands making a comeback? And now the coroner has an official … Continue reading →

Drugs mule who died in Venezuela was on the run from garda By Paddy Clancy Saturday, March 24, 2012 The Irish drugs mule who died in Venezuela was on the run from garda and the courts here. Martin "Butch" Beirne disappeared from Sligo 18 months ago. He failed to appear at Sligo Circuit Court on a charge of possessing 2,000 of cannabis for sale and supply and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Beirne, 28, died on Wednesday in hospital when he was found collapsed in a hotel room in the Venezuela capital, Caracas. Two men travelling with him, in their 20s and from Galway, were due in court in Caracas yesterday on drug-trafficking charges. Beirne is believed to have ingested condom-wrapped bags of cocaine when one burst inside his body. His family in Boyle, Co Roscommon, have been informed of his death. Beirne was in Sligo town for eight years before he went on the run. Visit link: Drugs mule who died in Venezuela was on the run from gardaí … Continue reading →

Whitney Houston's sister-in-law and manager issued a statement saying they are thankful to finally know how the singer died. "We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure," said Patricia Houston, the singer's sister-in-law and manager, in a statement to the Associated Press. Patricia Houston told Winfrey she raced to Houston's room after hearing an assistant screaming and crying. She found her brother Ray over Houston, frantically trying to revive her. Houston was out of the bathtub and on the floor, she said, but Patricia Houston said she was unsure how she got there. "The paramedics were coming in at that point. I said, 'Ray, let it go.' He was so out of breath. I felt so badly for him," Patricia Houston said, according to a transcript of the interview. She was able to see Houston before paramedics arrived moments later. "She had a peaceful look on her face," Patricia Houston said. The coroner's report released Thursday determined that Whitney Houston died accidentally as the result of drowning. The coroner said heart disease and cocaine use were also factors. Toxicology tests showed a cocktail of drugs in the pop star's system. Traces … Continue reading →

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG plans to offer cut-price versions of two blockbuster cancer drugs for the Indian market soon, a company spokesman said on Friday, days after New Delhi moved to slash the price of a rival cancer treatment. India stripped German's Bayer AG of its exclusive rights to Nexavar earlier this month and licensed a local drugs company to produce a cheap, generic version, on the grounds that poor Indians could not otherwise afford the life-saving drug. Roche, the world's biggest maker of cancer drugs, said it would offer "significantly" cheaper, locally branded versions of its two cancer drugs, Herceptin and MabThera, by early next year, under an alliance with India's Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd. "The scope is to enable access for a large majority of patients who currently pay out of pocket as well as to partner with the government to enable increased access to our products for people in need," spokesman Daniel Grotzky said by phone from company headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. Monthly doses of Herceptin and MabThera cost around $3,000 to $4,500 per patient at wholesale prices, Grotzky said. "With this strategy, we expect to significantly increase the number of patients treated with … Continue reading →

LOS ANGELES (AP) Drugs took many things from Whitney Houston her pristine voice, clean image and her career and coroner's officials revealed Thursday that cocaine also played a role in the Grammy winner's death in the bathtub of a luxury hotel nearly six weeks ago. Houston drowned accidentally at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 11, and autopsy results revealed heart disease and her recent and chronic cocaine use were contributing factors. The results ended weeks of speculation about what killed the singer-actress at age 48 on the eve of the Grammy Awards and a planned comeback. Instead, Houston now joins the long list of entertainers who have died early with drugs at least partly to blame. Coroner's officials did not reveal how much cocaine was found in Houston's system, but said there were signs of recent and chronic use. It was unclear whether she suffered a heart attack before drowning, Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said. "We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure," Patricia Houston, the singer's sister-in-law and manager, said in a statement. Houston's death the night before the Grammys altered the awards ceremony and brought back immediate … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dublin - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/36f89f7b/commercializing_pa) has announced the addition of the "Commercializing Pancreatic Cancer Drugs in Cancer: The Faster Route to Consider Your Options and Position of Others" report to their offering. This report will excel your competitive awareness and decrease your decision making time in managing pancreatic cancer drug development. Find out whether you are number one, two or further down the ladder in this highly competitive market. Locate the right drugs to benchmark against and see were others may have succeeded or failed before you. This report comprises defined and up to date development strategies for 247 pancreatic cancer drugs within the portfolio of 158 companies world-wide, from Ceased to Marketed. The report extensively analyses their 197 identified drug targets, organized into 163 drug target strategies, and assesses them in pancreatic cancer. BioSeeker has applied its unique drug assessment methodology to stratify the pancreatic cancer drug pipeline and discern the level of competition in fine detail. Major Findings from this report: - The identified competitive landscape of pancreatic cancer drugs is split between the half which have unique drug target strategies and the other half which have head-to-head target competing drugs in 37 different clusters. … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Antibody Drugs: Technologies and Global Markets http://www.reportlinker.com/p0801344/Antibody-Drugs-Technologies-and-Global-Markets.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Biopharmaceutical INTRODUCTION STUDY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this report is to provide a range of informationfrom detailed analysis through industry trendsto quantify and qualify the rapidly growing market for therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) drugs. Forecasts and trends are gleaned from industry sources, analyst reports, and company forecasts, as well as from assessment of available and emerging technologies. The report develops forecasts for sales of the mAb market by individual antibody, by therapeutic antibody target (epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR], cluster of differentiation [CD] 20, tumor necrosis factor [TNF] alpha, etc.), and by major disease applications from 2011 through 2016. Additionally, we examine strategies employed by biopharmaceutical firms to develop and market products in this explosive market sector. Our main objective is to present a comprehensive analysis of the current market for therapeutic mAb disease-modifying products and to forecast this market's future direction through 2016. REASONS FOR DOING THE STUDY Therapeutic mAbs represent the largest and one of the fastest-growing classes of biopharmaceutical products by sales in the U.S. and throughout the world. … Continue reading →

LONDON, March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- http://www.visiongain.com/Report/784/Ophthalmic-Drugs-World-Market-Prospects-2012-2022 A new report by visiongain predicts that the world market for ophthalmic drugs will reach $18.7 billion for 2012. That revenue forecast appears in Ophthalmic Drugs: World Market Prospects 2012-2022, published in March 2012. Visiongain is a business information provider based in London, UK. From 2012 to 2022, the pharmaceutical industry will improve treatment of ocular disorders and increase revenues from those products. The R&D pipeline for treating eye diseases is strong. Visiongain's study predicts that the world market for eye drugs will grow strongly from 2012 to 2022. It will be stimulated by increasing prevalence of eye disorders among aging populations worldwide. Sustained-release ocular implants, gene therapy and RNA interference technology will influence R&D in ophthalmology, as will neuroprotective agents for glaucoma. Many commercial opportunities for ophthalmic drugs exist, with high revenues possible this decade. Dr Syed Ahmed, a senior pharmaceutical industry analyst at visiongain, said, "The world market for ophthalmic drugs is an important segment of the pharma industry. The main causes of visual impairment and sight loss in developed countries are retinal diseases. These include age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular oedema and macular oedema caused by retinal vein occlusion. … Continue reading →