Drugs rushed through Health Canadas approval process are significantly more likely to have serious safety problems once on the market than those that undergo a standard review, a new study has found. The study found nearly 35 per cent of new drugs approved through the federal regulators priority review system later received serious safety warnings or were withdrawn from the market, compared with only some 20 per cent of those reviewed through the standard process. Health Canadas standard approval involves reviewing drugs for 300 days, nearly double the 180 days taken in a priority review. The length of time matters because it appears they missed things, said York University professor Joel Lexchin, who authored the study published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The issue is, can you do as good a job evaluating that material in 180 days as you would in 300 days? Or are you going to miss things? Drug companies can request that their new products be given a priority review. If the company provides convincing evidence that a drug is an effective treatment that isnt currently available, or that the drug is a significant improvement over existing treatments for serious diseases, Health Canada may … Continue reading →

Top drugs cartel leader Heriberto Lazcano is reported to have been killed in a gunfight with marines in Mexico. The Mexican navy said there was strong evidence that the body of one of two men killed in the Sunday exchange of fire was Lazcano, known as "El Lazca" but said more tests would have to be done before official confirmation. "Information was obtained after the first forensics tests were carried out that yielded indications that suggest that one of the bodies is Heriberto Lazcano," the navy's statement said. "The Navy Department is coordinating efforts with Coahuila state, and will be awaiting the conclusions of the forensics examination in the case." The death of Lazcano, if confirmed, would be a major victory for Mexican law enforcement. The Zetas cartel that he helped found with other deserters from an elite army unit went on to carry out some of Mexico's bloodiest massacres, biggest jail breaks and fiercest attacks on authorities. Lazcano, who is also known as "El Verdugo" (the executioner) for his brutality, is suspected of involvement in hundreds of killings, including the June 2004 slaying of Francisco Ortiz Franco, a top editor of a crusading weekly newspaper in Tijuana that often … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/mh28rv/synthesis_of) has announced the addition of Elsevier Science and Technology's new book "Synthesis of Essential Drugs" to their offering. This book represents an effort to express a long overdue need of compiling information which has been accumulated over the course of more than 30 years of our work in the area of the synthesis of medicinal drugs. Our effort fills obvious gaps that exist in the literature of drug synthesis. The synthesis of various groups of drugs are presented in an order similar to that traditionally presented in a pharmacology curriculum. This was done with a very specific goal in mind - to harmonize the chemical aspects with the pharmacology curriculum in a manner useful to chemists. Practically every chapter begins with an accepted brief definition and description of a particular group of drugs, proposes their classification, and briefly explains the present model of their action. This is followed by a detailed description of methods for their synthesis. Of the thousands of drugs existing on the pharmaceutical market, we mainly discuss generic drugs that are included in the WHO's "Essential List of Drugs." For practically all of the 700+ drugs described in the book, references … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Global Hepatitis Drugs Market 2011-2015 http://www.reportlinker.com/p01009241/Global-Hepatitis-Drugs-Market-2011-2015.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Drug_and_Medication TechNavio's analysts forecast the Global Hepatitis Drugs market to grow at a CAGR of 12.42 percent over the period 2011-2015. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the increase in demand for hepatitis drugs in developing countries. The Global Hepatitis Drugs market has also been witnessing an increase in the number of mergers and acquisitions. However, the shortage of hepatitis drugs to meet market demand could pose a challenge to the growth of this market. TechNavio's report, the Global Hepatitis Drugs Market 2011-2015, has been prepared based on an in-depth analysis of the market with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the Americas, and the EMEA and APAC regions; it also covers the Global Hepatitis Drugs market landscape and its growth prospects in the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. Key vendors dominating this market space include Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Gilead Sciences Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., and Merck & Co. Inc. Other vendors mentioned in the report: … Continue reading →