By Tony Daltorio - August 21, 2012 | Tickers: AZN, GSK, PFE, RHHBY.PK, SNY | 0 Comments Tony is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited. Global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca Group PLC ADR (NYSE: AZN) has suffered since late last year thanks to both expiring patents on key drugs and several developmental drug failures. The company has a much more substantial patent cliff than many of its peers with about half of its $33 billion in annual revenues expected to disappear by 2016. On the experimental drug side, it recently ended a second stage trial of CytoFab, a potential blockbuster drug treatment for sepsis, because it was found to be ineffective. In December, the company took a $382 million writedown on two other drugs that failed in late-stage trials. So AstraZeneca's management has to come up with different ways to generate revenues in order to remain a big player in the pharmaceutical sector. One strategy management is now following was on display recently with its deal with Pfizer (NYSE: PFE). AstraZeneca sold the global rights for an over-the-counter version of its leading (with $4.4 billion … Continue reading →

PHILADELPHIA, Aug.22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The Intellectual Property & Science business of Thomson Reuters, the world's leading provider of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, today released the results of its study on orphan drugs, developed to treat rare diseases, finding that they have the potential to generate as much lifetime revenue as drugs used for more common health conditions. The findings are featured in the Thomson Reuters paper, "The Economic Power of Orphan Drugs," and in Drug Discovery Today. Rare diseases affect from a handful to up to 200,000 patients and include illnesses such as Cystic fibrosis, Wilson's disease, and Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. (Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120822/NY61059-INFO) Life Sciences researchers at Thomson Reuters found that developmental drivers such as government incentives, shorter clinical trials and high rates of regulatory success make top orphan drugs as economically viable as non-orphan ones, even though the number of patients benefitting from them is significantly smaller than those benefitting from non-orphan medicine. "This new data gives economic validity to the importance of targeting rare diseases in the global pharmaceutical market," said Kiran Meekings, Ph.D., Life Sciences consultant at Thomson Reuters and co-author of the report. "Not only does such focus help those affected by rare diseases, of … Continue reading →

Most high school students say teen use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs occurs during the school day, often on campus, according to an annual survey. They estimate that about 17 percent of their classmates do so. Eighty-six percent of American high school students report that some of their classmates use alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs during the school day. Subscribe Today to the Monitor Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition That's among the most significant findings of an annual survey of teenagers about their perceptions of drug use, released Wednesday, by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASAColumbia) in New York. The latest survey, the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVII: Teens, gives parents a teen's-eye view of the relentlessness and pervasiveness of the school drug problem, says Joseph Califano Jr., founder and chairman emeritus of CASAColumbia and former US secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. The survey gives a graphic portrait of what is going on in high schools and among high school students the fact that we have 9 out of 10 students saying that classmates are using drugs, drinking, … Continue reading →

RICHMOND, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire -08/22/12)- Home organization is the key to keeping things under control throughout a busy school year. From back-to-school shopping to organizing student schedules, these tips and tricks will help your family make the transition from summer fun to back-to-school routines easier. Tip #1: Create a centralized, accessible family activities calendar The first step to creating a successful routine is having a clear picture of everyone's new schedules; classes, sporting events and additional extra-curricular activities. With so much going on, you'll want to create a home base where everyone can see what's happening at a glance. Using a simple paper wall calendar works well but there are now more high tech options that are particularly useful in households with older children. The Joy Factory Klick Wall Mount ($54.99) allows you to mount an iPad in a centralized location in the house so family members have easy access to enter their activities. This will also allow you to instantly sync family member's mobile devices, helping to keep everyone organized, on schedule and in the loop. Tip #2: Preserve memories, not junk As every parent knows, kids come home with a ton of papers and projects throughout the school year. … Continue reading →

Orphan drugs achieve blockbuster status in 2011 and generate over $50 billion in revenue PHILADELPHIA, PA, August 22, 2012 - The Intellectual Property & Science business of Thomson Reuters, the world`s leading provider of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, today released the results of its study on orphan drugs, developed to treat rare diseases, finding that they have the potential to generate as much lifetime revenue as drugs used for more common health conditions. The findings are featured in the Thomson Reuters paper, "The Economic Power of Orphan Drugs" and in Drug Discovery Today. Rare diseases affect from a handful to up to 200,000 patients and include illnesses such as Cystic fibrosis, Wilson`s disease, and Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. Life Sciences researchers at Thomson Reuters found that developmental drivers such as government incentives, shorter clinical trials and high rates of regulatory success make top orphan drugs as economically viable as non-orphan ones, even though the number of patients benefitting from them is significantly smaller than those benefitting from non-orphan medicine. "This new data gives economic validity to the importance of targeting rare diseases in the global pharmaceutical market," said Kiran Meekings, Ph.D., Life Sciences consultant at Thomson Reuters and co-author … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/qtjwft/ophthalmology_drug) has announced the addition of the "Ophthalmology Drugs And Devices (Diagnostic & Surgical) Market - Current Trends, Global Forecasts & Pipeline Analysis to 2017" report to their offering. The global ophthalmology market witnessed a dip during the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009; however, it is poised to grow at a stable rate mainly due to an increasing aging population, large pool of patients with eye diseases, changing demographics and geographical trends, and increased focus on combination therapies of drugs. Moreover, incidences of glaucoma and cataract are increasing every year. Cataract is responsible for 48% of the population becoming totally blind. In addition, more than 60 million people suffer from glaucoma and this number is expected to reach 80 million by 2020. An increasing aging population is also resulting in more people suffering from refractive errors. It is estimated that in the U.S. and Europe, refractive errors affect more than 30% of the population aged 40 or older. However, the economic slowdown and drying pipeline of ophthalmology drugs is restricting the market. The ophthalmology drugs and devices market is divided into four major segments, namely, surgical devices, diagnostic and monitoring devices, vision care, and … Continue reading →