Enrollment of its ADVANCE-PD trial. ADVANCE-PD is a multinational Phase III trial of its late-stage product IPX066 in advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with motor fluctuations has been completed. IPX066 is an investigational extended release carbidopa-levodopa product intended to rapidly achieve and sustain effective blood concentrations of levodopa, potentially improving PD clinical symptom management. This is the second of two pivotal Phase III studies designed to support a new drug application of IPX066 in Parkinson's disease.
Link:http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=67240&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1463277&highlight=
Source:Impax

Data on Qnexa, an investigational drug candidate, will be featured in two poster presentations at the European Society of Cardiology Congress Spotlight: Coronary Artery Disease , being held in Stockholm, Sweden from August 28 - September 1, 2010 at the Stockholmsmassan. A poster presentation entitled, "Low-Dose, Controlled-Release Phentermine/Topiramate Improves Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors" on Tuesday, August 31st at 3:30 - 4:30 pm CET. Michael Davidson, MD will deliver a poster presentation entitled, "Low-Dose, Controlled-Release Phentermine/Topiramate Mediated Weight Loss Causes Improvements in Lipoproteins and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Overweight Patients With Comorbidities" will be delivered on Wednesday, September 1st at 10:00 - 11:00 am CET.
Link:http://ir.vivus.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=502265
Source:VIVUS

An Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin a Phase I safety clinical trial for chronic spinal cord injury with its spinal cord stem cells has been filed. This multicenter Phase I safety trial will enroll a total of 16 long-term, or chronic, spinal cord injury patients, with an American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Grade A level of impairment, one-to-two years post-injury. ASIA A refers to a patient with no motor or sensory function in the relevant segments and is considered to be complete paralysis.
Link:http://investor.neuralstem.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=203908&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1463178&highlight=
Source:Neuralstem

One gene identified as a asthma susceptibility gene is TIM1 and now, a team of researchers has generated data in a humanized mouse model of asthma that suggest that targeting TIM-1 protein might have therapeutic benefit in the treatment of patients with asthma.
The research appears in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Link:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100712121824.htm
Source:ScienceDaily

An experimental malaria drug, arterolane developed by Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. was effective and safe in a mid-stage clinical trial, according to a study that suggests the treatment may offer an alternative to current medicines.
Among 230 people with the deadliest form of malaria in Thailand, India and Tanzania, Ranbaxy’s arterolane cleared the disease in as many as 72 percent of patients within 28 days, researchers led by Neena Valecha at India’s National Institute of Malaria Research wrote in the Sept. 15 edition of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Link:http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aOWnprCSEiS4
Source:Bloomberg

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated the HEAT Study of its investigational drug, ThermoDox, in combination with radiofrequency ablation (RFA), as a Fast Track Development Program. ThermoDox, a proprietary heat-activated liposomal encapsulation of doxorubicin, is currently being evaluated under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreement with the FDA in a 600 patient global Phase III trial in patients with non-resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), commonly referred to as primary liver cancer. With nearly 70% of patients enrolled in the trial, Celsion is targeting to complete patient enrollment by year end 2010.
Link:http://www.celsion.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=501947
Source:Celsion

An analysis of data from Denmark finds no associated increased risk of major birth defects for mothers who were exposed during the first trimester of pregnancy to the antiviral drugs acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir, often used to treat herpes simplex and herpes zoster infections, according to a study in the August 25 issue of JAMA.
Link:http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/jaaj-uoc081910.php
Source:EurekAlert

Results of a Phase III study in epilepsy patients with refractory partial seizures demonstrate the clinical benefits of the novel investigational compound E2007 (generic name: perampanel). Discovered and developed by Eisai, perampanel is a first-in-class drug with a unique mechanism that selectively and non-competitively antagonizes AMPA-type glutamate receptors.
Link:http://www.eisai.co.jp/enews/enews201041.html
Source:Eisai

Researchers have identified a novel approach of combining chemotherapy with a targeted therapy to decrease the recurrence of glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and aggressive brain tumor.
The double therapy of combining temozolomide with a Notch inhibitor was highly effective at treating tumor cells in culture and in mice
Results of this study are published in the September issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Link:http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/aafc-dae081710.php
Source:EurekAlert

Examination of a gene involved in cell signaling finds that four common variants of this gene are associated with the development of end-stage renal disease in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study in the August 25 issue of JAMA.
Renal (kidney) failure is an important cause of death among patients with type 2 diabetes. Asian populations appear to be particularly at risk of diabetic kidney disease (DKD), and compared with white individuals, Asian patients have a higher risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), according to background information in the article. Protein kinase C-β (PKC-β) is a molecule involved in cell signaling and has been linked in the development of diabetic complications.
Link:http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/jaaj-gvl081910.php
Source:EurekAlert