Boehringer Ingelheim: stroke drug may harm patients

The aptiganel results are just the latest in a string of disappointing results for neuroprotective agents in acute stroke. This casts serious doubt on this drug class' role in acute stroke, dashing early hopes that neuroprotective agents would fulfill a major unmet need in the anti-thrombosis market.

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Bristol-Myers damp squib

After a spate of set backs Bristol-Myers Squibb has been forced to make a profit warning. While generic competition has eaten away at sales, the company's pipeline has failed to produce drugs capable of bolstering the waning revenues. So, with no signs of a reprieve, will Bristol-Myers be able to fight off unwelcome suitors or is a take-over in the offing?

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Bristol-Myers-Squibb: poor targeting triggers Vanlev delays

Last month an FDA advisory panel turned down Bristol-Myers Squibb's application for hypertension drug Vanlev. The drug's launch will now be delayed while the company prepares new evidence. However, with unmet need remaining high in resistant and niche indications, this delay could have been avoided. So will Vanlev recover to become the blockbuster Bristol-Myers hoped it would be?

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Cancer: titanium offers hope where platinum fails

Current therapy for ovarian cancer involves chemotherapy with platinum-based agents, although over three-quarters of these tumors develop resistance to such treatment. Now, novel titanium-based anticancer compounds are in development. They demonstrate activity against tumor cells resistant to the commonly-used platinum-analogues and could usher in a new range of treatments.

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Chickenpox: vaccination could do more harm than good

The UK research shows that, by cutting adults' exposure to the virus that causes both chickenpox and shingles, vaccination programs may do more harm than good. This is bad news for GSK, which is seeking UK approval for its chickenpox vaccine. However, it could be good news for products seeking to protect adults against shingles.

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CryoCor: competing in cardiac cryoablation

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Cytotoxics: new regime out on a limb

By isolating the cancerous limb from the rest of the circulatory system, ILI allows doctors to step up chemotherapy doses significantly. ILI is also far less invasive than similar procedures such as ILP. The combination of greater efficacy and lower cost is likely to drive strong uptake among physicians, in turn boosting the usage of cytotoxic therapies.

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D-day for diabetes drugmakers

Spanish researchers could be on the brink of curing type 1 diabetes. While this breakthrough is undoubtedly good news for patients, drugmakers could lose out, as the market vanishes before their eyes. But this could not be their biggest threat: anti-obesity drugs could stop people developing diabetes at all - is this the end for diabetes drugs?

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Diabetes: maternal smoking is a risk factor

The data shows that maternal smoking during pregnancy is a risk factor for the development of early onset diabetes in offspring. Independently, cigarette smoking as a young adult can also increase the risk of subsequent diabetes. Given the huge economic impact of diabetes, it's clear that governments must do more to deter people from smoking.

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Diabetes: mice cured, now trying people

Although much further research is required, it could be viable to develop a genetic therapy for humans based on this discovery. While this could pose a threat to pharma companies in the $11.5 billion diabetes market, these firms are also in a strong position to exploit the new discoveries.

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