UK drugs: safety scandal over slimming pills

The drugs were dispensed in slimming clinics, pubs and community centers, without examining patients, ensuring they followed a safe weight loss program, or even taking their medical history into account. As a result, particularly given recent EU moves to limit the availability of slimming pills, the GMC is likely to set stricter guidelines in future.

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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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UK pharmaceuticals: NICE move by the government

The new legislation, designed to end concerns that patients are being denied effective treatment because of funding shortages, will also have a major impact on the pharmaceutical industry. In particular, the makers of Alzheimer's Disease, ADHD and schizophrenia drugs are likely to benefit. The move might even have repercussions in the rest of Europe.

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A battle looms in mild cognitive impairment...

More than a tenth of the world's elderly people have mild cognitive impairment, representing a significant potential market. Worse, these sufferers have a 50% chance developing Alzheimer's. Although there is no approved treatment available yet, several different therapies are in development. The fight for dominance in this potentially lucrative market is about to begin - but who will win out?

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Anticonvulsants: 12% usage rate for US migraine prophylaxis

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Obesity: new technologies to fight an oncoming 'epidemic'

Surgical techniques are more effective among severely obese patients than drug therapy. New non-invasive techniques are also cheaper and less traumatic than traditional surgery. However, there is still a role for drugs, as new agents are developed. In future, surgical techniques will become increasingly common in severely obese patients, while less serious cases will be treated with drugs.

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Janssen: long-lasting neuroleptic could end Lilly's dominance

Janssen's drug, a reformulation of its popular neuroleptic, is effective for up to two weeks at a time. When it launches in 2003, it will threaten Zyprexa's market leadership by fulfilling a major unmet need and boosting compliance. Janssen's rivals are likely to use the same microsphere technology to follow suit and develop long lasting formulations of their own drugs.

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Linking obesity and cardiovascular disease

Obesity is on the rise in the Western world. And it's not just an unfortunate condition - studies show that it is second only to smoking as the leading preventable cause of death. The correlation between obesity and cardiovascular disease has led many pharmas to treat obesity as a focus for treatment. But how much of an impact will obesity drugs really have on the huge cardiovascular market?<BR />

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Stroke: UK has lowest usage of CT brain scans

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Elan/AHP: allying to improve sleepy Sonata sales

The agreement gives AHP access to Elan's drug development expertise in an attempt to revive Sonata, which has so far performed disappointingly. Elan should profit from obtaining a share of the drug's existing revenues and increasing its US sales presence. Such mutual benefits will strengthen the existing relationship between Elan and AHP.

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