Business & Industry News Channel
Genzyme Corporation (Nasdaq: GENZ) announced that the European Commission has approved Renvela® (sevelamer carbonate) for the control of serum phosphorus in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The approval includes patients not on dialysis with serum phosphorus levels ≥ 1.78 mmol/L (5.5 mg/dL), and covers both the tablet and powder formulations.
Results from the Rheumatoid Arthritis: Insights, Strategies & Expectations (RAISE) survey of more than 500 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients throughout Europe and Canada revealed a majority of patients still suffer from pain (79 percent), fatigue (67 percent) and joint stiffness (57 percent) on a regular basis despite current treatment, while more than half (51 percent) of RA patients feel their disease controls their life.
The Lancet has published online the results of the LEAD™ 6 study, a direct comparison between two products in a new class of diabetes treatments, the GLP-1 receptor agonists. Results show that patients treated with liraglutide had a statistically greater drop in HbA1c than those who received exenatide.
Sanofi-aventis (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced that Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH has purchased from Pfizer the Diabel manufacturing plant in Frankfurt-Höchst, Germany, one of the largest state-of-the-art insulin manufacturing plants in the world.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has awarded global prequalification to GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals' vaccine against rotavirus, Rotarix™.Additionally, the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) also recommended that rotavirus vaccination be included in all national immunisation programmes. Together, these WHO decisions open the door to making rotavirus vaccines available to children worldwide.
AstraZeneca and Abbott have entered into an agreement for AstraZeneca to co-promote Abbott's TRILIPIX, a medication for use alone or in combination with a statin to treat certain lipid disorders. Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will obtain the non-exclusive right to co-promote TRILIPIX alongside Abbott in the United States, excluding Puerto Rico. Specific financial terms were not disclosed.
Schering-Plough Corporation (NYSE: SGP) announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has validated (accepted for review) the company's Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for SYCREST(R) (asenapine) sublingual tablets for the treatment of schizophrenia and manic episodes associated with bipolar I disorder. The application will follow the Centralized Procedure.
