Articles By Marcus Johnson

  1. Asana BioSciences Purchases Endo Pharmaceuticals Branded Drug Discovery Platform 6/5/2014

    Asana BioSciences, which is a member of the Amneal Alliance of Companies, has announced that it has purchased the early stage branded pharmaceutical drug discovery platform of Endo Pharmaceuticals.

  2. FDA Gives Inhibikase Therapeutics Orphan Drug Designation For PML Treatment 5/29/2014
    Inhibikase Therapeutics has announced that it has received orphan drug designation for its treatment of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy, or PML. The company’s drug, imatinib, is used to combat the JC virus infection that PML patients in particular can be affected by.
  3. Roslin Cells Signs Cell Therapy Manufacturing Contract With Pfizer 5/23/2014

    Roslin Cells has announced that it has entered into a manufacturing agreement with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. Roslin Cells will manufacture retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells that will be used in a cell therapy clinical trials.

  4. Taiwanese Researchers Find New Potential Liver Cancer Treatment 5/19/2014
    A research team at Taiwan’s National Cheng Kung University has discovered a potential liver cancer treatment. The researchers found that the arrhythmia drug amiodarone can suppress liver tumors by boosting autophagy — the process by which cells break down unnecessary parts. Amiodarone, which is an arrhythmia drug, could be a cheaper and less toxic alternative to existing liver cancer treatments, the TaiPei Times says.
  5. Bayer Acquires Merck's Consumer Care Business 5/12/2014

    Earlier this week, Bayer announced that it would be acquiring Merck’s consumer care business for the price of $14.2 billion. In 2013, Merck generated 70 percent of its sales in the United States via its consumer care business. The deal will make Bayer the OTCs industry leader in North America and Latin America. Bayer also believes that the deal will give it a strategic advantage for global growth in the OTC market. Bayer will gain the sinus and flu, cold and allergy, dermatology, foot health and gastrointestinal drug products sold by Merck. Major brands included in the deal include Claritin, Afrin, and Dr. Scholl’s.

  6. New Knowledge On Cell's Communication Channel Could Aid Drug Discovery 5/2/2014

    New Cambridge research recently published in the Journal Biological Chemistry reveals that the structure of sodium channels might be different than previously believed. Researchers believe that the new structural findings could help with drug discovery, as sodium channels play a critical role in the way that heart and nerve cells function.

  7. University of Michigan Startup Signs Agreement With Medivation 5/1/2014

    OncoFusion Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company founded at the University of Michigan, has entered into a licensing agreement with Medivation for particular compounds targeting the bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) proteins for potential future use in drug treatments and therapies.

  8. Molecular Biologist Invents Handheld Device For Analyzing DNA Of Diseases 5/1/2014

    Jonathan O’Halloran, a molecular biologist, has created a handheld device that analyzes the DNA of infectious diseases. O’Halloran’s device can identify mutations in the DNA of a disease in 15 minutes or less.

  9. £8m Investment To Establish Drug Research Center In Dundee 5/1/2014

    An £8m investment has helped to fund the establishment of a new robotic drug treatment lab at the University of Dundee. The facility will be a phenotypic screening center dedicated to determining how certain drugs affect organisms at a basic, cellular level.

  10. Artificial Human Skin Shows Potential For Use In Drug Research 4/29/2014

    Research conducted by scientists at King’s College London and the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Medical Center led to the formation of the first lab-grown epidermis. Researchers believe that skin grown by scientists could eventually replace animals in experimental studies for the development of new treatments for skin disorders.