Cubicin

SPOTLIGHT: Pump-stored Cubicin found tainted

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:59:52 -0400

Significant levels of an industrial chemical used to make rubber were found in Cubicin, an antibiotic made by Cubist Pharmaceuticals; the FDA said the contaminant showed up in Cubicin that had been in stored in Readymed drug pumps made by Cardinal Health, but not in batches of the drug stored in another type of infusion pump. Cubist recommended against using Readymed pumps with Cubicin, which accounted for $189.5 million in 2006 sales. Report

ALSO NOTED: German Merck wants to make pharma buys; Novartis breast-cancer med prevents recurrence;

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:59:50 -0400

> Merck KGaA is on the prowl for pharma acquisitions, CEO Ludwig Kley told a German newspaper. Report

> Novartis' breast cancer med Femara can help prevent recurrence of the disease if it's administered after a preventive regimen of Tamoxifen--even if they start the Femara years later. Report

> In the case of a curious food-and-drug recall, Gorton's said that the pills a Pennsylvania family found last month in its fish filets were over-the-counter herbal supplements; the company subsequently took 1,000 cases of those filets off the market. Report

> Scotland's National Health Service can now use Cubicin to treat severe infections caused by the MRSA superbug. Report

> India's Dabur Pharma got regulatory approval to sell its copycat version of Pfizer's chemo drug Camptosar in Italy and Denmark; the company recently launched the generic in the U.S. Report

> Keryx Biopharmaceuticals' stock price wiped out on the rocky shores of a failed late-stage trial of its lead drug, Sulonex, for diabetes. Report

> India's Dr. Reddy's Laboratories is teaming up with 7TM on a drug discovery deal for metabolic disorders. Report

> The Translational Accelerator has opened its doors to all biotech companies in Arizona--or any life sciences company thinking about moving there. Report

> Wyeth has dumped a once-promising Curis collaboration. Report

> Japanese researchers have developed a new approach to make flu vaccines that are able to combat multiple strains of influenza, including strains of the bird flu virus, according to Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases. Report

And Finally... Shades of Barry Bonds or just a grown-up version of caffeine-fueled test-cramming? Academic researchers and scientists admit taking Adderall or Provigil to help them wrap up papers and studies. Report

ALSO NOTED: Thailand may bust cancer patents; Watson scores marketing rights from Depomed;

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 06:59:50 -0400

> Thailand is mulling patent-breaking compulsory licenses for three cancer drugs, including one from Novartis, one from Sanofi-Aventis, and one from Genentech. Report

> Depomed and Watson Pharmaceuticals expanded a marketing agreement to give Watson the right to promote the UTI drug ProQuin in the OB/GYN market. Report

> Cubist Pharmaceuticals got Health Canada's OK to market its Cubicin intravenous antibiotic for skin infections and certain gram-positive infections. Report

> Indian drug maker Cadila Pharmaceutical got the FDA's nod for its rheumatoid arthritis remedy hydroxychloroquine sulfate. Report

> Lupin will invest $10 million in a new steroid-manufacturing facility in Indore, India. Report

And Finally... Space-traveling microbes get better, stronger, faster--just what we need, right? Yes, say researchers who think subjecting germs to extreme conditions may lead to new therapies for cancer and infectious disease. Report

Superdrug given wider scope in Europe

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 06:59:56 -0400

Superbugs, beware. European regulators have unleashed the Novartis drug Cubicin on two more dangerous hospital-acquired infections, including those caused by multidrug-resistant staph, or MRSA. Cubicin is first in a new class of antibiotics known as cyclic lipopeptides designed to prevent bacteria from releasing toxins into the bloodstream.

The two new indications approve Cubicin for use against staph infections of the heart valve and bloodstream. Studies showed the drug as equally effective as current standard-of-care treatments with vancomycin or penicillin-plus-gentamicin - with fewer instances of impaired kidney function, the company said.

- check out the Novartis press release
- and here's more from CNN Money

Related Articles:
Cubist seeks expanded label for Cubicin. Report
Drug-resistant superbugs drive blockbuster antibacterials. Report
Indian court spurns Novartis on patent challenge. Report
NCI cancels Novartis cancer study. Report