Teva Settles Patent Litigation with Novartis
19.02.10
Feb 19, 2010 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) --
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has announced that its subsidiary, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., has signed an agreement with Novartis to settle patent litigation involving Teva's U.S. generic version of Novartis' Famvir (famciclovir) 125 mg, 250 mg and 500 mg tablets including all claims for patent infringement and damages.
Teva launched its generic famciclovir tablets in the U.S. in September 2007.
In a release, the Company noted that the present agreement releases Teva for all past and future activities in connection with the U.S. marketing and sale of Teva's generic famciclovir tablets. Under the terms of the agreement, Teva will make a one-time payment to Novartis in addition to an ongoing royalty on U.S. sales of generic famciclovir.
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Source: Trading Markets (press release)
TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH No cure or vaccine for herpes virus
15.02.10
Herpes simplex virus type 1 (the cause of cold sores) and herpes virus type 2 (the cause of genital infections) are lifelong infections. The virus hides in body cells and, from time to time, comes out to cause another infectious episode.
Infection with the type 2 virus, however, doesn't mean people are condemned to celibacy or that women cannot have children safely.
People with herpes 2 need to inform partners that they are infected. Transmission of infection is greatest when there is an outbreak, so relations should not take place then. Transmission is also possible even when there are no visible signs of infection, and that's why it's imperative to tell a partner.
Condoms reduce the transmission risk but don't eliminate it.
Researchers are working on a vaccine for herpes. Whether it will eradicate an established infection isn't known.
Bavituximab is a drug currently undergoing trials for treatment of hepatitis C and HIV. It destroys body cells that harbor the virus, so it does offer promise of curing latent infections such as herpes.
Source: Columbus Dispatch
RxNews Recap for Tuesday 02-16-10. Discovery Labs (DSCO) up on positive FDA ...
17.02.10
Below is a list of the companies that made news in the healthcare sector on Tuesday, February 16, 2010.
Discovery Laboratories, Inc. (Nasdaq: DSCO ) saw its shares jump as the company announced today that, in response to written guidance recently received from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it will now focus on a pathway that would entail solely performing additional preclinical work, instead of conducting a limited clinical trial, to potentially gain FDA marketing approval for Surfaxin® (lucinactant) for the prevention of Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) in premature infants. Based on prior guidance received from the FDA, Discovery Labs expected that a limited, pharmacodynamic-based (PD) clinical trial in preterm infants would be required to address the sole remaining Chemistry, Manufacturing & Control (CMC) issue regarding the final validation of a fetal rabbit Biological Activity Test (BAT, an important quality control release and
Source: BioMedReports (subscription)
Under terms of the settlement, Teva will make a one-time payment to Novartis as well as ongoing royalty fees on US sales of generic Famvir.
Acyclovir (Zovirax), famciclovir (Famvir) and valacyclovir (Valtrex) prevent recurrences of herpes and lessen the chances of transmission but don't