NHS Scotland to fund new therapies for AML, Arthritis and others

The Scottish Medicines Consortium has endorsed NHS funding for four therapies that  new treatment options for acute myeloid leukaemia, Still’s disease, adrenal insufficiency and psoriatic arthritis. Pfizer’s Gemtuzumab ozogamicin was accepted for the treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), after being considered through the SMC’s Patient and Clinician Engagement (PACE) process. Current initial treatment for

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Pfizer to start testing respiratory syncytial virus in healthy adults

Pfizer has begun an early stage trial of an experimental vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in healthy adult volunteers. Pfizer is aiming to develop the vaccine for populations at highest risk of the respiratory infection, primarily infants through maternal immunisation and older adults through direct vaccination. The Phase I/II, randomised, placebo-controlled, observer-blind, dose-ranging study

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Pfizer treats first patient in trial for investigational mini-dystrophin gene therapy for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Pfizer has stated that they have begun their Phase 1b clinical trial for its mini-dystrophin gene therapy candidate, PF-06939926, in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The first patient received an infusion of the mini-dystrophin gene, administered under the supervision of principal investigator, Edward Smith, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at Duke University

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Three new treatments approved for use on NHS Scotland, including hepatitis C

Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has published new advice accepting three new medicines for use by NHS Scotland, offering patients new treatment options for soft tissue sarcoma, acromegaly and hepatitis C. Eli Lilly’s Lartruvo was approved for the treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that affects the soft, supportive tissues within

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New Pfizer antibiotic, Zavicefta launched in UK

Zavicefta has now been launched in the UK to treat serious aerobic Gram-negative infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria. The Pfizer drug is a fixed combination of avibactam, a new beta-lactamase inhibitor, and ceftazidime, an antibiotic belonging to the class of third generation cephalosporins which is already approved for use in the EU.

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Pfizer to Test Cancer Immunotherapy Combination

Pfizer is reportedly gearing up to test a combination of three cancer drugs in human trials next year. According to the Financial Times, the trial, which will be one of the first to test a trio of immunotherapies, will monitor the safety and efficacy of the combination in patients with solid cancers. Although current immunotherapies

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Pfizer Announce Solid Q4 Results

Pfizer yesterday revealed a solid set of fourth-quarter results for 2013, with sales driven by their oncology unit, Lyrica and Enbrel. Net income for the quarter was $2.57 billion, a decrease of 59% on Q4 2012 (which included profits from the sale of their nutritional products business).  Group turnover also slipped slightly to $13.56 billion,

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Pfizer’s Xalkori Extends Lung Cancer Patient Survival

Pfizer yesterday revealed information that demonstrates that Xalkori considerably improved progression-free survival in previously-treated patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Xalkori (crizotinib) gained approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 2011 for ALK-positive advanced NSCLC, but Pfizer points out that this latest clinical study, Profile

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