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Biotech / Medical : Pharma News Only (pfe,mrk,wla, sgp, ahp, bmy, lly) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (778)	9/14/1998 8:09:00 AM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 1722

Viagra news from Australia: Unfit men warned Viagra could kill yahoo.com.au It's V-day for those in need of a much-needed lift yahoo.com.au

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (778)	9/14/1998 8:25:00 AM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1722

Licence Expected For Anti-Impotence Drug Monday September 14, 11:05 AM The controversial anti-impotence drug Viagra is expected to be licensed for use in the UK this week. European officials in Brussels are expected to give the go-ahead mid week or earlier. Simultaneously, the Department of Health will issue guidelines on how the drug is to be prescribed. The diamond shaped blue pill helps seven out of ten men have sexual intercourse, and works eight times out of ten. Controversy has surrounded the merits of the medication, widely regarded in the US as a "wonder-drug" transforming the sex live of thousands of impotent men, but also known to have side effects such as headaches, blue tinted vision, nausea and flushing. The drug is also thought to have caused the deaths of 69 men in the US - 46 of which were due to heart trouble. British doctors are likely to insist the tablet is not given to men with liver diseases, low blood pressure or those who have had a stroke. If the Department of Health authorises GPs to dispense the drug, a row over workload and costs are expected. The manufacturers of Viagra, Pfizer, has attempted to quell fears that the drug could cost the NHS more than œ1 billion a year. It estimates the costs will be much lower, between œ50-100 million a year, at œ4.84 a tablet. yahoo.co.uk

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (778)	9/14/1998 8:32:00 AM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 1722

[LLY MRK GLX PGNS] More than 100 new drugs in works to fight infection Monday September 14, 7:02 am Eastern Time By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent WASHINGTON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - More than 100 new drugs are in the works to fight infections by bacteria, viruses and fungi -- but people have to realize no drug is ever a magic bullet against microbes, a drug manufacturer's group said on Monday. The drugs range from new compounds designed to fight ''superbugs'' that have evolved to resist antibiotics, to existing AIDS drugs that have shown some promise against other viruses such as hepatitis or herpes, to new vaccines. According to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which lobbies on behalf of drug companies, 136 different drugs made by 78 different companies are in development for use against infections. Not all are completely new, said Dr. John Siegfried, senior medical officer at PhRMA. ''The things that excite me are conceptual things such as being able to give a flu vaccine by a nasal spray and what that can mean in terms of going into nursing homes and schools and being able to vaccinate larger populations,'' he said. Siegfried was describing Aviron's (Nasdaq:AVIR - news) FluMist, which has been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval. ''I see vaccines for cervical cancer and I say wow,'' Siegfried added -- a reference to vaccines in the works against genital warts, the most common cause of cervical cancer. They include products by Cantab (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: CTB.L), SmithKline Beecham (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: SB.L), Merck (NYSE:MRK - news) and MedImmune (Nasdaq:MEDI - news). Siegfried says great hope is offered to millions of tuberculosis sufferers by PathoGenesis Corp.'s (Nasdaq:PGNS - news) rifalazil, a TB drug now in Phase II clinical trials that the company says may eradicate infection in two weeks, as opposed to six months for existing tuberculosis drugs. ''I think, my lord, what that could mean in terms of TB as a threat to world health,'' he said. ''Because part of the problem (is that) the treatment of tuberculosis is such a long time of treatment that you really have to have a dedicated patient population.'' Tuberculosis evolves drug-resistant forms when patients do not take their full course of medicine, as do other bugs. Some of the most common bacteria, such as streptococci and staphylococci, have mutated strains that resist even the most advanced antibiotics. This scares doctors, not least because it takes years to develop new drugs. On PhRMA's list is Eli Lilly's (NYSE:LLY - news) LY33328, which is designed to fight such superbugs. Lilly says it is similar to vancomycin, the current last line of defense, but seems to kill bacteria better. The company does not quite understand how but has the drug in Phase II clinical trials. Drugs meant to fight the HIV virus that causes AIDS are not on the list, but several have been found to fight other viruses as well. These include Glaxo-Wellcome's (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: GLXO.L) Epivir, which is up for FDA approval for use against hepatitis B. But Siegfried warned that people should not rely solely on drugs. ''While it's wonderful that we have all these products coming along, unless we have education of the public and a change in our behavior, to simply bring more antibiotics on the market means more drug resistance,'' he said. ''These are gifts to humanity and they need to be treated with respect. If we abuse them, as we have in the past, it will not move us further ahead.'' Scientists say drug-resistant bugs evolved because people over-use antibiotics, use them inappropriately, and fail to use them correctly. ''The answer to infectious disease is not antibiotics and antivirals. It is healthy living,'' Siegfried said. biz.yahoo.com