In 2005 more than 11 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed and more than 7 million people died (accounting for approximately 13% of global deaths) from this devastating disease – over 70% of whom live in low- and middle-income countries. In 2020, if current trends continue, new cancer cases will increase to 16 million per year and more than 10 million people will die; between 2005 and 2015, it is projected that 84 million people will die of cancer. The absolute number of cases of cancer in persons younger than 50 years old is not predicted to increase in the next 50 years, but the absolute number of cases in persons aged 65 years and older is expected to double between 2000 and 2030. Read the rest of this entry »
Helped by the government, the generic drugs business in Japan, the world’s second largest pharma market, is set to grow by 9% from the current less than 5% in the next 3-4 years.Indian generic makers see a huge opportunity as the generics market in Japan is poised to witness strong annual growth of around 9% in 2009-2013 on the back of strong government support and largely untapped nature. Leading Indian generic players, including Ranbaxy, Lupin, Zydus Cadila and Dishman, have already entered the Japanese pharma market. Read the rest of this entry »
When a Big Pharma blockbuster drug’s patent expires, generic-drug makers step in. Here are the top-selling generic drugs and the branded drugs they’re displacing.
When Big Pharma invents a new drug, it’s like a cash machine. With patents protecting new discoveries from competition, drug developers like Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and AstraZeneca can charge whatever they want for their little miracles. Until, that is, the patent expires. Then it’s goodbye profits, and hello generics! Behind every new drug is a generic copycat — like Teva, Mylan, or K-V — ready to start selling a nearly exact yet much cheaper version virtually the day patent protection ends. Read the rest of this entry »
Thousands of herbal and traditional compounds are being screened worldwide to validate their use as anti-cancerous drugs. An integrated approach is needed to manage cancer using the growing body of knowledge gained through scientific developments. Hence, an attempt is made in this review to discuss about the pathology and therapeutic management of various cancers described in Ayurveda. Review of literature on anticancer drugs of plant origin revealed identification of newer ayurvedic drugs that are not mentioned in the ancient texts. These new findings add up to ayurvedic science that has been developed through ages. In addition, details of experimental and clinical studies conducted on single and compound ayurvedic preparations for their anticancer efficacy strongly emphasize ayurvedic therapy as a scientifically motivated one and not simply unconventional. Read the rest of this entry »
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common cause of cancer mortality in men and women in Singapore.Chemotherapy and biologically targeted agents can extend survival only modestly for these patients; therefore, discovery of novel ways to prolong the disease course is a top research priority.
The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway plays a central role in the neoplastic transformation of NSCLC and promotes cancer cell survival, metastasis, and angiogenesis. The predominance of EGFR signaling in NSCLC makes the pathway an attractive candidate for the development of targeted therapeutics. Over the last three years, the FDA has approved two drugs for salvage treatment of NSCLC, gefitinib (Iressa ®, formerly known as ZD1839) and erlotinib (Tarceva ®, formerly known as OSI-774). Both are small molecule orally-bioavailable tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) of the EGFR TK domain, and have been shown to improve survival compared to placebo in asian patients when administered after failure of first or second line chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC. Read the rest of this entry »
Global prescription sales growth of generics drugs slowed to 3.6 percent in the twelve months ending September 2008, down from 11.4 percent in 2007, according to a new report by IMS Health (NYSE: RX), the world’s leading provider of market intelligence to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Global generics products generated $78 billion in audited sales in the twelve months through September, reflecting the changing industry dynamics that also are affecting branded pharmaceutical products. Read the rest of this entry »
Branded drug makers fired back at critics of their use of “authorized generics,” citing new research findings that show no evidence that this strategy delays the onset of generic competition. The study, conducted by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) School of Management, suggest that, if anything, the introduction of authorized generics during the 180-day exclusivity period awarded to the first generic company that challenges a brand drug’s patent actually benefits patients by lowering the cost of medication. Read the rest of this entry »
Yoga (योग) refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India. The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. In Hinduism, it also refers to one of the six orthodox (āstika) schools of Hindu philosophy, and to the goal toward which that school directs its practices. In Jainism it refers to the sum total of all activities—mental, verbal and physical. Major branches of yoga in Hindu philosophy include Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Hatha Yoga. Raja Yoga, compiled in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and known simply as yoga in the context of Hindu philosophy, is part of the Samkhya tradition. Many other Hindu texts discuss aspects of yoga, including Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Shiva Samhita and various Tantras. Read the rest of this entry »
Cancer (medical term: malignant neoplasm) is a class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth (division beyond the normal limits), invasion (intrusion on and destruction of adjacent tissues), and sometimes metastasis (spread to other locations in the body via lymph or blood). These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, and do not invade or metastasize. Most cancers form a tumor but some, like leukemia, do not. The branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer is oncology. Cancer may affect people at all ages, even fetuses, but the risk for most varieties increases with age. Cancer causes about 13% of all human deaths. According to the American Cancer Society, 7.6 million people died from cancer in the world during 2007. Cancers can affect all animals. Read the rest of this entry »
Traditional Chinese Medicine, also known as TCM (simplified Chinese: 中医; traditional Chinese: 中醫; pinyin: zhōngyī), includes a range of traditional medical practices originating in China. Although well accepted in the mainstream of medical care throughout East Asia, it is considered an alternative medical system in much of the western world.
TCM practices include such treatments as herbal medicine (中药), acupuncture, dietary therapy, and both Tui na and Shiatsu massage. Qigong and Taijiquan are also closely associated with TCM. TCM claims to be rooted in meticulous observation of nature, the cosmos, and the human body, and to be thousands of years old. Major theories include those of Yin-yang, the Five Phases, the human body Channel system, Zang Fu organ theory, six confirmations, four layers, etc. Modern TCM was systematized in the 1950s under the People’s Republic of China and Mao Zedong. Read the rest of this entry »
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