Showing posts with label biological drugs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biological drugs. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Key To Dramatically Lower LDL Cholesterol Found In Genetic Mutation; Race For Drug Set Off

Rare Mutation Ignites Race For Cholesterol Drug by Gina Kolata.  The New York times.  July 9, 2013.

(1)  The three drug companies involved in the drug chase are _______________________.

(2)  Each of the three companies drug is a ________________, made in _____________.

(3)  In injectable form the drug may have a market of _______________;  In pill form, as many as _____________Americans may be candidates.

(4)  Heart diseases causes nearly ____________ death a year among Americans.

(5)  While the initial studies are promising, large scale studies are ______________.

(6)  The drugs tested thus far are injected __________________ once or twice a month.

(7)  The gene __________ leads to high LDL levels.

(8)  The disabled gene inherited from both parents resulted in____________________

(9)  Those with the mutated gene seemed almost immune to heart disease even with many risk factors including __________________________.

(10)

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Biotech Drugs Still Won't Copy by Christopher Weaver, Jeanne Whalen and Jonathan D. Rockoff.  The Wall Street Journal.  February 26, 2013.

Conventional drugs can be duplicated by reproducing the formula.  Biotech drugs are products of living  cells with altered DNA and are more difficult to reproduce.  The difference between conventional and biotech has significance when patent protection of a drug expires and when generics move into the gap.    While generics of conventional drugs are identical to the original, the similarity of the generics of biotech drugs is more difficult to assess.  The article present issues involved in biosimilar drugs, or the generic equivalent of the biotech drugs.  

Thursday, January 31, 2013

State Efforts May Restrain Competition In Biological Drugs

Biotech Firms, Billions At Risk, Lobby States To Limit Generics by Andrew Pollack.  The New York Times.  January 28, 2013.

The 2010 Affordable Care Act called for competition for biotechnological drugs.  However actions in the states legislatures  may have significant impact on the degree of competition and the amount of savings to be realized under ACA from prescribing biosimilars.

How biological drugs are made is outlined here.