Breaking WORLD PHARMA NEWS

A patch of protection against Zika virus

A simple-to-apply, needle-free vaccine patch is being developed to protect people from the potentially deadly mosquito-borne Zika virus.

A prototype using The University of Queensland-developed and Vaxxas-commercialised high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) has delivered a University of Adelaide-developed vaccine and elicited an effective immune response to Zika virus in mice.

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Scientists uncover how fermented-food bacteria can guard against depression, anxiety

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered how Lactobacillus, a bacterium found in fermented foods and yogurt, helps the body manage stress and may help prevent depression and anxiety. The findings open the door to new therapies to treat anxiety, depression and other mental-health conditions.

The new research from UVA's Alban Gaultier, Ph.D., and collaborators is notable because it pinpoints the role of Lactobacillus, separating it out from all the other microorganisms that naturally live in and on our bodies.

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Bayer and Hurdle launch precision health strategic partnership

Hurdle, a pioneer in diagnostic testing, and the Consumer Health division of Bayer have launched a strategic partnership to advance consumer innovations in the emerging area of healthy aging. The partnership is designed to enhance the companies' shared ambition to transform self-care through personalized solutions.

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FDA approves first therapy for rare type of non-cancerous tumors

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ogsiveo (nirogacestat) tablets for adult patients with progressing desmoid tumors who require systemic treatment. Ogsiveo is the first drug to be approved for the treatment of patients with desmoid tumors, a rare subtype of soft tissue sarcomas.

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AI may spare breast cancer patients unnecessary treatments

A new AI (Artificial Intelligence) tool may make it possible to spare breast cancer patients unnecessary chemotherapy treatments by using a more precise method of predicting their outcomes, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

AI evaluations of patient tissues were better at predicting the future course of a patient’s disease than evaluations performed by expert pathologists.

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Lidocaine may be able to kill certain cancer cells by activating bitter taste receptors

Lidocaine - often used as numbing agent for outpatient medical procedures - activates certain bitter taste receptors through two unique mechanisms that result in cancer cell death, according to researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Their findings, published in Cell Reports, pave the way for a clinical trial to test the addition of lidocaine to the standard of care therapy for patients with head and neck cancers.

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Bayer invests 130 million EUR in new production facility for innovative parenteral products

Bayer has added a brand new manufacturing facility to its global supply chain network. The new production plant was inaugurated today at the company's global pharmaceutical headquarters in Berlin, Germany. The facility features state-of-the-art technology, innovative production, and automated processes.

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Skin bacteria can save lives

Infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a growing global problem. Part of the solution may lie in copying the bacteria's own weapons. The research environment in Tromsø has found a new bacteriocin, in a very common skin bacterium. Bacteriocin inhibits the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that are often the cause of disease and can be difficult to treat.

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Pfizer and Astellas' XTANDI® approved by U.S. FDA in earlier prostate cancer treatment setting

Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Naoki Okamura, “Astellas”) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced that the companies received an approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a supplemental New Drug Application for XTANDI® (enzalutamide), following FDA expedited development and review programs (Priority Review designation, Fast Track designation, Real-time Oncology Review), based on results from the Phase 3 EMBARK trial.

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Potential therapeutic target found to combat tuberculosis, a disrupted NAD(H) homeostasis

It has been uncertain how Mycobacterium tuberculosis deflects the immune response in humans, though evidence has pointed to host immunometabolism - the intrinsic link between metabolism in immune cells and their immune function. The pathogen M. tuberculosis is known to disrupt a metabolic pathway called glycolysis in infected myeloid cells, which include macrophages, through an unclear mechanism.

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