Consumer form Sciences, a leading global provider of comprehensive consumer state notice and patient reported outcomes, presented of substance picture at the ISPOR 11th Annual European Congress, Athens, Greece, November 11, 2008. Findings demonstrated altitudinous unmet requirements among patients with depression using SSRIs or SNRIs.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotoninnorepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are commonly used in the treatment of depression. Efficacy of SSRIs and SNRIs has unusable evaluated using clinical trial scoop and metaanalyses. However, using patientreported survey compilations for the assessment of unmet requirements provides a realmacrocosm patient perspective that is generalizable to the broader population.

The primary objective was to quantify the unmet requirements of patients diagnosed with depression treating with an SSRI or SNRI. The analysis used patient selfreported details from five European countries. The results demonstrated that approximately 80% of treated patients outlast to array symptoms of depression.

“These results highlight the exact for new and better treatments to alleviate depression symptoms,” said Samuel Wagner, Ph.D., R.Ph., Vice President, prime Economics and Outcomes Research, of Consumer euphoria Sciences. “Key markers were identified to corrective physicians in their diagnosis. In inflation to a system history of depression, theyre more possible to sense other comorbid psychiatric conditions and report their depression as more severe than patients whose requirements were met.”

The results were based on an analysis of 53,000 patients from the 2007 National euphoria and Wellness Survey conducted in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. Inclusion criteria for the instant analysis were diagnosed depression, treating with an SSRI or SNRI, and not diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Depression sufferers were asked to report on the following symptoms bothered by feeling down, depressed or hopeless or bothered by having little interest or delight in doing qualities in the month prior to survey. Unmet requirements were defined as an affirmative response to either of the above symptoms. Further analyses of these patients were as well conducted by the scientific team at Consumer salubriousness Sciences to more deeply understand the demographic, attitudinal and disease characteristics of patients with unmet requirements.

About Consumer wellbeing Sciences

Consumer constitution Sciences is a leading source of diseasepeculiar consumer form whole parable for the pharmaceutical and life lore industries. Its flagship product, the annual National verdure and Wellness Survey (NHWS) database, is the largest selfreported patient database of its kind, providing trading post sizing, demographic, attitudinal, quality of life, resource utilization and treatment the latest in more than 100 therapeutic categories in the U.S., Europe

Sciele Pharma, Inc., a Shionogi community, and Plethora Solutions Holdings PLC (”Plethora” AIMPLE), the specialist developer of items for the treatment and management of urological disorders, today announced the final analysis of its European Phase III doubleblind placebocontrolled study of PSD502 for the treatment of premature ejaculation (PE). PSD502 has met not only its three coprimary endpoints of Intravaginal Ejaculation Latency instance (IELT) and Index of Premature Ejaculation (IPE; Ejaculatory direction and Sexual Satisfaction domains), but likewise all secondary endpoints.

The prosperous European study is one of two pivotal Phase III studies conducted in parallel with identical protocols. The duplicate Phase III study is expected to be completed in the first half of 2009. reports from the two studies will be combined for submission for regulatory approval in the USA and Europe.

Phase III Study Details

Each Phase III study is a multicenter, randomized, doubleblind, placebocontrolled efficacy study, and the program is expected to recruit a total of 540 patients opposite the two studies. Patients are treated for a 12week period with an optional openlabel phase of up to nine months.

The European study was conducted with 300 randomized patients crosswise 32 investigational centers in four countries transversely Europe. Of these, 268 patients have now dated entered into the optional ninemonth openlabel study.

European Phase III Study Outcome

Final analyses confirmed not only that PSD502 produced a highly clinically and statistically significant raise from baseline in all three coprimary study endpoints, but conjointly in all secondary endpoints. The IELT for PSD502 was four minutes compared with one minute in placebo (p

New findings out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of East Anglia pomp that elongateterm use of a lovable class of oral diabetic drugs doubles the risk of fractures in women with stamp 2 diabetes.

The findings appear on the web today, 10Dec, on the Web habitat for the Canadian Medical Association Journal and will appear in the January 6 issue.

“We knew going into that study that there was an association separating thiazolidinediones and fracture risk, however the magnitude of risk had not dated evaluated,” said Sonal Singh, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor of internal medicine and a coresearcher for the study. “that study shows that these agents double the risk of fractures in women with kind 2 diabetes, who are already at higher risk before taking the therapy.”

In absolute terms, Singh said, if thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are used by elderly, postmenopausal women (over 70 years) with subdivision 2 diabetes for one year, one additional fracture would occur among from time to time 21 women. Among younger women (almost 56 years), use of the drugs for one year or longer would production in one additional fracture for on occasion 55 women.

TZDs are oral medications liable to bridle diabetes by lowering blood sugar. The two currently available drugs in that class are rosiglitazone, marketed as AvandiaTM by GlaxoSmithKline, and pioglitazone, marketed as ActosTM by Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

For the study, researchers reviewed 10 previously completed trials that lasted at least one year. All of the studies included participants with impaired glucose tolerance and lot 2 diabetes, and all compared the risk of fracture among patients with sort 2 diabetes who were taking TZD therapy and patients not taking the therapy. Nearly 14,000 participants were included in the studies. poop was broken down by gender in five of the studies.

Overall, the results showed that use of TZDs significantly increased the risk of fractures among patients with blazon 2 diabetes and was associated with changes in bone mineral density at the lumbar spine and the hip.

score from the studies that reported sexmodest results showed that TZDs significantly increased the risk of fractures among women. They were not, however, associated with the similarly development of fracture risk in men. The studies more showed a consistent decline in bone mineral density in women exposed to TZD therapy.

“Women with sample 2 diabetes are at an increased risk of nonvertebral fractures, with a near doubling in the risk of hip fractures,” the researchers wrote in their findings. “Any additional risk from thiazolidinedione therapy could have considerable impact.”

In 2006, there were nearly 4 million patients in the United States taking TZDs, half of whom were credible women, Singh said.

While the underlying cause for the sexrestricted effect of TZDs requirements further exploration, researchers suggest that the drugs may cause fractures by replacing bone marrow with fat cells.

Other recent studies of TZDs have focused on the adverse cardiovascular effects of rosiglitazone and pioglitazone.

In the June 2007 issue of Diabetes Care, Singh and colleagues reported that TZDs doubled the risk of congestive heart breakdown in patients with mold 2 diabetes. They wellbalanced with reported in The Journal of the American Medical Association that use of rosiglitazone was associated both with increased heart attacks and a doubling of heart stoppage. In August 2008, Singh and colleagues commented in an on the web editorial for Heart that, “At that span, justification for use of thiazolidinediones is very weak to nonexistent.”

“The relatively modest benefits of thiazolidinediones must be balanced against their significant outstretchedterm effects on bone and the cardiovascular conformity,” the researchers wrote in their max recent findings.

Clinicians should take up the updated 2008 guidelines of the American Diabetes Association and European Association for Study of Diabetes consensus recommendations, which do not accede thiazolidinediones among the wellvalidated core therapies for standard 2 diabetes and uniformly advised against the use of rosiglitazone. (Diabetes Care, Oct. 22, 2008)

item adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.

Coresearchers on the study were Curt D. Furberg, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of public tonicity sciences at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and Yoon K. Loke, M.D., MBBS, of the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (wfubmc.edu/) is an academic form ideology comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Brenner Childrens Hospital, Wake Forest University Physicians, and Wake Forest University good condition Sciences, which operates the universitys School of Medicine and Piedmont Triad Research Park. The conformity comprises 1,154 acute care, rehabilitation and spun outterm care beds and has oldmoment ranked as one of “Americas nonpareil Hospitals” by U.S. News & star Report since 1993. Wake Forest Baptist is ranked 32nd in the nation by Americas Top Doctors for the googol of its doctors considered unparalleled by their peers. The institution ranks in the top third in funding by the National Institutes of top form and fourth in the Southeast in revenues from its licensed intellectual goods.

Source Jessica Guenzel
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center

The Foundation for the Mid South, hoping to prompt theory changes that improve the lives of black men in the South, released a report last week examining the wellbeing, propagandism and wealth disparities of black men in the region, the AP/New Orleans TimesPicayune reports. Blacks represent 26% of the population in the midSouth and 12% of the U.S. population, according to the AP/TimesPicayune.

Chris Crothers, ghost of the report, studied black males ages 16 to 44 in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi and fashion that they are more verisimilar to be uninsured, drop out of school or die in a homicide when compared with their white counterparts. In Mississippi, for stereotype where blacks procreate up more than onethird of the states population 46.9% of black males are uninsured, compared with 25.3% of white males. The regions poverty rate is 17.3%, about 5% higher than the national average.

State Rep. George Flaggs (D), chair of the Mississippi crash pad Banking Committee, said, “We have to beget policies that adjust apprenticeship and healthfulness care more accessible to young black males,” adding, “That has not oldfangled a priority. Thats the problem.” He urged for more tax credits and incentives to improve economic conditions in the region.

Crothers said, “A lot of these conversations are being held nationally, but not in our region. We dont have an initiative that focuses rightful on black males.” He added, “We feel that there should be a field thats developed in all these issues” (Byrd, AP/New Orleans TimesPicayune, 12/8).

The report is available on the net (.pdf).

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily fettle scheme Report, search the archives, or light up for postal employ delivery at kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily bloom method Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free relevance of The Henry J. Kaiser line Foundation.

&counterfeit; 2008 Advisory Board throng and Kaiser house Foundation. All rights aloof.

Omeros Corporation announced favorable results from a Phase 1 boatcontrolled study of OMS201, another of Omeros PharmacoSurgery(TM) product candidates, for use meanwhile urological surgery.

The Phase 1 study of OMS201 enrolled patients undergoing endoscopic removal of urinary stones, and was designed to evaluate the systemic absorption and safety of the drug product. The pharmacokinetic testimony from that study exposition that systemic plasma levels of the active agents of OMS201 in patients were minimal and in maximum cases below the stable of quantification. There were no serious adverse events.

“We lengthen to be encouraged by the progress being made in our OMS201 development program, and the completion of that study represents another lucrative milestone as we advance our PharmacoSurgery(TM) platform,” stated Gregory A. Demopulos, M.D., Chairman and CEO of Omeros. “Based on these positive results, we plot to initiate a Phase 1/Phase 2 study evaluating the safety and preliminary efficacy of two higher concentrations of OMS201 in uroendoscopic surgery.”

The Phase 1 study was a randomized, doubleblind, buggycontrolled and parallelassigned study designed to evaluate the systemic absorption and safety of OMS201 in patients receiving primary treatment by endoscopic removal of urinary stones. OMS201, developed from Omeros proprietary PharmacoSurgeryTM platform, is designed for use when urological surgery, including uroendoscopic procedures such as ureteroscopy, cystoscopy and minimally invasive prostate procedures. Added to promoted irrigation solutions in urological surgery, OMS201 is delivered until the operation directly to the surgical locus to inhibit surgically induced inflammation, pain and smooth muscle spasm.

About Omeros Corporation

Omeros Corporation is a clinicalstage biopharmaceutical gang committed to discovering, developing and commercializing items focused on inflammation and disorders of the central nervous coordination. Omeros best clinically first product candidates are derived from its proprietary PharmacoSurgeryTM platform designed to improve clinical outcomes of patients undergoing arthroscopic, ophthalmological, urological and other surgical and medical procedures. Omeros has four ongoing PharmacoSurgeryTM clinical development programs, and its top product candidate, OMS103HP, is being evaluated in Phase 3 clinical trials for use midst arthroscopic surgery to improve postoperative joint use and reduce postoperative pain. Omeros is likewise architecture a diverse pipeline of preclinical programs targeting inflammation and central nervous logical order disorders. For more intelligence on Omeros, surf the concourses Web locale at omeros.com.

Omeros Corporation
omeros.com

On December 3, 2008, OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQOGXI) announced the results of its Phase 2 clinical trial comparing treatment of metastatic prostate cancer patients with its OGX011 in combination with docetaxel and prednisone (the “OGX011 arm”) versus patients that received docetaxel and prednisone alone (the “juice arm”). The topical gold regulation in the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer patients is the application of docetaxel and prednisone alone. The results of the trial indicate that the metastatic prostate cancer patients that received OGX011 and the classic treatment had a 10.6 month median overall survival interest ended the patients that received the definitive treatment alone.

In the Phase 2 trial, the median survival was 27.5 months for the patients in the OGX011 arm and 16.9 months for the patients in the determination arm. Results to age conjointly indicate that patients in the OGX011 arm have a passing over rate approximately 40% lower than patients in the guidance arm. It is smash to note that the FDA originally approved docetaxel for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer based upon its 2.4 month survival preference completed mitoxantrone.

The stock supermarket has responded with, of late uncharacteristic, enthusiasm to the OncoGenex news. while the three days following the OncoGenex announcement, OncoGenex traded completed one million shares and the floor floor hire of its shares climbed 224% from US$2.25 to US$7.29, ranking OncoGenex as the prime one weekly percentage gainer on NASDAQ.

BC supremacy first invested in OncoGenex in November of 2003 and has since deepened its jawbone through making followon investments into OncoGenex out of the eminence Venture Fund and the asset Life learning Fund I. While the leverage Life information Fund I is in the process of completing the last of its redemptions, the remedy Venture Fund remains open to investors.

About lead

eminence offers everyone in BC the opportunity to invest in some of the Provinces greater promising life branch, technology and clean technology companies. leverage investors receive a 30% refundable tax credit from the BC government on investments of up to $200,000 per year.

For more hash about recognition, please review our prospectus or explore our website at bcadvantagefunds.com.

About OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical aggregation committed to the development and commercialization of new cancer therapies that address unmet requirements in the treatment of cancer. OncoGenex has a deep oncology pipeline, with each product candidate having a distinct machinery of alertness and representing a rare opportunity for cancer drug development. OGX011, the direction candidate currently completing five Phase 2 clinical studies in prostate, lung and breast cancers, is designed to inhibit the production of a exact protein associated with treatment resistance; OGX427 and SN2310 are in Phase 1 clinical development; and CSP9222 and OGX225 are currently in preclinical development. More learning is available at oncogenex.com.

BC luck Funds (VCC) Ltd.

The Foundation for the Mid South, hoping to prompt behavior changes that improve the lives of black men in the South, released a report last week examining the clean bill, coaching and wealth disparities of black men in the region, the AP/New Orleans TimesPicayune reports. Blacks represent 26% of the population in the midSouth and 12% of the U.S. population, according to the AP/TimesPicayune.

Chris Crothers, word slinger of the report, studied black males ages 16 to 44 in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi and launch that they are more verisimilar to be uninsured, drop out of school or die in a homicide when compared with their white counterparts. In Mississippi, for excuse where blacks produce up more than onethird of the states population 46.9% of black males are uninsured, compared with 25.3% of white males. The regions poverty rate is 17.3%, about 5% higher than the national average.

State Rep. George Flaggs (D), chair of the Mississippi dwelling Banking Committee, said, “We have to design policies that cause scholarship and wholeness care more accessible to young black males,” adding, “That has not disused a priority. Thats the problem.” He urged for more tax credits and incentives to improve economic conditions in the region.

Crothers said, “A lot of these conversations are being held nationally, but not in our region. We dont have an initiative that focuses impartial on black males.” He added, “We feel that there should be a field thats developed circumference these issues” (Byrd, AP/New Orleans TimesPicayune, 12/8).

The report is available on the net (.pdf).

Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily haleness procedure Report, search the archives, or evidence up for communication delivery at kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily complexion protocol Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free relevance of The Henry J. Kaiser subdivision Foundation.

&impersonation; 2008 Advisory Board clique and Kaiser ancestry Foundation. All rights selfcontained.

EuropaBio, the biotech industry association wishes to congratulate the winners of that years Nobel Prize for Medicine. The 2008 Nobel Prize for Medicine has unusable awarded one half to Dr. Harald zur Hausen and one half jointly to Dr. Françoise BarréSinoussi and Dr. Luc Montagnier. that years Nobel Prize for Medicine recognizes the discovery of the human papilloma viruses (HPV) causing cervical cancer and the discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) virus causing AIDS.

Dr. zur Hausens discovery of the HPV viruses has led to the development of preventive vaccines against some forms of cervical cancer. Dr. BarréSinoussis and Dr. Montagniers discovery of the HIV virus in 1983 led to the emergence of antiretroviral treatments that hand to prolong the life of patients.

EuropaBio recognizes the excellence of these European scientists and calls for continued support of research for the development of novel and innovative inventions and treatments that improve the quality of life for patients almost the heavenly body. Biotechnology is a significant factor of that healthcare narration today biotech medicines are estimated to take for approximately 20% of all marketed medicines and represent 50% of all medicines in the pipeline.

EuropaBio congratulates Dr. zur Hausen, Dr. BarréSinoussi and Dr. Luc Montagnier on their ground breaking discoveries which are leading to more effective treatments for patients any which way the sphere. “We ask European approach makers to accession their support to biotech SMEs and academia as they ripe innovative medical treatments. that support should likewise embrace policies to lessen the brain drain which continues to hamper our efforts to grow heavenly body class medicines” said Willy De Greef, EuropaBios Secretary General.

EuropaBio

Tobacco use and the spread of Westernized lifestyles are the two main factors pushing up cancer casualty figures in developing countries globally, according to a new report issued by IARC (universal Agency for Research on Cancer). The Agency predicts that the total total of annual cancer deaths globally will double within the next twenty years.

By 2010, says IARC, the total numerator of worldwide cancer deaths will overtake cardiovascular and heart disease deaths.

According to the report

In 2030 there will be 27 million new cases of cancer and 17 million cancer deaths. (In 2007 there were 12 new cancer cases and about 8 million cancer deaths.)

New cancer cases are expected to grow by 1% each year finished the next two decades

The character of cancer deaths is expected to grow by 1% each year gone the next two decades

The largest access in new cancer cases and total annual cancer deaths are expected to rise the fastest in Russia, India and China.

Currently chronic infection is the leading cause of cancer in developing countries. Smoking, obesity, as well as other Western lifestyle factors will eventually become the leading causes of cancer in those countries within the next twenty years.

The global cancer burden doubled throughout the period 19752000. Experts say it will double afresh by 2020, and triple ten years after that. In 1970 only 15% of global cancers happened in developing countries today complete half of all cancers occur in developing countries. Twothirds of all cancer deaths today hit in developing countries. that seesaw movement has not stopped yet.

The report indicates that the main intellection the proportion of global cancer is growing in developing countries is smoking. As the prime of smokers in developed countries fall, the opposite has happened in best of the rest of the earth.

How can the burden of cancer be reduced?

Cancer can be reduced and controlled by implementing evidencebased strategies for cancer prevention, early detection of cancer and management of patients with cancer.

About one third of cancer could be prevented by modifying or eluding key risk factors, according to a 2005 study by ecumenical cancer collaborators.

ponderous risk factors for cancer

smoking
being overweight/obese
low fruit and vegetable intake
physical inactivity
alcohol consumption
sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV and HPV
urban air pollution
indoor smoke from household use of solid fuels

Detecting cancer early

According to the globe healthiness Organization, approximately one third of the cancer burden could be decreased if cancer were detected and treated early. Early detection of cancer is based on the observation that treatment is more effective when cancer is detected earlier. The aim is to detect the cancer when it is localized (before metastasis).

What is the impact of cancer in your country? (WHO)

Omeros Corporation announced favorable results from a Phase 1 conveyancecontrolled study of OMS201, another of Omeros PharmacoSurgery(TM) product candidates, for use amid urological surgery.

The Phase 1 study of OMS201 enrolled patients undergoing endoscopic removal of urinary stones, and was designed to evaluate the systemic absorption and safety of the drug product. The pharmacokinetic info from that study fair that systemic plasma levels of the active agents of OMS201 in patients were minimal and in better cases below the straight of quantification. There were no serious adverse events.

“We never cease to be encouraged by the progress being made in our OMS201 development program, and the completion of that study represents another triumphant milestone as we advance our PharmacoSurgery(TM) platform,” stated Gregory A. Demopulos, M.D., Chairman and CEO of Omeros. “Based on these positive results, we plot to initiate a Phase 1/Phase 2 study evaluating the safety and preliminary efficacy of two higher concentrations of OMS201 in uroendoscopic surgery.”

The Phase 1 study was a randomized, doubleblind, buckboardcontrolled and parallelassigned study designed to evaluate the systemic absorption and safety of OMS201 in patients receiving primary treatment by endoscopic removal of urinary stones. OMS201, developed from Omeros proprietary PharmacoSurgeryTM platform, is designed for use while urological surgery, including uroendoscopic procedures such as ureteroscopy, cystoscopy and minimally invasive prostate procedures. Added to regulation irrigation solutions in urological surgery, OMS201 is delivered amid the operation directly to the surgical range to inhibit surgically induced inflammation, pain and smooth muscle spasm.

About Omeros Corporation

Omeros Corporation is a clinicalstage biopharmaceutical crew committed to discovering, developing and commercializing merchandises focused on inflammation and disorders of the central nervous fixed order. Omeros largest clinically far out product candidates are derived from its proprietary PharmacoSurgeryTM platform designed to improve clinical outcomes of patients undergoing arthroscopic, ophthalmological, urological and other surgical and medical procedures. Omeros has four ongoing PharmacoSurgeryTM clinical development programs, and its star product candidate, OMS103HP, is being evaluated in Phase 3 clinical trials for use midst arthroscopic surgery to improve postoperative joint mark and reduce postoperative pain. Omeros is further construction a diverse pipeline of preclinical programs targeting inflammation and central nervous rule disorders. For more whole potboiler on Omeros, have a look at the ensembles Web where at omeros.com.

Omeros Corporation
omeros.com