UCB says had positive trial for Vimpat as monotherapy

The logo of UCB is seen at the entrance of the company's headquarters in BrusselsBRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgian pharmaceutical company UCB said on Tuesday its new epilepsy treatment Vimpat had produced promising results in a Phase III trial into its use without other drugs. UCB said it would to submit the data as part of a supplementary new drug application for lacosamide, marketed as Vimpat, to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The application is planned in the second half of 2013. Vimpat is approved as an adjunctive therapy for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults with epilepsy, but not as a monotherapy. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop)

Roche clinches EU approval for breast cancer drug Perjeta

Logo of Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche is pictured in RotkreuzZURICH (Reuters) – Roche said on Tuesday it clinched European approval for its breast cancer drug Perjeta, fuelling the company's hopes that the drug will become the standard of care for an aggressive, incurable form of cancer. Roche is hoping that combining Perjeta with its older drug Herceptin will become the standard treatment for women with a form of cancer known as HER2-positive, which makes up about a quarter of all breast cancers and has no cure. U.S. health regulators already granted the drug approval last June. (Reporting By Katharina Bart, editing by Emma Thomasson)

Generics brought down common drug prices in 2012: Express Scripts

(Reuters) – Cheaper generic drugs in 2012 brought down spending on treatments for common diseases like high cholesterol for the first time in 20 years, according to a report from the largest manager of U.S. pharmacy benefits. A rise in spending on specialty drug treatments offset that decline, however, and drove total U.S. payments for prescription drugs up 2.7 percent last year, Express Scripts Holding Co said on Tuesday. Spending on drugs to treat high cholesterol and high blood pressure fell 1. …

Anti-AIDS pill, vaginal gel unsuitable for Africa: study

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Trying to prevent HIV infection through vaginal gels or daily tablets has proven ineffective in the southern African region ravaged by the disease because people failed to use the medicines as required, a study released on Monday said. A ground breaking study issued in 2010 indicated a vaginal gel containing a prescription drug can sharply reduce HIV infections in women who use it before and after sex, raising the possibility to slow the spread of the disease by giving women a way to protect themselves. …

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