QDIS Blog

I found this report from the BBC to be interesting and an example of what I call thinking outside the box. By that I mean approaching a problem from a different perspective than normal.

BBC NEWS | UK | England | London | Anti-MRSA silver pyjamas trialled:

It describes research being done in England with sheets and clothing )pajamas) made with silver in the them to combat methicillin-resistant staphylococcus areus (MRSA) infection. These infections are the so-called superbugs that are resistant to most common antibiotics. Usually these sorts of infections only respond to Vancomycin and if strains develop a resistance to that and then become prevalent, the world could be back to the equivalent time when all we had were sulfa drugs to treat infections.

This approach is interesting since it . It is known that silver can be an effective anti-microbial and if this proves effect could be a wonderful way to prevent infections in hospitals.

I can say that I know first hand how devastating these infections can be as my wife developed a life threatening MRSA infection last summer and was in intensive care for about a week followed by another week in a regular hospital room and eight more weeks of daily IV Vancomycin therapy after that!! THese infections can come on very quickly and are very serious.

I will definitely keep an eye on this and am interested to see if it works. It certainly is a new way of thinking about preventing hospital infections.

Technorati Tags: MRSA, superbugs, silver cloth

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I’ve been busy with other projects recently but am not getting caught up on all the chemistry and science related news from the past few days. One of the important ones was a recent announcement about the government of Thailand breaking patents on Plavix (Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol-Myers Squibb) for heart disease and Efavirenz (Merck) an HIV drug.

FT.com / World / Asia-Pacific - Thai goverment to break drug patents:

This seems to have caught the pharmaceutical industry by surprise. The Thai government says they can not afford the drugs and there are legal processes in place for governments to break patents under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. There is much conversation about under what circumstances this can take place since the law evidently is unclear and critics are saying that Thailand doesn’t have criteria outlined to determine when this should occur.

I have mixed feelings. I am sympathetic to the cost factor but think the Thai government should have enter into negotiations with the companies first. Also, you need to consider that the Thai government recently was overtaken by a military coup de’etat back in September 2006. So it is unclear how exactly this current government will operate.

I don’t think this will become a trend; I think this particular government may be a an aberration.

Technorati Tags: Thailand

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I thought readers might be interested in my most recent podcast discussing science search sites on the internet. I also know of many chemistry sites but in this podcast I keep it more general for a broader audience. All of these are useful to folks looking for science or chemistry information.

I have more links of interest to chemist here.

Take a listen to the podcast and let me know what you think.

Technorati Tags: podcast, podcasting, science search sites, searching the internet

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The mergers continue! Seems even Pfizer who has gobbled up many company in the past hasn’t had its appetite satiated yet.

Pfizer To Acquire BioRexis - Contract Pharma:

Pfizer will acquire BioRexis, a privately held biopharmaceutical company although no financial details were released. BioRexis is developing drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. BioRexis also has a proprietary protein engineering technology that may be why Pfizer was truly interested in them. Pfizer, like many larger pharmaceutical companies is interested in beefing up their biologicals since these tend to have higher prices and currently no generic competition.

Press Release from BioRexis’ Site
Pfizer to Acquire BioRexis to Access Novel Technology Platform and Early Stage Diabetes Pipeline

Technorati Tags: Pfizer, pharma M&A, pharmaceutical deals, Biorexis

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Anacor has signed a deal with Schering-Plough for a new topical anti-fungal product called AN2690. It is used to treat onychomycosis, a fungal infection of the nail and nail bed that affects about 10 percent of the U.S. population. Under terms of the deal Anacor will be paid $40 million upfront with an additional $10 million in financing from Schering-Plough. Schering-Plough will be responsible for all development costs with Anacor retaining the right to co-promote the drug in the US. Anacor will also receive double digit royalties if it does make it to the market. AN2690 is in phase II clinical trials.

PharmaLive: Anacor Signs Worldwide Exclusive License Agreement With Schering-Plough for AN2690, a New Topical Anti-Fungal Treatment :

What is interesting is the structure of AN2690 shown below.

Not many drugs have a boron atom in them and so it is very interesting. Anacor claims that this compound inhibits a validated drug target and works in a totally unique and unprecedented way.

One of the main problems with fungus of the nail bed is penetration to get at the infection deep down. Other treatments are oral medications and therefore work systemically. Also, Lamsil as well as Sporanox (itraconazole) capsules have had an FDA public health advisory issued warning physicians about adverse hepatic events and an association with congestive heart failure associated with both of these drugs. Definitely not something you want to risk for a simple thickened fingernail of toenail.

Topicals haven’t had a lot of success in this area so it will be interesting to see how this works. Anacor claims AN2690 penetrates 200 times better than the only other approved product. There is definitely interest in this since the market for onychomycosis is a $1.5 billion dollar market.

Anacor also has piblished some data on this compound.
Microbiological Activity Of AN2690, A New Antifungal Agent (pdf)

Other Resources
ANACOR SIGNS WORLDWIDE EXCLUSIVE LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH SCHERING-PLOUGH FOR AN2690, A NEW TOPICAL ANTI-FUNGAL TREATMENT
Schering-Plough Cites Today’s Anacor Agreement as Latest in Series of Deals
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Technorati Tags: AN2690, Anacor, pharmaceutical deals, anti-fungal, Schering-Plough

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Seems even the Japanese are getting into the mega-meger trend. Now Mitsubishi Pharma will merge with Tanabe Seiyaku in a deal worth $4 billion.

PharmaLive: Mitsubishi Pharma Corporation Reaches a Basic Agreement to Merge with Tanabe Seiyaku Co., Ltd. :

Will not large by worldwide standards, this will create Japans 5th largest pharmaceutical company. Just as in the US, there is great pressure to control drug prices and they hope is this merger will make them more competitive world-wide.

Other Resources
Joint Press Conference on the Merger of Tanabe Seiyaku, Co., Ltd. and Mitsubishi Pharma Corporation (pdf)

Technorati Tags: Mitsubishi Pharma, pharma M&A, pharmaceutical deals, Tanabe Seiyaku

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Forbes writer Matthew Herper has a great article outlining why he rationally thinks Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis should NOT merge.

Why Bristol And Sanofi Shouldn’t Merge - Forbes.com:

His article makes a lot of sense such as the difference in philosophy with Sanofi still hanging on to the blockbuster drug mentality and BMS being more focused. Also mentioned is that BMS has had a good relationship with the FDA and been able to get drugs approved whereas Sanofi has had their problems. All of this and more makes perfect sense. However, I don’t think sense plays into many mergers. I think that those in favor of mega-mergers have to much invested in making some kind of merger happen especially given the buyout options in some upper managements contracts. Then there is also egos with people who have initiated the deal being blinded to reality and wanted mergers to go through for personal reasons. Humans tend to have a reluctance to being able to walk away from deals that may not be the best. This is often referred to as “sunk-cost”. They have so much invested (usually emotionally )that it becomes impossible to accept facts. What facts are brought to light are brushed aside with justifications.

I think this will likely happen and may even be announced before the end of the year. However, I personally agree with Matthew Herper that it isn’t a good idea.

Technorati Tags: BMS, Bristol-Myers Squibb, pharma M&A, pharmaceutical deals, Sanofi, Sanofi-Aventis

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Although they have announced major layoffs, AstraZeneca is also in a buying mode having said they will pay $150 million for Arrow Therapeutics a privately owned biotech that focuses on anit-virals.

AstraZeneca to buy Arrow Therapeutics - Yahoo! Finance:

Arrows most advanced product is a phase II compound known as RSV604 which targets Respiratory Syncytial Virus which primarily affects infants and those who are immune-compromised. What is interesting is Arrow signed a deal with Novartis for development of this compound back in the summer of 2005 so evidently AstraZeneca is likely more interested in their other earlier stage products. At least in this case, they are acquiring the company to concentrate their efforts on a given therapeutic area rather than just to add any old drug to the pipeline.

Two thoughts come to mind in regard to this story. First, I think companies need to have a focus and concentrate their efforts on certain therapeutic areas where they have expertise. The days of having a vast array of widely differing therapeutics I think are gone.

Second, especially for anti-infectives, I think many smaller companies working in this area will become prime targets for larger pharma. As bacteria become more resistant to commonly used drugs, there will be a growing need for new antibiotics. Also, many big pharma companies have gotten rid of their anti-infectives groups and the expertise seems to me to be more concentrated in smaller up and coming companies. Once it gets to the point were anti-infectives are seen as profitable again, you will see more acquisitions of this sort. However, I don’t see the markets reaching the point anytime soon.

Other Resources
AstraZeneca Acquires Arrow Therapeutics To Broaden Anti-Infective Capabilities (press release)

Technorati Tags: antibiotics, AstraZeneca, Arrow Therapeutics

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As long time readers know, I’ve posted quite a bit about flu pandemics and now the Center for Disease Control (CDC) today issued a guide for communities on preparing for a flu pandemic. The Washington Post had a story on it.

CDC Issues Guide on How to Fight Flu Pandemic - washingtonpost.com

The emphasis is on dealing with situations before a vaccine or drug is available. They call it “non-pharmaceutical interventions”. The Post article does point out that one of the areas that is not addressed is the use of face masks. These were extremely popular in Asian countries during the SARS outbreak a year or so ago. It seems the CDC is still evaluating that doing their own research as well as looking at historic data. I’m sure that as soon as they complete their evaluation they will release their recommendations.

Here is the actual pdf (106 pages).

Community Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Mitigation (PDF - 2.51 MB)

Other Resources
PandemicFlu.gov

Technorati Tags: CDC, Center for Disease Control, flu, flu pandemic, CDC

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More job cuts for pharmaceutical companies came across my desk this morning.

PharmaLive: Ligand Announces Corporate Restructuring

Ligand is laying off 276 people or 76% of its work force and closing down its UK subsidiary. Many high level executives are stepping down including the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Scientific Officer, General Counsel and the heads of human resources, operations, regulatory affairs and project management!! The VPs of Research and Development will stay on.

AstraZeneca axes 3,000 jobs worldwide - Yahoo! News

AstraZeneca to Slash Jobs Despite Growth: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

AstraZeneca has announced the elimination of 3,000 jobs or 5% of it workforce over the next three years. No more details but this year will indeed be a year of upheaval for large pharmaceutical companies.

I think this was to be expected, given the number of mergers in past years. There seems to be a pendulum that swings back and forth between merging and downsizing. The interesting thing now though is that both are occurring at the same time! So maybe a pendulum isn’t the best analogy and it is really more like The Whip carnival ride where things are rotating upon multiple axis’s at once.

Technorati Tags: AstraZeneca, down-sizing, layoffs, Ligand, pharma downsizing

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