Latest Methotrexate Stories

* New Small Molecule Drug Candidate for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Other Autoimmune Diseases * Novel Mechanism of Action of Immune Modulation Shows Activity in Human Studies * LX2931 to Progress to Next Stage of Clinical Development in Patients THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Oct. 24, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:LXRX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing breakthrough treatments for human disease, will be...

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 21, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chelsea Therapeutics International, Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHTP) announced that an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) recently met to review patient safety and efficacy data for Chelsea's Phase II trial of CH-1504 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and recommended that each arm of the study continue as planned. "We are very encouraged that this DSMB review provided us with a recommendation to continue each arm of the study as planned," commented...

Biogen Idec, a US-based pharmaceutical company, has announced that its Phase II trial of baminercept in rheumatoid arthritis patients who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy with a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug did not meet its primary endpoint. The primary endpoint was defined as the proportion of baminercept-treated patients who achieved an ACR50 response, a standard measure of disease improvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), compared to placebo at 14 weeks. The...

By M. BOTHELL, Wash. - They are the sturdy, docile workhorses of the biotech revolution: Chinese hamster ovary cells, microscopic living factories that churn out proteins that eventually become drugs such as Enbrel, Amgen's blockbuster treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. These cells start their journey in small flasks, swirling in a nutrient broth that looks like orange Kool-Aid. For weeks, the genetically modified "CHO" cells will be gently encouraged to reproduce - and they do, doubling...

By Carol M. Ostrom BOTHELL, Wash. - They are the sturdy, docile workhorses of the biotech revolution: Chinese hamster ovary cells, microscopic living factories that churn out proteins that eventually become drugs such as Enbrel, Amgen's blockbuster treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. These cells start their journey in small flasks, swirling in a nutrient broth that looks like orange Kool-Aid. For weeks, the genetically modified "CHO" cells will be gently encouraged to reproduce - and...

-- FUSILEV Is Now Available From Distributors And Wholesalers -- FUSILEV Was The First Proprietary Oncology Drug Approved By The FDA In 2008 Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Russell Skibsted, SVP & Chief Business Officer 949-788-6700 x234 or Paul Arndt, Manager, Investor Relations 949-788-6700 x216 Logo: http://www.spectrumpharm.com Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (NasdaqGM: SPPI) today launched FUSILEV(TM) (levoleucovorin) for injection. "The launch of FUSILEV establishes the...

Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals has started a Phase I/II open label dose ranging clinical trial with its investigational oral drug candidate Triolex in patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and receiving a stable dose of methotrexate, the current standard of care in rheumatoid arthritis. The purpose of the Phase I/II clinical trial is to evaluate the safety and tolerance of Triolex when administered orally for 28 days at three different dose levels. The study will also evaluate the...

Roche has announced that the arthritis advisory committee of the FDA has recommended approval of Actemra, a novel interleukin-6 receptor-inhibiting monoclonal antibody, for reducing the signs and symptoms in adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. The committee's vote was made after Roche presented results from five Phase III clinical trials. The clinical development program was designed to evaluate the effects of Actemra on signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA),...

Introgen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:INGN), a developer of targeted molecular therapies for cancer, today reported additional efficacy data from the company's recent regulatory filings seeking approval of ADVEXIN(R) (p53 tumor suppressor therapy) in the United States and Europe. These findings resulted from supportive statistical analyses based on data from the pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of ADVEXIN in patients with recurrent, refractory head and neck cancer. These analyses (Cox Regression)...

Chelsea Therapeutics has completed nearly 75% of the planned enrollment in its Phase II trial of CH-1504 in rheumatoid arthritis initiated in January 2008. To date, Chelsea has enrolled 147 of the planned 200 patients for this 12-week, four-arm, parallel group trial comparing 0.25mg, 0.5mg and 1mg once daily oral doses of CH-1504 to a 20mg once weekly oral dose of methotrexate (MTX). Of the 147 patients currently enrolled in the trial, 41 have completed treatment. The primary efficacy...