News

The long-standing controversy over isotretinoin and its impact on birth defects has now been extended to the debate over whether the importation of prescription drugs from foreign Internet sources, such as Canada, should be legalized.

National report - Aware of a shortage of medical personnel in the Philadelphia region, physician assistant Abby Jacobson was confident she would easily land a new job when she found out her supervising physician was selling his practice. She not only got a new position within a few weeks at a dermatology practice, but she received a salary increase, and negotiated a four-day workweek with Fridays off.

Maui, Hawaii - Some insurers are reluctant to pay for the new biologic drugs for psoriasis, despite the approval of two of the drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to William Abramovits, M.D.

Aastrom Biosciences Inc. announced that it has received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research Grant (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute to develop an immunotherapeutic treatment of malignant melanoma using its AastromReplicell System cell production technology.

Source: www.drugfacts.com United Research Laboratories / Mutual Pharmaceutical Co. announced the launch of a generic version of CollaGenex Pharmaceutical Inc.?s Periostat (doxycycline hyclate) tablets.

Source: www.pharmalive.com Maxim Pharmaceuticals announced that its treatment protocol to provide its investigational drug Ceplene, in combination with interleukin-2 (IL-2), for treatment of patients with advanced malignant melanoma, has been approved by the FDA. The protocol allows Maxim to provide expanded access of Ceplene to patients in the United States while a Phase III clinical trial continues.

Source: www.biotechnologyhealthcare.com Austin, Texas ? Introgen Therapies announced initiation of a Phase II clinical trial of INGN 241 in patients with metastatic melanoma.

Source: www.PRNewswire.com Connetics Corp., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on dermatology announced Thursday, April 8 that it has received confirmation that the FDA has accepted for filing the company's NDA for Extina, as of Jan. 26, 2004, with a user fee goal date of Sept. 24, 2004.

To protect against the threat of counterfeit drugs, the Food and Drug Administration wants drug makers, distributors, and pharmacists to adopt new technologies, including embedded computer chips that wound transmit identifying information, by 2007.

Physicians may not need to prescribe antibiotics when treating a common skin infection in children, according to researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Q. What should you recommend for the dry-complected rosacea patient who is using the newer gel azelaic acid prescription topicals for treatment?

Miami, Fla. - Of the two types of vascular tumors-hemangiomas and vascular malformations-hemangiomas are the most common among children. Dermatologists treating these patients should know that while the vast majority of hemangiomas regress spontaneously, without problems, lesions that are segmental, multiple, giant or in certain locations on the body are of great concern. Dermatologists should recognize and treat these early, ruling out the possibility of malformations in other organs, according to Ramon Ruiz-Maldonado, M.D., dermatology, professor of dermatology and pediatric dermatology, University of Mexico, National Institute of Pediatrics, Mexico City.

Tri-Active LaserDermology (SM) is the result of the newest FDA-approved technology incorporating triple-action methodology for restoring a normal balance to the skin and outer layers, including smoothing and tightening. The treatment reduces the appearance of cellulite through the combined action of mechanical massage, localized cooling, and deep laser stimulation.

Genmab A/S presented data from Phase II HuMax-CD4 studies to treat cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) at the 65th annual meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology in April. At the time the abstract was completed, 36 patients enrolled in the two ongoing HuMax-CD4 clinical trials were evaluated using the Composite Assessment of Index Lesion Disease Activity (CA) score.

Patients with rosacea who were treated with CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals' Periostat (doxycycline hyclate) showed continuous improvement during a 16-week Phase III trial, the firm reported. Among the 134 patients who received Periostat or placebo, Periostat-treated patients experienced a significantly greater reduction in the number of inflammatory lesions, according to a preliminary data analysis.

Cambridge Antibody Technology and Genzyme Corp. announced preliminary results from a Phase I/II clinical trial of CAT-192, a human anti-TGF(Beta)1 monoclonal antibody. The primary objective of the trial was to assess the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of CAT-192 in patients suffering from diffuse systemic sclerosis.

Genmab A/S will present data from Phase II HuMax-CD4 studies to treat cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) at the 65th annual meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology in April. At the time the abstract was completed, 36 patients enrolled in the two ongoing HuMax-CD4 clinical trials were evaluated using the Composite Assessment of Index Lesion Disease Activity (CA) score.

A new survey by the National Rosacea Society found that certain alcoholic beverages may aggravate rosacea more than others, while also dispelling the common myth that this red-faced condition ? estimated to affect 14 million Americans ? is caused by heavy drinking. In the survey of more than 700 rosacea patients, published in Rosacea Review, 10 percent said they rarely or never drink alcohol, and an additional 10 percent reported that consuming alcoholic beverages had no effect on their appearance.

Washington D.C. - In a recent trial involving four patients with dissecting cellulitis, long-pulsed Nd:YAG (1,064 nm) laser treatments were shown to reduce pain, purulent drainage, and the need for systemic antibiotics. In addition, some patients' hair regrew without recurrence of the disease.

Washington - Rapid-paced, impersonal technological advances may increase our access to information, but technology alone cannot offer the knowledge or intellectual exchange of a one-on-one mentoring relationship.

Maui, Hawaii - E-mail lists can be invaluable for dermatologists who wish to research, collaborate, or network without leaving their offices. Like all such lists, however, you get from them what you put into them.

Q.I've been hearing and reading a lot about offshore trusts as a way of protecting assets. Do they really work?

Anew option is available to all physicians, whether they seek healthcare insurance coverage for themselves and their families or affordable options for the employees of their practice.

Washington -- If you think a career in academic research offers immunity from financial pressures and power struggles, think again.

New York - As injectable filler options grow, so do their power to offer patients a second round of youthful looks. The market is expanding with fillers that offer various compositions, indications, durations of effect, and stages of FDA approval. The growing choices are cause for celebration and consideration.

New York - Imagine fat as a substance bundled into intact parcels that are a size and shape allowing for them to travel through a small cannula - both when harvested and injected. This is the key to transferring the permanent subcutaneous filler, Sydney R. Coleman, M.D. said.

New York - A comprehensive, science-based health assessment designed to detect risk factors for age-related diseases is one tool for narrowing the gap between health expectancy and life expectancy, said Gary Bucher, M.D., medical director, Kronos Optimal Health Co., Phoenix.

Washington D.C. -- Scalp biopsies are a very useful aid in the evaluation of hair loss if they are done and interpreted correctly, said Leonard C. Sperling, M.D., at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

New York - Cosmetic surgery practices are fertile ground for age management services. Patients seek surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic services to make them feel better about themselves.

San Diego - Much of the aging process is about gravity trying to pull us out through the soles of our feet, and eventually it succeeds, said Michael Colgan, Ph.D. A physiologist and biochemist, Colgan called humans "the most domesticated animal" and said that our sedentary habits exacerbate the impact of gravity.