Smoke-free a fiery issue

5/7/2006 Richmond, VA John Reid Blackwell TimesDispatch.com (www.timesdispatch.com) New tobacco products heat up debate over merit of cigarette alternatives Two new smoke-free tobacco products could be the wave of the future or a repeat of past missteps, some industry observers say. Cigarette makers Philip Morris USA and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. plan to test-market smokeless, spit-free tobacco brands targeted at cigarette smokers, fueling a debate among tobacco-control advocates over whether such products will help or hurt public health. The move indicates that cigarette makers are looking for ways to cope with stricter laws against indoor smoking and possible federal government regulation of tobacco products. Manufacturers also may hope to spur demand among smokers for products that are potentially less risky than cigarettes, which cause cancer, heart disease and contribute to about 400,000 premature deaths in the United States each year, public-health agencies say. "The marketplace is beginning to shift," said Scott Ballin, a Washington consultant who works on tobacco- and health-policy issues. If Congress gives the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products, companies could be allowed to market alternatives as safer than cigarettes, provided they have proof. "What is beginning to happen, in my view, is all these various companies are trying to position themselves to make sure they have a piece of the action," Ballin said. Studies have found that a large percentage of the more than 40 million U.S. smokers have tried to quit or would like to quit. Philip Morris says its research has [...]

2009-04-12T18:11:51-07:00May, 2006|Archive|

Indian approval for cancer drug: Biocon

5/6/2006 New Delhi, India staff IBN Live (www.ibnlive.com) Biotechnology major Biocon Ltd will seek Drug Controller General of India's approval for its novel monoclonal antibody being developed for the treatment of head and neck cancer, Biomab EGFR. "We will be submitting an application for approval to DCGI shortly and hope to be on target to launch 'BIOMAb' by this year end," Biocon Chairman and Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar Shaw told PTI. Biocon's Cuban partner, CIMAB has already got marketing approval for the molecule in China, Argentina, Colombia and Cuba, she said. Confirming the marketing approval of its Cuban partner CIMAB, which originally identified the BlOMAb EGFR molecule, she said, "We have marketing rights for India and South Asia. We also have global manufacturing rights." On Biocon's plans for the US market, she said the company, currently, does not have the rights to market the molecule in the United States. "We do not have rights for the US market but we hope to qualify as a supplier of the molecule there," Shaw said. When asked about the impact BlOMAb EGFR will have on revenues of Biocon in next two-three years, she said: "full impact on revenues from Biomab EGFR will be seen over the next few years." The final product when launched would spearhead Biocon Biopharmaceuticals' foray into proprietary products for cancer therapy in the country. Clinical trials of the molecule were conducted at Manipal Hospital in Bangalore and KMC hospitals in Mangalore and Manipal.

2009-04-12T18:11:23-07:00May, 2006|Archive|
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