The statistic showing that more than one-third of currently marketed drugs target G-protein coupled receptors is often quoted as evidence that those receptors make good drug targets. And they do. But such convergence is also evidence that although drug discovery is a vast endeavor, in some ways it could be described as a mile wide and an inch deep. Read More
After positive recommendations from the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee (EMDAC) for both Vivus Inc.'s Qnexa (phentermine/topiramate) and Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s lorcaserin, it looks like both drugs will get past the FDA on their second attempts. Read More
Amid last month's hoopla surrounding AstraZeneca plc's $1.26 billion acquisition of Ardea Biosciences Inc. and CEO David Brennan's decision to step down, the FDA's official withdrawal of lung cancer drug Iressa (gefitinib) was barely a blip on the radar. Read More