According to the annual research published by CA: a Cancer Journal for Clinicians of the American Cancer Society, statistics show a remarkable reduction on cancer death related in the United States during 2007 (1.3 less than the previous year) and 21 percent among men since 1991 and 12 percent since 1992. Estimated data for 2010. Details

According to a Decision Resources study, AMGEN Inc. postmenopausal osteoporosis drug, Prolia (Denosumab) could reach sales of $500 million in 2019 in seven top world markets.

According to a projection study made by Fitch Ratings Service, pharma and biotechnology companies will submit more than 22 new drugs during 2010 for FDA and EMEA approval. A very similar trend as previous years.

According to a Reuters study, analysts jointly believe that Roche Holding AG cancer drug, Avastin (Bevacizumab) will be the world´s top selling drug by 2014, exceeding biologic drug such as Abbott Laboratories Inc. drug Humira (Adalimumab) or Pfizer´s Enbrel (Etanercept) indicated to treat immune diseases.

After a peak rate in 2007, birth rate in the United States is down 2 percent in 2008.

A Decision Resources study, revealed that in the next five years, osteoporosis specialists will migrate their treatment from actual bisphosphonates, to parathyroid hormone analogue and other agents.

Merck’s Chief Financial Officer Peter Kellogg told analysts on a conference call that the drug maker projected flat or little 2009 growth for sales, citing a harsh impact from the stronger dollar and continuing sluggish sales of several big medicines.

FDA plans to take a poll to analyze whether television advertisement ads for drugs should add instructions and a free toll number to report side effects. Further details.

Global pharmaceutical sales growth is expected to hold steady in 2009, with a slight rise in the U.S., where generic competition, fewer new drug launches and the economic slowdown inevitably hits this industry as well, according to an annual forecast by consultant IMS Health’s. Further details.

Centocor/Schering-Plough/Mitsubishi Tanabe´s Remicade, currently the leading biologic for Crohn´s disease, will soon be replaced by Abbott/Eisai´s Humira as doctors´ first choice for treating the condition, according to a Decision Resources report.

Healthcare consultant Decision Resources reports that biosimilar monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) for oncology will be at the head of drug sales within this class – these are Genentech/Roche´s Herceptin and Rituxan/MabThera.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a warning letter to clinical test giant Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings that its ovarian cancer test OvaSure is being marketed in violation of the law. The agency said the lab must meet premarketing approval requirements.

A Decision Resources´ Pharmacor report states that U.K. Shire´s attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs will be dominating this market by 2017, owing in part to their recently launched Vyvanse´s efficacy, and its approval for both children and adults, as well as lower abuse potential compared with other psycho-stimulants on the market.

In a report published by the government´s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a study shows that the number of people infected with the AIDS virus, HIV, increased 11 percent from 2003 to 2006 in the U.S., to 1.1 million people. The fact that lives are prolonged through better treatment has also meant that more people become infected. The black and homosexual populations show the highest percentage increases. Further details.

Representatives of U.S. pediatricians have met with U.S. health regulator officials to seek removal of children´s cough and cold medicines from store shelves until the products are found safe and effective. Industry healthcare group advocates education tactics and new packaging. Further details.

The HIV drug market is both changing and growing, driven by fierce competition from the new drugs on the market as well as the prevalence of the illness worldwide, and a longer life expectancy of patients already being treated. Health data consultants Datamonitor places a sales value of $ 9.3 billion dollars in 2007 on the antiretroviral therapy in the seven major markets, with estimates of growth to $ 15.1 billion dollars by 2017.

A team of researchers has been tracking every clinical trial on drugs approved by U.S. health regulators, and have concluded that more of the studies demonstrating a drug is safe and effective are published, while those that show a drug´s negative effects seldom find their way to medical journals. The research is published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine, and tracks all studies submitted to the Food and Drug Administration from 1998 to 2000. Further details.

Europe´s pharmaceutical industry worsened for a second year as companies face more patent expirations and increased generic-drug competition, stated Moody´s Investors Service, which gave a negative rating for GlaxoSmithKline, and positive for Sanofi-Aventis and Merck KGaA. Further details.

GlaxoSmithKline´s Lamictal (lamotrigine) and generic lamotrigine will continue to dominate the epilepsy drug market through 2017, Decision Resources said. The epilepsy drug market will grow by only 1.4 percent annually over the next five years.