Levamisole: Was the “Wrong” Model the Right Model?

Many helminths (parasitic worms) of clinical and commercial importance are nematodes (roundworms). They parasitize humans and other mammals, so it is hardly surprising that candidate anthelmintic drugs are usually tested in small laboratory mammals. Scientists at the Janssen company in Belgium, however, “screened” compounds for their potential anthelmintic...

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Discovery of Lyrica (pregabalin)

It’s a rare example of a compound that came right out of academia to become a drug, but the rest of its story is both unusual and (in an odd way) typical. The drug is a very close analog of the neurotransmitter GABA. Silverman’s lab made a series of compounds in the 1980s to try to inhibit the aminotransferase enzyme (GABA-AT) that breaks GABA down...

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Genzyme acquired by Sanofi Aventis: A blockbuster Deal

French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis SA clinched its long-sought deal for Genzyme Corp with a sweetened $20.1 billion cash offer, plus payments tied to the success of the U.S. biotech group's drugs. The deal's announcement, marks the second-biggest acquisition in biotech history after Roche's $46.8 billion purchase of Genentech in 2009.(as per Reuters) Sanofi...

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