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Noted Food Safety Expert Michael R. Taylor Named Advisor To FDA Commissioner
Michael R. Taylor, J.D., a nationally recognized food safety expert and research professor at George Washington University"s School of Public Health and Health Services, will return to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to serve as senior advisor to the commissioner.
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President Obama Reverses Bush Policy Preventing Consumers From Suing Product Makers In State Courts
President Obama on Wednesday ordered federal agencies to rescind regulations enacted by former President George W. Bush"s administration that protect manufacturers of such products as medical devices from product-liability lawsuits in state court, the Wall Street Journal reports. The decision could affect a wide range of manufacturers and products because the Bush administration "aggressively" encouraged federal agencies to make rules that pre-empt and override state laws, which often meant protecting manufacturers of medical equipment from lawsuits, according to the Journal. Obama in a two-page memo wrote that federal agencies and departments could claim state law is pre-empted by federal law only when there is a well-defined legal basis. The memo stated that state laws are important because they supplement federal regulations. "State and local governments have frequently protected health, safety and environment more aggressively than has the national government," Obama wrote (Mundy/Kendall, Wall Street Journal, 5/21). Obama ordered agencies to review regulations from the past decade and look for possible occasions in which the government improperly declared federal pre-emption (Yost, AP/Kansas City Star, 5/20). According to the Journal, business groups oppose the decision (Wall Street Journal, 5/21).
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Nonstick And Laser-safe Gold Aids Laser Trapping Of Biomolecules
Biophysicists long for an ideal material - something more structured and less sticky than a standard glass surface - to anchor and position individual biomolecules. Gold is an alluring possibility, with its simple chemistry and the ease with which it can be patterned. Unfortunately, gold also tends to be sticky and can be melted by lasers. Now, biophysicists at JILA have made gold more precious than ever - at least as a research tool - by creating nonstick gold surfaces and laser-safe gold nanoposts, a potential boon to laser trapping of biomolecules.
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Metabolic Solutions Development Company Announces Preliminary Results From Phase IIa Clinical Trial

Metabolic Solutions Development Company (MSDC) announced that its lead compound, MSDC-0160, can improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood glucose levels in humans without the side effects of current therapies when taken over a 28-day period, according to preliminary data derived from the company"s Phase IIa clinical trial. "This preliminary data confirms that a PPAR-sparing thiazolidinedione (TZD) can improve insulin sensitivity and lower glucose similar to a traditional TZD," said Dr. Jerry Colca, president and chief scientific officer of MSDC. "These results are contrary to the commonly accepted theory of how leading diabetes drugs work and support our theory surrounding PPAR-sparing TZDs that led us to develop this lead compound and our drug portfolio. These results further validate our ongoing development efforts with follow-on compounds." The company plans to file an Investigational New Drug Application with the Food and Drug Administration for a second-generation compound by the end of 2009. Nearly 100 patients participated in this double-blind, placebo and active-controlled, multicenter clinical trial conducted in the United States. This Phase IIa clinical trial follows two successful Phase I trials that validated earlier indications of an improved pharmacokinetic and safety profile of MSDC-0160. Similar to Actos, MSDC-0160 lowered the circulation of fatty acids and significantly increased good (HDL) cholesterol. Unlike Actos, MSDC-0160 did not decrease the levels of circulating blood cells and did not produce an increase in body weight. Complications from the leading type 2 diabetic therapies include weight gain and edema as well as the potential for congestive heart failure and bone loss. "Our drug development program focuses on a different molecular target," said Colca. "We believe that selective activation of the novel mitochondrial target will produce a significantly improved safety profile for individuals with type 2 diabetes. If the results of this study can be successfully extended to longer trials, we might be able to achieve our long-term goal of a therapeutic option that could be used early in the course of the disease to prevent the otherwise inexorable progression of diabetes and its complications." Colca and Rolf Kletzien, two West Michigan scientists who are developing the MSDC drug portfolio of more than 100 analogs, have spent much of their careers working on treatments for type 2 diabetes. Colca also was instrumental in the early development of pioglitazone, the active ingredient in Actos, during his tenure with Upjohn Company. "We are pleased that our lead compound performed so well in the Phase IIa study," said Mark Olesnavage, chief executive officer of MSDC. "The preliminary Phase IIa results match our pre-clinical studies that suggested that this compound can deliver significant metabolic benefit without some of the complications inherent in current therapies." Additional safety and expanded efficacy data will be gathered in a 90-day, multinational Phase IIb study that is planned for late 2009. According to the American Diabetes Association, approximately $1 in every 10 health care dollars spent is attributed to diabetes. While an estimated 17.9 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes, 6.3 million people (or nearly one in four) are unaware that they have the disease. There were 1.6 million new cases of diabetes in the United States during 2007. This growth rate of 7 percent continues to outpace the population growth and has been described by many health care professionals as an epidemic. Metabolic Solutions Development Company, based in Kalamazoo, Mich., is developing innovative therapeutics using a different pharmacological path to treat type 2 diabetes. This new approach seeks to improve the efficacy of treatment by freeing patients from the adverse side effects of current treatments, including edema and weight gain. The company"s scientific strategy is built on a historical understanding of insulin-sensitizing thiazolidinediones (TZDs) and its unique insight into the mechanism of insulin-sensitizing pharmacology. The company believes that the result will be a new generation of superior, safer drug therapies. Metabolic Solutions Development Company


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