Ante las informaciones aparecidas en algunos medios de comunicación relativas a la situación de pago del Servicio Andaluz de Salud (SAS) de la Junta de Andalucía a las farmacias andaluzas, este Consejo Andaluz de Colegios de Farmacéuticos desea puntualizar que:
-1) A día de hoy, el SAS ha pagado puntualmente la factura de los medicamentos a la farmacia andaluza, sin que por el momento se adeude factura alguna.
-2) El SAS abona las facturas a las farmacias andaluzas a cuarenta días, según se dispone en el Concierto de Prestación Farmacéutica en Andalucía vigente firmado por ambas partes, por lo que las facturas correspondientes a los meses de septiembre y octubre no tienen que abonarse hasta el 10 de noviembre y 10 de diciembre, respectivamente.
-3) El SAS y el Consejo Andaluz de Colegios de Farmacéuticos, ante previsibles problemas de tesorería de aquí a final de año y para afrontar el pago de las facturas de estos dos meses, han trabajado de forma conjunta para encontrar una solución consensuada que permita garantizar el cobro de esas facturas por parte de las farmacias.
-4) Las Juntas Generales o Asambleas de los ocho colegios de farmacéuticos de Andalucía se reúnen hoy para acordar la petición a diferentes entidades financieras de un crédito por el importe de la factura de esos dos meses, que contará con la garantía de pago de la Junta de Andalucía.
02 November 2011
Researchers find molecule that prevents Type 1 diabetes in mice
Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have found a specific molecule that can prevent the development of type 1 diabetes in mice and has a similar effect on human cells from diabetic patients. The findings, published in the latest edition of The Journal of Immunology, signal a new and promising direction in the fight against type I diabetes along with other autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and celiac disease.
Aaron Michels, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics and medicine, working with George Eisenbarth., MD, Ph.D., executive director of the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at the CU School of Medicine, tested a series of molecules before finding one that stopped diabetes from developing in mice bred to get the disease.
"We found that when you put specific molecules into specific structural pockets you can block the formation of diabetes," said Eisenbarth. "We are basically throwing a monkey wrench into the machinery."
The researchers were looking for small molecules capable of occupying pockets along a protein binding groove.Some of the molecules got into these pockets and inhibited the presentation of insulin to immune cells while others enhanced it.
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by the body's inability to manufacture insulin because its own immune system is attacking it. The incidence of the disease has doubled in each of the last two decades.
Michels and Eisenbarth found that the compound Glyphosine enhanced insulin presentation and prevented diabetes in mice genetically modified to develop type 1diabetes. It had the same effect on human cells. The mice remained disease-free as long as they received daily injections of the compound. It was not as effective on mice that already had diabetes.
The molecules used in the research were obtained with the assistance of the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville.
"Our role was to screen a large chemical library to identify drug candidates for prevention of type 1 diabetes," said David Ostrov, Ph.D., associate professor of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine at the University of Florida. "We developed a novel screening method that pinpoints very specific areas of a protein that is genetically associated with type 1 diabetes."
Using a supercomputer, Ostrov's lab ran tests on 139,735 drug candidates to see which were most likely to bind on the four critical pockets of the protein.
"Not only does this provide a new way to change specific immune responses in a manner that is beneficial for diabetes, this shows that we may be able to modify specific immune responses for other autoimmune diseases," Ostrov said. "This is also relevant to cancer and infectious diseases where it would be beneficial to modify specific immune responses rather than in a general way."
Michels said that based on the two and a half year study, it would be feasible to genetically screen individuals likely to develop type 1 diabetes and begin a therapy regimen using these compounds to prevent the onset of the disease. Right now, doctors can predict who will get type 1diabetes about 90 percent of the time.
"This technique would also apply to other autoimmune disorders like arthritis and celiac disease," Michels said. "The principals are the same."
The next step is to focus specifically on human cells to try and develop new therapies for clinical use. That could be at least five years away.
**Source: University of Colorado Denver
Aaron Michels, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics and medicine, working with George Eisenbarth., MD, Ph.D., executive director of the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at the CU School of Medicine, tested a series of molecules before finding one that stopped diabetes from developing in mice bred to get the disease.
"We found that when you put specific molecules into specific structural pockets you can block the formation of diabetes," said Eisenbarth. "We are basically throwing a monkey wrench into the machinery."
The researchers were looking for small molecules capable of occupying pockets along a protein binding groove.Some of the molecules got into these pockets and inhibited the presentation of insulin to immune cells while others enhanced it.
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by the body's inability to manufacture insulin because its own immune system is attacking it. The incidence of the disease has doubled in each of the last two decades.
Michels and Eisenbarth found that the compound Glyphosine enhanced insulin presentation and prevented diabetes in mice genetically modified to develop type 1diabetes. It had the same effect on human cells. The mice remained disease-free as long as they received daily injections of the compound. It was not as effective on mice that already had diabetes.
The molecules used in the research were obtained with the assistance of the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville.
"Our role was to screen a large chemical library to identify drug candidates for prevention of type 1 diabetes," said David Ostrov, Ph.D., associate professor of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine at the University of Florida. "We developed a novel screening method that pinpoints very specific areas of a protein that is genetically associated with type 1 diabetes."
Using a supercomputer, Ostrov's lab ran tests on 139,735 drug candidates to see which were most likely to bind on the four critical pockets of the protein.
"Not only does this provide a new way to change specific immune responses in a manner that is beneficial for diabetes, this shows that we may be able to modify specific immune responses for other autoimmune diseases," Ostrov said. "This is also relevant to cancer and infectious diseases where it would be beneficial to modify specific immune responses rather than in a general way."
Michels said that based on the two and a half year study, it would be feasible to genetically screen individuals likely to develop type 1 diabetes and begin a therapy regimen using these compounds to prevent the onset of the disease. Right now, doctors can predict who will get type 1diabetes about 90 percent of the time.
"This technique would also apply to other autoimmune disorders like arthritis and celiac disease," Michels said. "The principals are the same."
The next step is to focus specifically on human cells to try and develop new therapies for clinical use. That could be at least five years away.
**Source: University of Colorado Denver
Team discovers how a cancer-causing bacterium spurs cell death
Researchers report they have figured out how the cancer-causing bacterium Helicobacter pylori attacks a cell's energy infrastructure, sparking a series of events in the cell that ultimately lead it to self-destruct. H. pylori are the only bacteria known to survive in the human stomach. Infection with the bacterium is associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.
"More than half the world's population is currently infected with H. pylori," said University of Illinois microbiology professor Steven Blanke, who led the study. "And we've known for a long time that the host doesn't respond appropriately to clear the infection from the stomach, allowing the bacterium to persist as a risk factor for cancer."
The new study, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to show how a bacterial toxin can disrupt a cell's mitochondria -- its energy-generation and distribution system -- to disable the cell and spur apoptosis (programmed cell death).
"One of the hallmarks of long-term infection with H. pylori is an increase in apoptotic cells," Blanke said. "This may contribute to the development of cancer in several ways." Apoptosis can damage the epithelial cells that line the stomach, he said, "and chronic damage to any tissue is a risk factor for cancer." An increase in apoptotic cells may also spur the hyper-proliferation of stem cells in an attempt to repair the damaged tissue, increasing the chance of mutations that can lead to cancer.
Previous studies had shown that VacA, a protein toxin produced by H. pylori, induces host cell death, Blanke said, "but the mechanism had been unknown."
The VacA protein was known to target the mitochondrion, an organelle that produces chemical energy where it is needed in the cell. In healthy cells, mitochondria fuse to form elaborate energy-generating networks in response to cellular needs. Mitochondria are important to a lot of other cellular processes; most important to Blanke and his colleagues, they regulate cell death.
While studying how a cell responds to infection, the researchers noticed that H. pylori induced mitochondrial fission. Instead of fusing and forming filamentous networks to respond to the cell's energy needs, the mitochondria were breaking into smaller, unconnected organelles.
"Fusion and fission are two dynamic and opposing processes that must be balanced to regulate mitochondrial structure and function," Blanke said. But infection with H. pylori -- or with purified VacA toxin alone -- was pushing the mitochondria toward fission.
The researchers found that VacA recruited a host protein, Drp1, to the mitochondria. This protein plays a central role in mitochondrial fission. Further experiments showed that Drp1-mediated fission of the mitochondrial networks was linked to activation of a cell-death-inducing factor, called Bax.
"The link between VacA action at the mitochondria and Bax-dependent cell death had previously been unknown," Blanke said.
This study provides a first direct link between a bacterial toxin-mediated disruption of mitochondrial dynamics and host cell death, Blanke said. It also opens a new avenue of investigation of other diseases linked to impaired mitochondrial function, he said.
"Hundreds of human diseases and disorders are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, ranging from cancers to degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's," Blanke said. "As yet, no one has methodically investigated a potential link between bacterial infections and mitochondrial diseases, despite the fact that several dozen pathogenic bacteria and viruses are known to directly target mitochondria."
Blanke and his colleagues are beginning to investigate that link.
"To us, finding that a pathogen can disrupt mitochondria in a manner that has striking similarities to what has been observed in known mitochondrial diseases is potentially very exciting," said Blanke, who also is an affiliate of the Institute for Genomic Biology at Illinois.
The research team included Illinois doctoral student Prashant Jain and Professor Zhao-Qing Luo, of Purdue University.
**Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
"More than half the world's population is currently infected with H. pylori," said University of Illinois microbiology professor Steven Blanke, who led the study. "And we've known for a long time that the host doesn't respond appropriately to clear the infection from the stomach, allowing the bacterium to persist as a risk factor for cancer."
The new study, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to show how a bacterial toxin can disrupt a cell's mitochondria -- its energy-generation and distribution system -- to disable the cell and spur apoptosis (programmed cell death).
"One of the hallmarks of long-term infection with H. pylori is an increase in apoptotic cells," Blanke said. "This may contribute to the development of cancer in several ways." Apoptosis can damage the epithelial cells that line the stomach, he said, "and chronic damage to any tissue is a risk factor for cancer." An increase in apoptotic cells may also spur the hyper-proliferation of stem cells in an attempt to repair the damaged tissue, increasing the chance of mutations that can lead to cancer.
Previous studies had shown that VacA, a protein toxin produced by H. pylori, induces host cell death, Blanke said, "but the mechanism had been unknown."
The VacA protein was known to target the mitochondrion, an organelle that produces chemical energy where it is needed in the cell. In healthy cells, mitochondria fuse to form elaborate energy-generating networks in response to cellular needs. Mitochondria are important to a lot of other cellular processes; most important to Blanke and his colleagues, they regulate cell death.
While studying how a cell responds to infection, the researchers noticed that H. pylori induced mitochondrial fission. Instead of fusing and forming filamentous networks to respond to the cell's energy needs, the mitochondria were breaking into smaller, unconnected organelles.
"Fusion and fission are two dynamic and opposing processes that must be balanced to regulate mitochondrial structure and function," Blanke said. But infection with H. pylori -- or with purified VacA toxin alone -- was pushing the mitochondria toward fission.
The researchers found that VacA recruited a host protein, Drp1, to the mitochondria. This protein plays a central role in mitochondrial fission. Further experiments showed that Drp1-mediated fission of the mitochondrial networks was linked to activation of a cell-death-inducing factor, called Bax.
"The link between VacA action at the mitochondria and Bax-dependent cell death had previously been unknown," Blanke said.
This study provides a first direct link between a bacterial toxin-mediated disruption of mitochondrial dynamics and host cell death, Blanke said. It also opens a new avenue of investigation of other diseases linked to impaired mitochondrial function, he said.
"Hundreds of human diseases and disorders are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, ranging from cancers to degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's," Blanke said. "As yet, no one has methodically investigated a potential link between bacterial infections and mitochondrial diseases, despite the fact that several dozen pathogenic bacteria and viruses are known to directly target mitochondria."
Blanke and his colleagues are beginning to investigate that link.
"To us, finding that a pathogen can disrupt mitochondria in a manner that has striking similarities to what has been observed in known mitochondrial diseases is potentially very exciting," said Blanke, who also is an affiliate of the Institute for Genomic Biology at Illinois.
The research team included Illinois doctoral student Prashant Jain and Professor Zhao-Qing Luo, of Purdue University.
**Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Obama, sin nicotina y con salud «excelente»
Puede que no haya cerrado Guantánamo o siga pendiente la reforma inmigratoria, pero el presidente de EE UU, Barack Obama, puede presumir de haber cumplido las reiteradas promesas que le hizo a su mujer de dejar de fumar. El último examen físico realizado por su médico personal confirma que se acabaron sus escabullidas para encenderse un cigarrillo en los jardines de la Casa Blanca. Obama está limpio de nicotina, con una «salud excelente y en forma para el cargo», según afirma el informe de dos páginas del doctor Jeffrey Kuhlman.
Al presidente le gustan las hamburguesas, como demostró no hace mucho llevándose a su homólogo ruso, Dmitri Medvédev, a comerlas en un restaurante de Virginia, pero parece que el activismo de su esposa, Michelle, por la comida sana funciona. El informe asegura que a sus 50 años lleva una dieta sana, mantiene un peso saludable y bebe alcohol con moderación «en ocasiones». Los datos clínicos, afirma el doctor, indican que mantendrá una salud excelente durante toda su presidencia.
Obama hace ejercicio regularmente. Juega al golf cuando puede los fines de semana, corre y hace pesas en el gimnasio de la Casa Blanca y juega al baloncesto, su gran pasión de juventud, con sus asesores o con los funcionarios del Departamento de Interior. El codazo que le dieron en noviembre, y que le obligó a recibir 12 puntos de sutura en el labio, ha cicatrizado correctamente.
La semana pasada bromeó en el programa nocturno de Jay Leno sobre su salud y la de Michelle. «Ella está en mejor forma que yo», le dijo a Leno. «A veces es muy embarazoso. Se levanta media hora antes que yo y cuando llego ya lleva corridos 16 kilómetros». El de ayer es el primer examen físico completo al que se somete desde hace 18 meses. Aunque la economía siga algo enferma, la salud de Obama parece envidiable.
Al presidente le gustan las hamburguesas, como demostró no hace mucho llevándose a su homólogo ruso, Dmitri Medvédev, a comerlas en un restaurante de Virginia, pero parece que el activismo de su esposa, Michelle, por la comida sana funciona. El informe asegura que a sus 50 años lleva una dieta sana, mantiene un peso saludable y bebe alcohol con moderación «en ocasiones». Los datos clínicos, afirma el doctor, indican que mantendrá una salud excelente durante toda su presidencia.
Obama hace ejercicio regularmente. Juega al golf cuando puede los fines de semana, corre y hace pesas en el gimnasio de la Casa Blanca y juega al baloncesto, su gran pasión de juventud, con sus asesores o con los funcionarios del Departamento de Interior. El codazo que le dieron en noviembre, y que le obligó a recibir 12 puntos de sutura en el labio, ha cicatrizado correctamente.
La semana pasada bromeó en el programa nocturno de Jay Leno sobre su salud y la de Michelle. «Ella está en mejor forma que yo», le dijo a Leno. «A veces es muy embarazoso. Se levanta media hora antes que yo y cuando llego ya lleva corridos 16 kilómetros». El de ayer es el primer examen físico completo al que se somete desde hace 18 meses. Aunque la economía siga algo enferma, la salud de Obama parece envidiable.
**Publicado en "EL PERIODICO DE CATALUNYA"
Home-based Self-collected Vaginal Specimens Detect More Cervical Lesions and Cancers Than Cytology
Vaginal Self-collection for Hybrid Capture(R)-based HPV Testing Increases Screening Coverage and is More Sensitive than Pap Smear Shows a Mexican Study Published Today Online in the Lancet
Promising findings published today online in the Lancet from a community-based, randomized equivalence trial undertaken by public health authorities in Mexico to investigate DNA home testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) compared with cytology (evaluation of cells) based on Pap smears. The study indicated that the relative sensitivity of HPV molecular testing was 3.4 times higher than cytology. Additionally, 4.2 times more invasive cancers were detected. The home testing study adds support to previous evidence that adding self-collection to the screening setup can increase the coverage rate of cervical cancer prevention programs, especially in underserved regions in developing and developed countries. The study was funded by the Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica (INSP), the Health Ministry of Mexico and QIAGEN.
"HPV testing is lower in cost, easier to implement, and has lower false-negative rates than cytology. Testing of self-collected vaginal samples offers increased coverage and acceptability," commented the lead study author, Dr. Eduardo Lazcano-Ponce, professor at the Centro de Investigacion en Salud Poblacional of INSP in Morelos, Mexico.
The trial included 25,061 women of low socioeconomic status between 26 to 65 years from 540 rural communities in Morelos, Guerrero, and Mexico State, Mexico. They were randomly allocated to HPV DNA testing of a vaginal sample self-collected at home or cervical cytology at the nearest health center. Eight community nurses visited the self-collection women at home and instructed them how to use the digene(R) cervical sampler, a conical-shaped brush, to take the sample. The study used the digene(R) HPV test based on Hybrid Capture 2, which is considered the gold standard for HPV testing and already has been clinically validated in trials including more than one million women worldwide. The primary endpoint was CIN2 or worse, detected by colposcopy. Any woman having a positive result for either of the tests was referred to colposcopy.
The participation rate was higher in women randomized to the HPV group (9,202 of 9,371, 98%) than in the cytology group (11,054 of 12,731, 87%). Importantly, in the HPV group more invasive cancers were detected than with cytology (28 vs. 8). With a lower positive predictive value for HPV testing (PPV CIN2 or worse 12.2% vs. 90.5%) the identification of appropriate triage methods is crucial. The study adds: "Because women at these sites will be screened only a few times in their lives, the high sensitivity of a HPV screen is of paramount importance."
Based on data from several national trials including Hybrid Capture technology, Mexico is the first country to implement frontline HPV testing with cytology triage as a national cervical cancer prevention program. Dr. Nubia Munoz, Colombian Cancer Institute, Bogota, Colombia, and Dr. Rolando Herrero, Prevention and Implementation Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France, conclude in an accompanying editorial in the Lancet: "The experience shows what can be achieved when scientific judgment guides public health policy."
"The value of HPV DNA testing in cervical cancer screening and disease detection has been proven again and again for both the developed and developing worlds. Self-collection for HPV DNA testing could become an important way for national cervical cancer prevention programs worldwide to increase coverage rates," said Dr. Helge Lubenow, Head of the Molecular Diagnostic Business at QIAGEN. "Our digene HPV testing solutions have been used in several trials for self-collection, and we support any approach that helps to include populations that are difficult to reach as here are most cases of cancer to be found."
Promising findings published today online in the Lancet from a community-based, randomized equivalence trial undertaken by public health authorities in Mexico to investigate DNA home testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) compared with cytology (evaluation of cells) based on Pap smears. The study indicated that the relative sensitivity of HPV molecular testing was 3.4 times higher than cytology. Additionally, 4.2 times more invasive cancers were detected. The home testing study adds support to previous evidence that adding self-collection to the screening setup can increase the coverage rate of cervical cancer prevention programs, especially in underserved regions in developing and developed countries. The study was funded by the Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica (INSP), the Health Ministry of Mexico and QIAGEN.
"HPV testing is lower in cost, easier to implement, and has lower false-negative rates than cytology. Testing of self-collected vaginal samples offers increased coverage and acceptability," commented the lead study author, Dr. Eduardo Lazcano-Ponce, professor at the Centro de Investigacion en Salud Poblacional of INSP in Morelos, Mexico.
The trial included 25,061 women of low socioeconomic status between 26 to 65 years from 540 rural communities in Morelos, Guerrero, and Mexico State, Mexico. They were randomly allocated to HPV DNA testing of a vaginal sample self-collected at home or cervical cytology at the nearest health center. Eight community nurses visited the self-collection women at home and instructed them how to use the digene(R) cervical sampler, a conical-shaped brush, to take the sample. The study used the digene(R) HPV test based on Hybrid Capture 2, which is considered the gold standard for HPV testing and already has been clinically validated in trials including more than one million women worldwide. The primary endpoint was CIN2 or worse, detected by colposcopy. Any woman having a positive result for either of the tests was referred to colposcopy.
The participation rate was higher in women randomized to the HPV group (9,202 of 9,371, 98%) than in the cytology group (11,054 of 12,731, 87%). Importantly, in the HPV group more invasive cancers were detected than with cytology (28 vs. 8). With a lower positive predictive value for HPV testing (PPV CIN2 or worse 12.2% vs. 90.5%) the identification of appropriate triage methods is crucial. The study adds: "Because women at these sites will be screened only a few times in their lives, the high sensitivity of a HPV screen is of paramount importance."
Based on data from several national trials including Hybrid Capture technology, Mexico is the first country to implement frontline HPV testing with cytology triage as a national cervical cancer prevention program. Dr. Nubia Munoz, Colombian Cancer Institute, Bogota, Colombia, and Dr. Rolando Herrero, Prevention and Implementation Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France, conclude in an accompanying editorial in the Lancet: "The experience shows what can be achieved when scientific judgment guides public health policy."
"The value of HPV DNA testing in cervical cancer screening and disease detection has been proven again and again for both the developed and developing worlds. Self-collection for HPV DNA testing could become an important way for national cervical cancer prevention programs worldwide to increase coverage rates," said Dr. Helge Lubenow, Head of the Molecular Diagnostic Business at QIAGEN. "Our digene HPV testing solutions have been used in several trials for self-collection, and we support any approach that helps to include populations that are difficult to reach as here are most cases of cancer to be found."
Human Genome Sciences Europe pasa a la nube con Veeva CRM para apoyar el nuevo tratamiento del lupus
En preparación para su lanzamiento europeo de Benlysta, el primer fármaco para el lupus aprobado por la FDA en 50 años, Human Genome Sciences (HGS) necesitó un sistema de gestión de relaciones del cliente (CRM) para formar su recientemente formado equipo de ventas comerciales europeo. La compañía tuvo una larga lista de criterios de selección que incluyen la facilidad de uso, flexibilidad, movilidad, funcionalidad de la industria, velocidad y bajo mantenimiento del sistema. Veeva CRM - la solución farmacológica CRM de más rápido crecimiento del mundo- se ha demostrado ya en la sede estadounidense de HGS, y también ha ofrecido una sinergia internacional para HGS Europe. Tras un difícil análisis de mercado, HGS seleccionó el Veeva CRM basado en nube para todos los representantes de ventas de atención especializada y enlaces de ciencias médicas en Alemania, España y Francia.
En junio, la oficina alemana de HGS comenzó a implementar Veeva CRM y terminó el proyecto en seis semanas, dos semanas antes de lo previsto. HGS citó la fuerte experiencia en la industria farmacéutica de Veeva y el conocimiento del modelo de ventas de HGS como clave para la implementación progresiva. Implementar con un sistema flexible único en Europa asegurará que HGS pueda lanzar el sistema rápidamente y a un coste muy bajo en otros países adicionales, incluyendo España y Francia que están previstos para lanzar Veeva CRM próximamente. "Veeva CRM es extremadamente intuitivo, y está totalmente adoptado por nuestros equipos de campo en Alemania, que ya están preparados y operando el sistema", dijo Kevin Crowe, director asociado de Operaciones de Marketing y Ventas, Europa, en HGS. "Veeva CRM nos permitirá mejorar la tracción del cliente permitiendo a nuestros representantes medir más efectivamente las llamadas y perfil de los clientes. Adicionalmente, Veeva CRM es un gran sistema para mejorar el direccionamiento al cliente, haciéndonos más eficientes en convertir no prescriptores en defensores".
Antes de elegir Veeva CRM, HGS consideró todas las principales ofertas pero con la preocupación de que sus arquitecturas de arrendador único limitasen la flexibilidad. "Las soluciones in situ y alojadas son reliquias del pasado, e implementarlas se convierte en un proyecto en sí mismo. Quita valor del objetivo a mano que es optimizar las interacciones con el cliente. Veeva CRM fue la única solución que nos ofrecía la libertad de centrarnos completamente en el cliente", añadió Crowe.
HGS también ha empezado a implementar iRep - la primera solución CRM y CLM integrada diseñada específicamente para el Apple iPad. Veeva rediseñó su aplicación CRM para aprovechar los puntos fuertes del iPad y añadió una funcionalidad de marketing de bucle cerrado para permitir la alineación sin fisuras de las estrategias y ejecución de ventas y marketing. Ya implementada en la oficina alemana de HGS, la aplicación ha transformado el proceso de ventas permitiendo a los representantes ofrecer una experiencia de cliente más interactiva.
"No hay otra solución como iRep para la industria farmacéutica", concluyó Crowe. "Tener nuestras capacidades CRM y CLM integradas en el iPad es algo extremadamente eficaz, y confío en que aumente nuestra efectividad. Remodelará cómo nuestros equipos comerciales operan ofreciéndoles información de cliente oportuna, rica y precisa en movimiento y en una pantalla que atraiga a los médicos. iRep es tan eficiente y fácil de utilizar que los representantes podrán terminar su reporte de llamadas cuando terminen sus llamadas. Para mí, esto es un factor crítico para cualquier sistema CRM".
En junio, la oficina alemana de HGS comenzó a implementar Veeva CRM y terminó el proyecto en seis semanas, dos semanas antes de lo previsto. HGS citó la fuerte experiencia en la industria farmacéutica de Veeva y el conocimiento del modelo de ventas de HGS como clave para la implementación progresiva. Implementar con un sistema flexible único en Europa asegurará que HGS pueda lanzar el sistema rápidamente y a un coste muy bajo en otros países adicionales, incluyendo España y Francia que están previstos para lanzar Veeva CRM próximamente. "Veeva CRM es extremadamente intuitivo, y está totalmente adoptado por nuestros equipos de campo en Alemania, que ya están preparados y operando el sistema", dijo Kevin Crowe, director asociado de Operaciones de Marketing y Ventas, Europa, en HGS. "Veeva CRM nos permitirá mejorar la tracción del cliente permitiendo a nuestros representantes medir más efectivamente las llamadas y perfil de los clientes. Adicionalmente, Veeva CRM es un gran sistema para mejorar el direccionamiento al cliente, haciéndonos más eficientes en convertir no prescriptores en defensores".
Antes de elegir Veeva CRM, HGS consideró todas las principales ofertas pero con la preocupación de que sus arquitecturas de arrendador único limitasen la flexibilidad. "Las soluciones in situ y alojadas son reliquias del pasado, e implementarlas se convierte en un proyecto en sí mismo. Quita valor del objetivo a mano que es optimizar las interacciones con el cliente. Veeva CRM fue la única solución que nos ofrecía la libertad de centrarnos completamente en el cliente", añadió Crowe.
HGS también ha empezado a implementar iRep - la primera solución CRM y CLM integrada diseñada específicamente para el Apple iPad. Veeva rediseñó su aplicación CRM para aprovechar los puntos fuertes del iPad y añadió una funcionalidad de marketing de bucle cerrado para permitir la alineación sin fisuras de las estrategias y ejecución de ventas y marketing. Ya implementada en la oficina alemana de HGS, la aplicación ha transformado el proceso de ventas permitiendo a los representantes ofrecer una experiencia de cliente más interactiva.
"No hay otra solución como iRep para la industria farmacéutica", concluyó Crowe. "Tener nuestras capacidades CRM y CLM integradas en el iPad es algo extremadamente eficaz, y confío en que aumente nuestra efectividad. Remodelará cómo nuestros equipos comerciales operan ofreciéndoles información de cliente oportuna, rica y precisa en movimiento y en una pantalla que atraiga a los médicos. iRep es tan eficiente y fácil de utilizar que los representantes podrán terminar su reporte de llamadas cuando terminen sus llamadas. Para mí, esto es un factor crítico para cualquier sistema CRM".
New drug shows promise against multiple sclerosis
An experimental drug called Ocrelizumab has shown promise in a Phase 2 clinical trial involving 220 people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an often debilitating, chronic autoimmune disease that affects an increasing number of people in North America. It usually strikes young adults and is more common in women than in men. The study, carried out by researchers at UCSF Medical Center, and involving hospitals in the United States, Canada, and Europe, is described this week in the British medical journal The Lancet.
The study involved patients with relapsing-remitting MS, a form of the disease marked by the accumulation of lesions in the brain and spinal cord and periodic "attacks" of neurological impairment.
The 220 patients were randomly enrolled into four groups -- two that received injections of the monoclonal antibody Ocrelizumab at two different doses, one that received the standard multiple sclerosis drug interferon-beta, and one "control" group that was given a placebo.
The doctors gauged the effectiveness of each treatment by performing monthly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans of the patients and counting the number of visible marks that indicate inflamed lesions, a hallmark of the disease. They also compared the severity and frequency of neurological "attacks" that cause loss of vision, incoordination, weakness and numbness, among other symptoms.
The results of this trial showed that patients who received the drug generally fared well and showed fewer signs of the disease than patients who receive a placebo or the standard Interferon treatment. Overall, the trial found that Ocrelizumab led to a 89 percent reduction in the formation of brain lesions, and it also reduced the number of new multiple sclerosis attacks over 24 weeks. During this relatively short-term study, interferon performed no better than placebo on these outcomes.
"It really is a remarkable finding," said Stephen Hauser, MD, the Robert A. Fishman Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at UCSF who was the senior author on the study. "This is extremely exciting, both in terms of the prospect of improved therapy for people with multiple sclerosis but also for the lessons that it teaches us about the fundamental cause of the disease."
"The prospect of an extremely effective therapy for multiple sclerosis that can be safely administered at six month intervals could represent a major step forward, if the safety profile and benefits are sustained over longer periods of use," he added.
At 24 weeks, serious adverse events were reported in 4 percent of patients in the placebo arm, 4 percent of those taking interferon, and 2 percent and 6 percent of patients taking 600 mg and 2000 mg of Ocrelizumab. One patient taking Ocrelizumab died, but the relationship with the study drug, if any, is as yet unclear.
Hauser said that the next step for the drug will be to see if the drug's effect and positive safety profile will be sustained over time. These questions will be addressed in two parallel Phase 3 trials, now enrolling a larger number of patients who will receive the drug regimens for a longer period of time. This trial is now underway at several hundred sites around the world. Hauser serves as lead investigator for these trials, which are sponsored by Roche, the company that owns Ocrelizumab.
**Source: University of California - San Francisco
The study involved patients with relapsing-remitting MS, a form of the disease marked by the accumulation of lesions in the brain and spinal cord and periodic "attacks" of neurological impairment.
The 220 patients were randomly enrolled into four groups -- two that received injections of the monoclonal antibody Ocrelizumab at two different doses, one that received the standard multiple sclerosis drug interferon-beta, and one "control" group that was given a placebo.
The doctors gauged the effectiveness of each treatment by performing monthly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans of the patients and counting the number of visible marks that indicate inflamed lesions, a hallmark of the disease. They also compared the severity and frequency of neurological "attacks" that cause loss of vision, incoordination, weakness and numbness, among other symptoms.
The results of this trial showed that patients who received the drug generally fared well and showed fewer signs of the disease than patients who receive a placebo or the standard Interferon treatment. Overall, the trial found that Ocrelizumab led to a 89 percent reduction in the formation of brain lesions, and it also reduced the number of new multiple sclerosis attacks over 24 weeks. During this relatively short-term study, interferon performed no better than placebo on these outcomes.
"It really is a remarkable finding," said Stephen Hauser, MD, the Robert A. Fishman Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at UCSF who was the senior author on the study. "This is extremely exciting, both in terms of the prospect of improved therapy for people with multiple sclerosis but also for the lessons that it teaches us about the fundamental cause of the disease."
"The prospect of an extremely effective therapy for multiple sclerosis that can be safely administered at six month intervals could represent a major step forward, if the safety profile and benefits are sustained over longer periods of use," he added.
At 24 weeks, serious adverse events were reported in 4 percent of patients in the placebo arm, 4 percent of those taking interferon, and 2 percent and 6 percent of patients taking 600 mg and 2000 mg of Ocrelizumab. One patient taking Ocrelizumab died, but the relationship with the study drug, if any, is as yet unclear.
Hauser said that the next step for the drug will be to see if the drug's effect and positive safety profile will be sustained over time. These questions will be addressed in two parallel Phase 3 trials, now enrolling a larger number of patients who will receive the drug regimens for a longer period of time. This trial is now underway at several hundred sites around the world. Hauser serves as lead investigator for these trials, which are sponsored by Roche, the company that owns Ocrelizumab.
**Source: University of California - San Francisco
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