Marcus Johnson

Marcus Johnson is a contributing writer for Life Science Connect who writes regular life sciences news features for several markets. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and a Master’s degree from Florida State University.

ARTICLES BY MARCUS JOHNSON

  • Ipsen Applies For Multiple Drug Marketing Authorizations
    7/7/2014
    Ispen has announced that it has filed for multiple drug marketing authorizations in both the U.S. and the EU. Ispen has filed a Supplemental New Drug Application with the FDA for its Somatuline Depot 120 mg injection.
  • Argentina Regulatory Body Approves Genzyme's MS Drug
    7/2/2014

    The National Administration of Drugs, Food, and Medical Technology (ANMAT) in Argentina has announced that it has approved Genzyme's Lemtrada for treating adult patients with the relapsing remitting form of multiple sclerosis. Genzyme had been looking to expand the market for the company’s MS drug, and Argentina, which is home to 8,000 people affected by MS, is an important market for Lemtrada.

  • Servier And miRagen Extend Drug Research Partnership
    6/27/2014
    Servier, a French based pharmaceutical research company, has announced that it will be extending its drug research partnership with miRagen Therapeutics. The partnership will be extended until 2016. The collaboration first began in 2011, when the companies signed a License and Collaboration Agreement with Servier focused on two cardiovascular drug candidates, miR-208 and miR-15/195. The companies will be starting preclinical research and development on the miR-208 and miR-15/195 drug candidates in addition to a host of other cardiovascular options.
  • Congress To Vote On Prescription Drug Abuse Bill
    6/27/2014
    Congress has announced that they will soon vote on bill H. R. 4299, which centers on curbing prescription drug abuse. H. R. 4299 would directly affect pharmaceutical companies, as it would require the Drug Enforcement Agency to begin the scheduling process for prescription drugs with the potential for abuse within 45 days of the drugs’ approval by the Food and Drug Administration. The drug scheduling process must be finalized within 180 days.
  • VCU Leads Research Project To Increase Access To AIDS Treatments
    6/27/2014
    Virginia Commonwealth University has announced that the institution, along with several other research universities, has received a $4.4 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in order to develop affordable access to AIDS treatments. VCU will be collaborating with researchers from the University of Washington, Florida State University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the project, which is titled the Medicine for All Initiative. The collaboration will specifically examine ways of making the AIDS “first line” AIDS therapy nevirapine more available across the globe.
  • Roche Announces MS Partnership With Inception And Versant
    6/25/2014

    Swiss based multinational drug producer Roche has announced that it will be partnering with both Inception and Versant in order to develop new drugs for patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, or MS.

  • Start-up Company Creates Drone For Delivering Drugs To Patients
    6/20/2014
    QuiQui, a start-up company based out of San Francisco, is creating early prototype drones for the purpose of delivering drugs to patients. Using drone technology to deliver pharmaceutical drugs is a fascinating concept that founder Josh Ziering believes will ultimately benefit patients, retailers, and pharmaceutical companies. Ziering commented on his company and drone technology. “You have a headache because you were up late last night and you need an Advil. Open up your phone, and just like your favorite car-sharing application or taxi application, you're going to drop a pin on a place....You'll put in your order, one of our technicians will get your order, and we'll attach it to the drone.”
  • Celgene Announces Acquisition Of Global Rights To Agios Blood Cancer Drugs
    6/19/2014
    Celgene has announced that it has exercised its option to obtain an exclusive license to Agios blood cancer drugs. In particular, Celgene would gain the worldwide development and commercialization rights to AG-221. AG-221 is taken orally, and is classified as a potent inhibitor of the mutant IDH2 protein. Agios has also announced the move, stating that the company will continue to complete early clinical development and regulatory compliances on the AG-221 leukemia drug compound as it is developed.
  • Researchers Find Cholesterol Lowering Drug Can Also Treat Breast Cancer
    6/19/2014

    Researchers at the University of Missouri have announced that they’ve discovered new properties in a compound initially created to lower cholesterol. The research team found that the compound could also stop the progression of breast cancer. It also killed cancer cells and stopped them from spreading throughout the body. The results of the team’s research were published in the Breast Cancer Research and Treatment journal.

  • British Researchers Discover How Bacteria Become Drug Resistant
    6/19/2014

    British researchers at the University of East Anglia (UAE) have stated that they’ve discovered how the bacteria behind E. coli and salmonella build up a resistance to antibiotics. The researchers believe that they can develop a drug that switches off the bacteria’s ability to become resistant to antibiotic drugs. The results of the study were published in Nature.

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