This perspective is the last in a series of papers discussing drugs dropped from clinical development in 2006. Specifically, this paper focuses on the 16 drugs discontinued for the treatment of cancer, the largest are...

Background: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder with a worldwide prevalence estimated to be 0.5 - 1.0% of the population. Many potent antiepileptic drugs (AED) have been used for treatment but still about 30% of patie...

Background: Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) is an activation-induced transmernbrane receptor. Binding of CTLA4 to its natural ligands clownregulates T-cell activation. Tremelimumab, a fully human I...

Background: The ketolides, are a subclass of macrolides, which were designed specifically to overcome macrolide-resistant respiratory pathogens. Ketolides lack the cladinose sugar, which is replaced with a 3-ketone gr...

Background: Lung cancer is the most common cause of death in cancer patients worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of lung cancer cases. The prognosis of NSCLC is still poor, alb...

Background: The need to develop antiretroviral agents with novel mechanisms of action persists for the treatment of both antiretroviral-experienced and antiretroviral-naive patients with HIV/AIDS. This is mandated, in...

Background: Microtubule stabilizing agents such as taxanes are an integral part of therapy for multiple solid tumors. However, due to limitations of these agents, newer more effective cytotoxic agents are necessary. I...

Background: Obesity causes serious medical complications and impairs quality of life. However, its management remains challenging. Objective: To assist health professionals who counsel patients who are overweight or o...

Background: beta-Lactam antibiotics are the most used antibacterial agents in clinical practice, but the development of resistance poses some questions about their future leading to an urgent requirement for new compo...

Background: Infections caused by multi-drug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria represent an ever-growing area of unmet medical need. To address this need, it is imperative that novel classes of antibiotics demonst...

Background: With 170 million people infected worldwide and an inadequate current standard of care, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection represents a major unmet medical need. Multiple companies are working on the discove...

Background: Obesity results from an imbalance of energy intake and energy expenditure. While the prevalence of obesity is increasing and the negative impact on public health is being recognized, highly effective and s...

Background: A variety of substances, including free fatty acids, leptin, tumor necrosis factor-a, acylation-stimulating protein, adiponectin, and resistin, are secreted by adipocytes. They modulate insulin sensitivity...

Background: Taxanes are presently widely employed for the medical treatment of cancer. However, despite the huge clinical success, these agents exhibit clinical problems related to poor drug solubility, toxicity and, ...

Background: IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) is a naturally occurring IL-1Rl-binding molecule that blocks the biologic effects of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1. A recombinant form of human IL-1Ra, anakinra (Kiner...

Background: Alitretinoin (9-cis-retinoic acid) is a unique panagonist retinoid, capable of binding to all six known retinoid receptors (RAR-alpha, -beta, -gamma, and RXR-alpha, -beta, -gamma). Studies are being carrie...