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..first-in-class drug from Amgen based on a tumour-killing virus was given a green light by European regulators…paving the way for its approval within a couple of months…The decision is a further milestone for a technology that has long fascinated scientists but has previously proved difficult to harness…The European Medicines Agency said its experts had recommended approval of Imlygic, also known as talimogene laherparepvec or "T-Vec", for treating melanoma, making it another option among several new drugs for the most deadly form of skin cancer. Imlygic uses a herpes simplex virus...which has been modified to only infect cancer cells. It is injected directly into tumours where it replicates and causes cancer cells to rupture and die, also stimulating a system-wide immune response.

Safety issues with first female libido pill (Addyi,flibanserin) may spur better alternatives for women...Most women with low sexual desire won't rush to get the first prescription drug to boost female libido when it becomes available…But they may…spur development of better treatments for women's sexual problems after more than a decade of neglect by most of the world's large drugmakers…Treatments for women's libido issues are an untapped financial opportunity for drugmakers. Analysts estimate the market could be worth over $2 billion, based on academic estimates that between 5 million and 9 million U.S. women may suffer from desire disorders.

...soon, Apple Inc. iPhones and watches may be able to recognize when someone’s having an epileptic seizure, and call for help…Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have developed an app that can track and measure seizure symptoms, and is the first research app to combine sensors on both Apple’s watch and phone. Eventually, it may run in the background and alert caregivers that a patient is having an event….the app measures heart rate, movement and other data as the seizure progresses. The watch will also display queries designed to test whether the wearer is alert…

Pharmacists are beginning to be employed by ambulance services around Australia to improve medicines use and patient safety. In an article published in the September 2015 issue of the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research, South Australian ambulance pharmacist Dr Peter Hayball describes the importance of his role…Paramedics give medicines to patients in approximately half of all ambulances cases. Often these are high-risk medicines. South Australian Ambulance Service recognised a real need for pharmacists' clinical skills in this environment and advocated for the role,..

Yesterday’s POS won’t cut it when it comes to providing a consistent experience across channels… retailers are struggling to unify their online and in-store experiences, with existing technology/infrastructure preventing them from moving forward with new omnichannel solutions… 77% of the surveyed retailers believe their legacy point-of-sale is preventing them from providing a consistent customer experience across channels…retailers…face significant challenges getting new technologies rolled out to stores and in helping employees respond to informed, smartphone-enabled shoppers. Key findings include:

• store and the digital experience must be brought together for a continuous, seamless experience
• getting new technologies rolled out to stores is a top challenge
• inventory insight across all channels is important
• real-time visibility into customer activity across all channels is important

...first FDA-approved drug (Addyi,flibanserin) for female sexual dysfunction is available in the United States today (Oct. 17), marking a much-anticipated milestone for women who struggle with sexual desire. Sprout, the pharmaceutical company behind the drug, has spent $50m to develop the treatment. But female sexual desire is biologically complex, and this drug won’t work like similar products for men. Here are the key details:

• Who is it for?
• How does it work?
• What are the effects?
• What are the risks?
• How much will it cost?

DNA4Life announced the…launch of its Pharmacogenetic Report, which will be available…to patients… DNA4Life’s test analyzes a person’s DNA to predict how they will respond to 120 commonly prescribed medication. One of the main goals of pharmacogenetics is avoiding adverse drug reaction…"Our differentiated and more comprehensive analysis will assist healthcare professionals in customizing a personalized treatment plan for their patients…particularly those being treated for chronic conditions, like high cholesterol, depression, ADHD or pain."

Examples of big brands altering their commercial approach away from the rep-driven model have often involved mature products. Those in the sunset of their patent life provided drugmakers a haven for experimenting with alternative marketing channels: non-personal promotion, sophisticated CRM (customer relationship management)… we're in the middle of significant structural change…Digital transformation can be a key enabler of success in some really challenging and very fiercely competitive markets. But it's going to [require] us to do things very differently...

Swiss food company talks turkey with the FDA even as it researches conditions like Alzheimer's…If Big Pharma didn't already have enough to worry about, with patent cliffs, drug price investigations and reluctant payers, it now will have to face the onslaught of a large, well-funded company trying to create hybrid pharma and food products company that would treat conditions from stomach disorders to Alzheimer's disease…the four-year-old health-focused unit of Swiss food giant Nestlé is acting very much like a Big Pharma player these days. It is doing deals for pipeline projects, talking to the FDA about approvals on health-proven products and eyeing the same emerging markets that Big Pharma players have looked to improve their margins…

Pfizer is targeting a deadly bacterium that thrives in hospitals…Staphylococcus aureus can strike healthy, young people with no known risk factors, survive a barrage of antibiotics, and sometimes be fatal…One antibiotic-resistant strain frequently found in hospitals (MRSA) is responsible for about 75,000 serious infections and 10,000 deaths…a year…The pharmaceutical giant has spent more than 15 years working on a vaccine…and is in the midst of testing it on patients…Staph is a very difficult organism to make a vaccine against...Pfizer’s researchers are trying a multipronged approach. Two of the vaccine’s components go after a capsule that cloaks the bacterium and prevents the immune system from recognizing it. Another deprives the organism of manganese…A fourth targets the mechanism staph uses to lodge itself in the body…