Acorda Therapeutics Inc. of Hawthorne said a Danish drug company will manufacture a key molecule in a substance that Acorda is using in toxicology studies and early phase clinical trials.
Acorda said the company, CMC ICOS Biologics of Copenhagen, will produce the molecule, GGF2, for Acorda’s neuregulin program. Terms of the deal were not announced. Neuregulins have the potential to be helpful in treatments for multiple sclerosis and stroke, Acorda said.

EpiCept Corp., a developer of topical drugs, reported today that a drug it is developing to alleviate pain suffered by diabetes patients performed well enough in tests for the Eastview-based company to call for further clinical trials.

EpiCept said patients who used its NP-1 cream instead of a placebo in a Phase II trial were more likely to experience relief from nerve damage caused by diabetes, known as diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Sixty percent of patients taking the drug saw at least a 30 percent reduction in pain, EpiCept said, compared to 48 percent of placebo patients who experienced the same reduction in pain.

The encouraging outcome means NP-1 is likely to move to Phase III trials.

EpiCept is also testing NP-1 in two other trials, a late-stage study to see how the cream helps in relieving pain in patients who have suffered nerve damage after chemotherapy and a mid-stage trial to see how the drug performs on patients who suffer residual pain from shingles.

Madams, a medical practice specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, recently opened at 45 Ludlow St. in Yonkers. The practice is headed by Dr. Laure Lauriston, who is also an attending physician at St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers.

Scarsdale Bone and Joint Specialists recently opened at 2 Overhill Road in Scarsdale. The practice is headed by three bone and joint doctors with practices in Manhattan. They are Dr. O. Alton Barron, Dr. Louis W. Catalano III, and Dr. George J. Zambetti, Jr.

Alfacell Corp., a pharmaceutical company based in Somerset, N.J., announced a license agreement with Strativa Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Par Pharmaceutical Cos. Inc. The agreement covers the commercialization of the cancer treatment Onconase in the United States. Par, which is based in Woodcliff Lake, N.J., employs about 400 people in Chestnut Ridge.

Barr Laboratories Inc., the Pomona-based generic-drug unit of Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc., has received regulatory approval to begin selling a generic version of Kytril, a brand-name drug used to treat nausea and vomiting associated with cancer treatments.

Barr said it received final approval from the Food and Drug Administration following the expiration of the drug’s patent Friday.

Kytril, manufactured by Roche Laboratories Inc., had annual sales of $88 million ending October, based on industry data.

Barr plans to launch its generic product shortly, it said.

A nutritional supplement marketed by Purchase-based Nutrition 21 Inc. has been shown to improve brain function in older people experiencing early memory decline, the company reported this week.

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati found that daily supplementation with 1,000 micrograms of Nutrition 21’s chromium picolinate helped improve insulin sensitivity, allowing glucose, the brain’s main “fuel,� to be process more efficiently, Nutrition 21 said.

“Impaired glucose metabolism and insulin resistance have been linked to age-related cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease,� said Robert Krikorian, lead investigator of the study. “These findings suggest that improving glucose metabolism with chromium picolinate supplementation may enhance cognition.�

The study used a Nutrition 21 supplement specifically formulated to improve brain health, known as Core4Life Advanced Memory Formula.

In addition to chromium picolinate, the supplement includes two other ingredients — phosphatidylserine and DHA — that, Nutrition 21 said, are known to play a role in improve memory and maintain brain health.

Consumers who buy their prescription drugs online may find out the hard way that some Web sites aren’t legitimate retailers.

Some have reported problems such as credit-card charges and overcharges for which no products were received; receipt of wrong or fake drugs; no order confirmations; and other problems.

So called “rogue pharmacies� are the scourge of the Internet, says PharmacyChecker.com, a White Plains-based company that provides a verification service for online pharmacies.

This week the company published a list of 36 rogue pharmacies that showed no evidence of being licensed.

“Consumers should be alerted that using the Web sites on the list may put their health and money at risk,� said Dr. Tod Cooperman, president of PharmacyChecker.com and its sister site, ConsumerLab.com.

Still, he said, “(Consumers) can take some simple steps to avoid rogue pharmacies and find legitimate pharmacies that offer authentic medication at significant savings.”

The 36 rogue pharmacies on the list, which the company said will be updated continually, can be found at PharmacyChecker.com (www.pharmacychecker.com).

ConsumerLab.com, a White Plains-based tester of nutritional supplements, reports that its latest study of omega-3 and -6 fatty acid supplements derived from seed oils showed improvement from two previous reports.

The most recent test showed two of the 22 products tested were “slightly” low in one fatty acid, a better showing than studies in 2002 and 2005 in which as many as six products failed testing.

The study also noted that none of the products test this time around showed evidence of spoilage, which had been found in the past, ConsumerLab.com said.

Among those products that failed testing this year, LifeWise Naturals Evening Primrose Oil 1300 mg, a softgel, contained only 80 percent of its labeled amount of oleic acid — a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid. The other was Udo’s Choice Udo’s 3-6-9 Oil Blend that contained only 84 percent of its labeled amount of omega-9 fatty acids.

Both products, however, contained the claimed amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, ConsumerLab.com said.

Consumers take omega-3 and -6 fatty acids for perceived health benefits. For omega-3, those include improved heart health, while omega-6 is believed to help in treatment of ailments involving pain and inflammation, including rheumatoid arthritis and cyclic mastalgia — breast pain associated with the menstrual cycle.

The report includes results of two supplements for pets, as well. Pet owners use omega-3 and-6 fatty acids for skin and coat maintenance.

ConsumerLab.com’s latest report on omega-3 and -6 supplements is available online to subscribers of the Web site (www.consumerlab.com).

A company that sells medical supplies has retained its status as the prime vendor to the Long Island Hospital Purchasing Alliance. The company, MMS, which has its eastern division in New Rochelle, said it has gotten a four-year extension in its contract with the purchasing alliance, meaning the sides have an agreement through December 2011. The purchasing alliance buys supplies for four hospitals on Long Island. MMS, which used to be known as Midwest Medical Supply, is based in St. Louis.

Vascular Surgical Associates of Scarsdale relocated to Rye this week to join The Westchester Medical Group, a multi-specialty practice with 125 physicians at 1 Theall Road in Rye. The Scarsdale office, at 14 Harwood Court, is closing after 25 years. The surgeons are Dr. Kenneth S. Schwartz, Dr. Neil S. Weintraub and Dr. George O. Piccorelli. They will also continue to see patients in their Yonkers office at 136 South Broadway. Patients can call 914-848-8750 for an appointment at either office, and medical records can be accessed from both locations.

Acorda Therapeutics Inc., a Hawthorne-based biotech company developing treatments for multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injuries, has been chosen as one of 32 inaugural members of the new Nasdaq NeuroInsights Neurotech Index.
The index is the first to track the performance of companies researching, developing and manufacturing therapies and medical devices for disorders of the brain and nervous system.

This is a hot area because brain-related illnesses affect more than 2 billion people around the world and the associated yearly economic cost is more than $2 trillion, according to data from Nasdaq. Venture capital investment in neurotech rose 7.5 percent to $1.67 billion in 2006.

The companies in the index are involved in fighting such diseases as Alzheimer’s, addiction, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, obesity, pain, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, sensory disorders, sleep disorders, stroke, and traumatic brain injury.

Nasdaq said the companies must also meet “rigorous� market criteria, including a $200 million market capitalization and a three-month average daily trading volume of 100,000 shares.

Acorda’s market cap is $472 million and its three-month average trading volume is 385,245 shares.

The index began calculation with a value of 150.00 today. The price return version of the index can be tracked with the ticker symbol NERV. The total return version will be calculated under the symbol NRVX.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is co-sponsoring the Hudson Valley Family Health and Safety Fair Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  at the Westchester County Center in White Plains.

The free event will provide information to guard against health-and-safety hazards on the job, at home and on the road. It will feature workshops, health information and screenings, demonstrations, prizes and activities for children.

OSHA is co-sponsoring the event with the Rochester Institute of Technology, OSHA Education Center and the Voluntary Protection Programs Participants-OSHA Alliance.

Highlights include:

• Safety and health workshops in English and Spanish on chemical and electrical hazards, scaffolding, falls, trenching, machine guarding, traffic, landscaping, fire and tool safety and personal protective equipment.

• Workshops for young employees focusing on permitted and prohibited jobs and work hours, employee rights, and safe work in restaurants, retail and supermarkets.

• Health screenings for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, weight, eyesight and mental health, as well as health and wellness information from area health and human service organizations.

• Information booths and demonstrations by public safety agencies on fire hazards, seat belt use and bike safety, including free car seat exchanges and bike helmets.

• Booths staffed by federal, state, county and local agencies to provide information about workplace regulations and laws.

YONKERS — Aureon Laboratories Inc. announced today the successful completion of an initial study with AstraZeneca designed to identify patients with non-small-cell lung cancer that could benefit from treatment with AstraZeneca’s Iressa.

Aureon’s System Pathology approach is intended to enable medical professionals to predict how patients will respond to specific drugs. It uses computer-based image analysis of tumor tissue samples along with mathematical tools, providing information to cancer centers and physicians. Aureon’s proprietary method could lead to more effective, personalized treatment and shorter, more-focused clinical trials, the company said.

“This project is only the first step in what we believe will be a fruitful area of research,� Aureon President and Chief Executive Officer Vijay Aggarwal said in a written statement. “This project validates our technology in yet another setting: pharmaceutical development. Finally, it is an excellent next step in Aureon’s development as a company after our 2006 launch of Prostate Px for prostate cancer recurrence prediction.�

National Home Health Care Corp., the Scarsdale home health-care company that is being acquired by Angelo Gordon & Co., said today the merger won’t be completed next month, as anticipated.

National Home said it agreed to extend the termination date of its merger with the Manhattan investment bank to Nov. 21 to allow additional time for state Department of Health approval.

The extension may result in an increase of 10 cents a share in its quarterly dividend payment, raising it to 17.5 cents a share, National Home said.

Shares of the provider of home health care and staffing services were higher by 18 cents in mid-afternoon trading to $12.45 a share.

Mary Ann Liebert Inc., a publisher of biotechnology journals, said today it has started a biotech video channel hosted on its Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News Web site (www.genengnews.com) .

“We have launched the video component to complement our print and online editions,” said John Sterling, the publication’s editor-in-chief.

The first video to run on GEN’s biotech video channel is a corporate-overview video about GE Healthcare Life Sciences.

The Piscataway, N.J.,-based unit of General Electric Co. was chosen because its business is similar in breadth to GEN’s coverage and is relevant to the Web site’s audience, the New Rochelle-based company said.

Gannett News Service

Federal scientists will have money to proceed with a monumental study of cancer rates among 28,000 IBM Endicott employees that will advance science about chemical exposure, U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey said Thursday.

Hinchey, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said he has secured funding necessary for the National Institute of Occupational Health & Safety to start the $3.2 million study in the next fiscal year, which begins in October.

It would be the first comprehensive government study of cancer rates among employees in the circuit-board manufacturing industry, and is intended to address widespread questions about whether they bore a disproportionately high cancer risk.

IBM pledged to cooperate with the study. “We will pass along any information that is lawfully acceptable,� IBM spokes-man Ari Fishkind said. “We have cooperated with NIOSH in the past and that will always be the case.�

The study will be based largely on records dating to the early 1960s that document the IBM work force at the sprawling Endicott facility, now owned by Huron Real Estate Associates. They would be cross-referenced with cancer and death records kept by state and federal agencies, so researchers will be able to tell if a person who worked for the company for a given period developed cancer anytime after that.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company based in Eastview, is one step closer to having its first marketable drug. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted priority review status to its drug for a rare inflammatory condition. Rilonacept, which Regeneron calls the Interleukin-1 (IL-1) Trap, is designed to inhibit a disease-causing protein called Interleukin 1. It’s intended for the long-term treatment of CIAS1-Associated Periodic Syndromes (CAPS), which affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States.

“The FDA’s decision to grant priority review to rilonacept underscores the need for an effective therapy for patients suffering from this serious, debilitating disease,� Dr. Leonard Schleifer, president and chief executive officer of Regeneron, said in a written statement.

The FDA grants priority review to drugs that may offer a significant improvement in the safety or effectiveness of treatment for a serious or life-threatening disease. Regeneron said the FDA is expected to take action on this application by the end of November. If the review is positive, Regeneron would then have its first marketable drug.

Home Instead Senior Care, which provides non-medical, in-home services to seniors, announced that it has transferred the ownership of the Northern Westchester and Putnam County territory to Brian Trainor. The office is in Carmel, and Trainor plans to open as second location in the next few months.

Trainor, who lives in Yorktown Heights, owns and operates the company’s Southern Westchester franchise, which has an office in White Plains. “Due to the growth of our senior population, the demand has escalated, and there’s a lot of seniors in Northern Westchester and Putnam County that can benefit form the services we provide,� he said.

His company provides services designed to help senior citizens who require assistance with chores and driving can remain in their homes. The hourly rate is $19.50. The company also provides round-the-clock live-in assistance.

“We provide companionship, meal prep, housekeeping, laundry… incidental transportation and help with errands and medications, “ he said. We want to keep it affordable so that the seniors can remail home safe and independent. So by providing some of these services… it allows them to remain home independent, and that’s really what all the seniors and older adults really want to do.â€?

Home Instead, based in Omaha, Neb., sells independently operated franchises nationally and internationally. For information on local services, call 845-278-5800 or 914-997-0400 or visit the company’s Web site.

Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. President and Chief Operating Officer Paul M. Bisaro is leaving the New Jersey-based generic-drug giant to take over as president and chief executive officer at Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Bisaro, 46, is replacing current Watson Chairman, CEO and President Allen Chao, 61, the founder of the 24-year-old generic-drug company, who is retiring as chief executive and president next month but will remain chairman.

“We regret that (Bisaro) has accepted a position with Watson Pharmaceuticals,� Barr Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bruce L. Downey said in a written statement. Downey will assume Bisaro’s responsibilities on an interim basis, the statement said.

Bisaro joined Barr in 1992 as the company’s general counsel.

Watson and Barr compete with each other in selling versions of some drugs.
Recently, Watson gained approval to begin selling a generic version of Barr’s Seasonale branded birth-control regimen, which limits women’s menstrual periods to four a year.

Both companies have substantial operations in the Lower Hudson Valley. Corona, Calif.-based Watson has a plant in Carmel where about 570 workers are employed. It also has a distribution center in Brewster with some 90 employees.

Barr, based in Woodcliff Lake, has generic-drug research and development operations in Pomona, employing more than 400 workers.