The patient screening process for the Phase III program of the Generex Biotechnology’s oral insulin spray Generex Oral-lyn has been started in North America. The company is expected to enroll 750 patients suffering from Type 1 diabetes mellitus. The company intends to use the study to compare Generex Oral-lyn and the RapidMist diabetes management system with usual insulin therapy.

The European Commission has granted marketing authorisation for the new powerful strength of Boehringer Ingelheim’s fixed dose combination antihypertensive drug, MicardisPlus® 80/25, in all 27 EU member states. The company plans to launch the drug in Germany and Denmark in the forthcoming weeks, followed soon by Ireland, the UK and the rest of the EU. The product is licensed for the treatment of essential hypertension in patients whose blood pressure is not adequately controlled on MicardisPlus® 80/12.5 (80 mg telmisartan/12.5 mg hydrochlorothiazide) or patients who have been previously stabilized on telmisartan and hydrochlorothiazide separately at the same dosages.

Alcon Inc. has received the FDA approval for Patanase, an antihistamine nasal spray that relieves symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis in patients aged 12 years and more. The company expects to make the steroid-free nasal spray, Patanase, available in the market in May.

An article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine has indicated that statins, which are usually prescribed to lower blood cholesterol levels, might reduce blood pressure in patients. The study, led by Beatrice A Golomb and conducted on 973 participants, demonstrated that there was a noticeable decline in blood pressure in patients taking statins, a drug that inhibits an enzyme involved in the synthesis of cholesterol.

Sandoz has launched fomepizole, a generic version of Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ Antizol. Antizol is an injectable drug for the treatment of ethylene glycol or methanol poisoning. According to Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ full year earnings results, the drug generated sales of approximately $14 million in 2007. The company intends to market generic Antizol in 1.5 gm/1.5 mL single-dose vials.

Acomplia, the obesity drug manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis, has received a positive final appraisal determination from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the U.K. The body has also guided to the use of Acomplia as a support for diet and exercise in overweight patients who have not responded to other obesity agents.