Athersys Incorporated, alongside its collaborators Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and Center for Stem Cell and Regeneration Medicine (CSCRM), recently announced that it was granted $1 million through the Ohio Third Frontier Biomedical Program, which supports spinal cord injury research. The project aims to enhance the preclinical study of MultiStem, the company’s proprietary stem cell product. The company and a group of CWRU researchers, headed by neurologist Dr. Jerry Silver, discovered that MultiStem decreases the inflammation that occurs after an injury in the spinal cord....

Merck & Co is an American pharmaceutical company that is engaged in research, development, production and marketing of a broad range of innovative healthcare products for humans and animals. It is currently considered as one of the seven largest pharmaceutical companies in the world in terms of both capitalization and revenue. It is based in the United States, with its headquarters located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, the company is known under the name Merck Sharp & Dohme. Merck & Co was established as a subsidiary of Merck KGaA in 1891...

Drug company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), popular for their breakthrough anti-obesity medicine Alli pills, has teamed up with eBay to ban online auctions selling counterfeit versions of its Alli weight loss drug. Early January of this year, it was discovered that some sellers sold fake containers of Alli. FDA, in response, has provided the public pointers on how to distinguish the fake from the genuine. The two companies are also running an operation to caution consumers about the counterfeit products sold on online auction web pages other than eBay. Jack Christin, eBay’s associate general...

Johnson & Johnson is a multi-national, American pharmaceutical company that is engaged in research and development, production and sale of a wide array of pharmaceutical products, medical devices, and consumer products across the globe. It is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and as such, is listed among the Fortune 500 companies. The company’s headquarters can be found in New Brunswick, New Jersey in the United States. It has an extensive network of 250 subsidiary companies that operate in 57 countries with over 115,000 people in its workforce. It products are...

Pfizer Incorporated is a pharmaceutical company that focuses on research, development and production and sales of prescription medicines for both humans and animals around the world. It is currently the number one pharmaceutical company in the world in terms of sales. This New York City-based company has its main research facility in Groton, Connecticut. The company has a wide range of pharmaceutical products that it offers to customers, such as Lipitor, which is used to lower blood cholesterol levels; Lyrica, which treats neuropathic pain; Celebrex, which cures arthritis, inflammation, and...

GlaxoSmithKline is a multinational British pharmaceutical and healthcare company that engages in research and development, manufacturing and sale of pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter medications and consumer healthcare products. It offers a wide range of products that are used to treat various ailments and conditions including infections, heart and respiratory ailments, skin diseases, depression and cancer. GlaxoSmithKline also manufactures vaccines that fight life-threatening diseases and viruses, including hepatitis A and B, measles, mumps, polio, typhoid and influenza....

Roche Pharmaceuticals (F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd.) is a multinational healthcare and biotechnology company that is engaged in research and development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products, providing diagnostic and therapeutic services that allows healthcare professionals to detect, diagnose and treat illnesses of patients. The company was founded by Fritz Hoffman-La Roche in 1896. It is currently a member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), a union of pharmaceutical companies operating in Europe. Roche is based in Switzerland and...

The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has to certify drugs for medical purposes. Other products that the FDA monitors and regulates include cosmetics and food products for consumer safety. Manufacturers must adhere to the FDA guidelines and standards for safety and truth in labeling, among others. Product: Allegra, a nonsedating antihistamine available by prescription, alleviates seasonal allergy symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, and itchy, watery eyes. Why important: One dose of 180 mg of Allegra can relieve allergy sufferers’ symptoms up to four times longer than most...