The American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the national professional society of pharmacists, announces that nominations are now being accepted for the APhA scientific awards and honors that will be presented at the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, DC, March 12-15, 2010. Nominations must be received at APhA headquarters by September 15, 2009.

APhA’s awards recognition program is American pharmacy’s most comprehensive recognition program.

Guidelines for nominations, the nomination form, and complete criteria for each award are available at www.pharmacist.com/awards. Please submit all nomination materials to: APhA Awards and Honors Program- Attention: Meredith Nelson, 2215 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037-2985, or email to mnelson@aphanet.org. Nominator and support signatures are required on all letters. Please indicate which awards or honors you wish to make a nomination. For additional questions please contact Meredith Nelson at (202) 429-7559.

Awards

Takeru Higuchi Research Prize: The award, established in 1981 in honor of Dr. Takeru Higuchi, the first president of the APhA Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, recognizes the highest accomplishments in pharmaceutical sciences, and is international in scope and stature. Scientists selected to receive the award shall have demonstrated effective and persistent efforts in pioneering a new concept applicable to the pharmaceutical sciences. Recipients must be an APhA member.

Research Achievement Award in the Pharmaceutical Sciences: The award, offered annually and rotated every year among the three APhA Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science (APhA-APRS) Sections, is intended to recognize and encourage outstanding, meritorious achievement in any of the pharmaceutical sciences. In 2010, the award will recognize contributions in the area of basic pharmaceutical sciences. Nominees do not have to be members of APhA-APRS, but must be an APhA member.

APhA Fellow: This honor recognizes APhA members with a minimum of 10 years of exemplary professional experience and achievements in professional practice, who have rendered outstanding service to the profession through activities in APhA and in other organizations. Examples of service to organizations may include having held an elected or appointed office, service on a committee, expert panel or review board, or other relevant activities. The selection of Fellows is done by the respective academies, with APhA-APRS presenting up to 10 Fellow designations each year.

Wiederholt Prize: Established in 1996 as the Best Published Paper Award in Social, Economic and Administrative Sciences and renamed in 2002 as the Wiederholt Prize, this award, presented annually, recognizes the best-published paper describing original investigation in the area of economic, social, or administrative sciences related to pharmacy. The paper must have been published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (JAPhA) within the last two calendar years and the primary author must be an APhA member.

Ebert Prize: Established in 1873, the Ebert Prize is the oldest pharmacy award in existence in the United States. This award recognizes the author(s) of the best essay or written communication containing original investigation of a medicinal substance published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the past year. The paper selected must have been published during the calendar year preceding the selection. Awardees need not be members of APhA for consideration.

Clinical Research Paper Award: The award, established in 2006, is intended to promote and encourage high quality clinical research or practice based research in the clinical sciences by recognizing an original research article in this area, which has been published in the JAPhA within two years prior to the screening deadline. The primary author (first and/or corresponding author) must be a member of APhA.

Source
American Pharmacists Association

MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: MAPP) announced that it has received a notice of termination of the license agreement with AstraZeneca related to the company’s Unit Dose Budesonide (UDB) product candidate. The termination was received on July 8, 2009, effective immediately. All rights licensed to AstraZeneca in the agreement now revert to the company. MAP Pharmaceuticals plans to suspend development of UDB, which did not meet primary endpoints in a Phase 3 trial in children 12-months to eight years of age with mild asthma.

“Physicians and parents continue to express a need for improved therapies for pediatric asthma that offer faster nebulization times, lower doses of steroid exposure, improved treatment compliance and reduced side effects when compared to currently available therapies. MAP Pharmaceuticals is considering options for its pediatric asthma program moving forward, including the development of a next generation therapy with budesonide,” said Timothy S. Nelson, president and chief executive officer of MAP Pharmaceuticals. “Separately, MAP Pharmaceuticals remains focused on developing our LEVADEX(TM) migraine therapy, which recently achieved all four primary endpoints in a Phase 3 clinical trial, with the goal of bringing this differentiated treatment to the many patients who suffer from the debilitating effects of migraine.”

MAP Pharmaceuticals will provide updated financial guidance for 2009 in its second quarter results release. MAP Pharmaceuticals finished the first quarter of 2009 with cash and cash equivalents of $67.7 million and $4.7 million in accounts receivables.

About MAP Pharmaceuticals

MAP Pharmaceuticals is dedicated to developing and commercializing new therapies for patients suffering from conditions that are not adequately treated by currently available medicines. LEVADEX inhaled therapy is being developed for the potential treatment of migraine and has completed a successful Phase 3 trial. In addition, MAP Pharmaceuticals generates new pipeline opportunities by applying its proprietary drug particle and inhalation technologies to enhance the therapeutic benefits of proven drugs, while minimizing risk by capitalizing on their known safety, efficacy and commercialization history.

LEVADEX and Tempo are trademarks of MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statements

In addition to statements of historical facts or statements of current conditions, this press release contains forward-looking statements, including with respect to the company’s development programs, including MAP Pharmaceuticals’ LEVADEX product candidate. Actual results may differ materially from current expectations based on risks and uncertainties affecting the company’s business, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to the development of drug candidates, the conduct and completion of clinical trials, risks related to the failure to achieve favorable clinical outcomes or to have the company’s LEVADEX product candidate approved for commercial use. The reader is cautioned not to unduly rely on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. MAP Pharmaceuticals expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Source: MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc

Schering-Plough Corporation (NYSE: SGP) announced that Schering-Plough K.K., the company’s country operation in Japan, has received marketing approval for ASMANEX TWISTHALER (mometasone furoate dry powder inhaler) for the treatment of bronchial asthma in adults.(1)

“We are pleased to announce the approval of the ASMANEX TWISTHALER in Japan,” said Thomas P. Koestler, Ph.D., executive vice president and president, Schering-Plough Research Institute. “ASMANEX was discovered and developed by Schering-Plough Research Institute and offers physicians and patients in Japan an effective inhaled corticosteroid to treat bronchial asthma in an innovative dry powder inhaler device,” Koestler added. “Schering-Plough K.K. has received eight total new chemical entity approvals in Japan during the past two years, underscoring Schering-Plough’s commitment to improving health and well being for patients in Japan.”

Important Information about ASMANEX in the United States

Clinical studies with ASMANEX have shown improvement in lung function, decreased use of rescue medication, and improvement in daytime symptoms in patients 12 and older.

ASMANEX is approved for the maintenance treatment of asthma in patients 4 years of age and older. ASMANEX will not relieve sudden asthma symptoms and is not for children less than 4 years of age.

In the U.S., it is available in two dose strengths, 110 mcg for children between 4 and 11 years old, and 220 mcg for patients 12 and older.

Important Safety Information

ASMANEX is not a rescue inhaler and should not be used to treat sudden asthma symptoms. Use a rescue inhaler to relieve sudden asthma symptoms.

ASMANEX should not be used to treat acute asthma episodes (including status asthmaticus) where extra measures are required.

ASMANEX is not for patients who have a hypersensitivity (including allergic reactions) to mometasone or any of the ingredients in ASMANEX. There have been cases of hypersensitivity, allergic reactions, facial swelling, hives, and throat tightness reported.

Patients who use inhaled steroid medicines for asthma may develop a fungal infection of the mouth and throat. Rinse your mouth after using ASMANEX.

It is possible that hypercorticism (an excess level of steroids in your body) or adrenal insufficiency (your adrenal gland cannot produce enough steroids) may appear in a small number of patients, particularly when ASMANEX is administered at higher than recommended doses over prolonged periods of time. If such effects occur, consult your health care provider as the dosage of ASMANEX should be reduced slowly.

If you or your child took steroids by mouth and are having them decreased or are being switched to ASMANEX, you should be followed closely by your health care provider and the oral steroids should be reduced slowly. Deaths due to adrenal insufficiency have occurred during and after switching from oral steroids to inhaled steroids. Tell your health care provider right away about any symptoms such as feeling tired or exhausted, weakness, nausea, vomiting, or symptoms of low blood pressure (such as dizziness or faintness). If you or your child is under stress, such as with surgery, after surgery, or trauma, you may need steroids by mouth again.

Avoid coming in contact with measles, chicken pox virus, tuberculosis, or any other infections before or while using ASMANEX. Contact your health care provider immediately if you or your child have been exposed.

Patients who use inhaled steroids, including ASMANEX, for a long time may have an increased risk of decreased bone mass, which can affect bone strength. Patients who are at increased risk of decreased bone mass should be monitored.

Inhaled steroids, including ASMANEX, may cause a reduction in growth velocity when administered to pediatric patients. The long-term effect on final adult height is unknown. Health care providers should closely follow the growth of children and adolescents taking corticosteroids by any route, and reduce each patient’s dose to the lowest dose that effectively controls his/her symptoms.

ASMANEX may increase the risk of some eye problems such as cataracts, glaucoma, and increased intraocular pressure. Patients with a change in vision or a history of eye problems should be monitored by their health care provider.

Use ASMANEX as directed by your health care provider, since its ability to work in your lungs depends on regular use. Maximum benefit may take 1 to 2 weeks or longer. If your asthma symptoms do not improve, or get worse, contact your health care provider.

The most common side effects with ASMANEX in patients 4-11 years old include fever, allergic rhinitis, abdominal pain, vomiting, urinary tract infection, and bruise.

The most common side effects with ASMANEX in patients 12 years of age and older include headache, allergic rhinitis, sore throat, and upper respiratory infection.(2)

About Schering-Plough Corporation

Schering-Plough is an innovation-driven, science-centered global health care company. Through its own biopharmaceutical research and collaborations with partners, Schering-Plough creates therapies that help save and improve lives around the world. The company applies its research-and-development platform to human prescription and consumer products as well as to animal health products. Schering-Plough’s vision is to “Earn Trust, Every Day” with the doctors, patients, customers and other stakeholders served by its colleagues around the world

SCHERING-PLOUGH DISCLOSURE NOTICE: The information in this press release includes certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to potential market for ASMANEX. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations or forecasts of future events. Schering-Plough does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from Schering-Plough’s forward-looking statements, including market forces, economic factors, product availability, patent and other intellectual property protection, current and future branded, generic or over-the-counter competition, the regulatory process, and any developments following regulatory approval, among other uncertainties. For further details about these and other factors that may impact the forward-looking statements, see Schering-Plough’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including Part II, Item 1A “Risk Factors” in the Company’s first quarter 2009 10-Q, filed May 1, 2009.

References:

1. ASMANEX (R) Package Insert. Schering-Plough K.K.

2. ASMANEX (R) U.S. Package Insert. Schering Corporation.

Source: Schering-Plough Corporation