Poxel is a research integrated pharmaceutical Company (RIPCO),
spun out from Merck Serono a division of Merck KGaA, Germany, following the
decision of Merck Serono to no longer invest in diabetes research and
development. It aims to advance promising assets for cardio-metabolic
diseases (with a primary focus on Type 2 diabetes) from Research to Phase 2
Clinical Proof-of-Concept, before out-licensing these projects to major
pharmaceutical companies.

Its pipeline consists only of innovative projects with new
mechanisms of action, with a combined activity on glucose metabolism and
other cardiovascular risk factors (lipid disorders and obesity) and with an
improved safety profile compared to currently available therapies.

Poxel has secured several programs from the Merck Serono
pipeline. These include a first-in-class project, Imeglimin -which has
already achieved its clinical proof-of-concept for the Type 2 diabetes
monotherapy indication- and other projects from the Research until close to
clinical development stages.

Poxel’s management is composed of a tight and seasoned team of
professionals who previously led the Merck Serono diabetes franchise from
Research to Clinical & Commercialization. They have a proven track record in
the pharmaceutical industry and extensive skills both in project management
and technical expertise. The whole management team has an integrated
strategic and operational view of the product value chain, from Research to
Marketing, covering the complete product life cycle.

Poxel’s team will perform and coordinate all work required in
the following areas: research, preclinical, clinical and business
development, with a strong focus on cardio-metabolic diseases.

A focused and streamlined development of the company assets
will ensure a successful out-licensing of those assets.

All this provides Poxel with a significant competitive
advantage.

Poxel’s team will be advised by a highly regarded scientific
Advisory Board in Endocrinology and Nutrition from the US and Europe.

Poxel will start the development of its core assets, while
seeking funding in order to create additional value from its unique pipeline.
Neither Merck KGaA nor Merck Serono is shareholders of Poxel.

About Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes is defined by a failure of sensitive tissues
to respond to insulin, a hormone involved in glucose and fatty acid
metabolism, Type 2 diabetes hence being known as non-insulin-dependent
diabetes. 90% of diabetic patients in the world suffer from type 2 diabetes.

In 2007, more than 220 million people suffered from Type 2
diabetes worldwide, including over 65 million patients in the US and Europe.
It is predicted that more than 300 million patients will have this disease by
2025 (IDF).

The market is about EUR bn9.6 turnover in 2007, expected to
reach EUR bn15 by 2016.

Existing therapies on the market are dominated by few dominant
product classes, but significant unmet needs remain.

Source
Poxel SAS

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is proud to announce a new recommendation issued by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) Task Force on Standardized Pharmacy Technician Education and Training which encourages state boards of pharmacy to require certification by the PTCB.

The Task Force recommended, and the NABP Executive Committee approved, that NABP amend the Model Act to a recommendation that all boards of pharmacy require pharmacy technicians to be certified by 2015, in accordance with the JCPP Future Vision of Pharmacy Practice.

Technician accountability is vital as pharmacy moves forward in creating this new vision of pharmacy practice and new roles for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Part of ensuring that pharmacy technicians meet such standards is the implementation of a standard measure of competency. Toward this end, under the advisement of the task force and the approval of the Executive Committee, NABP encourages the boards of pharmacy to require certification by the PTCB. These announcements were released at NABP’s annual meeting held last week.

The Task Force’s recommendation to certify all pharmacy technicians using the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) comes at a time when the demand for technician competency through uniform standards has never been greater. A 2007 poll commissioned by PTCB showed that 91% of American consumers surveyed support strong regulations across the country to protect patient safety by requiring that pharmacy technicians be trained and certified.

“The task force’s latest encouragement of this standard reinforces PTCB’s place as the strongest certification program available for pharmacy technicians,” said Melissa Murer Corrigan, RPh, Executive Director and CEO of PTCB. “Having consistent requirements for pharmacy technician certification in every state is an important first step towards meeting the high standard of safety that patients expect and deserve.”

NABP has been at the center of developing, implementing, and enforcing uniform standards for states since 1904. NABP reviewed and approved the PTCE through Resolution 96-1-2000, which was adopted by the NABP member boards at the 96th Annual Meeting in 2000.

PTCB is currently the only certification program endorsed by NABP, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). PTCB has certified over 339,000 technicians since 1995, and more than 10,000 pharmacy technicians have applied for the PTCE since continuous testing launched on April 1, 2009.

Source
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)

The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) recently published a concise reference on 25 common self-treatable conditions. The Practitioner’s Quick Reference to Nonprescription Drugs contains information from the new, comprehensive 16th edition of the Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs: An Interactive Approach to Self-Care, but it includes only the content that practitioners are most likely to need during self-care consultations with patients.

Each chapter begins with an algorithm that presents treatment and follow-up recommendations as well as exclusions for self-treatment. The accompanying text expands on the algorithm’s recommendations and includes essential additional information (e.g., cautions and contraindications, drug interactions) plus limited background information on the condition.

Among the conditions covered are headache, fever, musculoskeletal injuries and disorders, common cold, allergic rhinitis, cough, heartburn, constipation, herpes simplex, acne, pediculosis, and warts. With appendices covering administration guidelines, pregnancy risk categories, and recommended intakes for vitamins and minerals, the reference is intended to help busy health practitioners.

The editor is Cynthia Knapp Dlugosz, BPharm, President of CKD Associates, LLC, a health care communications and education consulting firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dlugosz has more than 20 years of experience in pharmacy publishing and continuing education program development.

The softbound reference (ISBN 978-1-58212-140-6; 374 pages) may be purchased for $29.95 ($27 for APhA members) through APhA’s toll-free order department at (800) 878-0729 or online at http://www.pharmacist.com.

Source
American Pharmacists Association (APhA)