Brand Profile - Brand Institute, inc.



			Brand Profile Brand Institute is the premier full-service branding agency dedicated to strategic and innovative brand naming and identity solutions. We strive to exceed the expectations of every client by combining leading-edge market research with the highest levels of client service, integrity and brand management Renovis halts development of oral formulation of REN-1654, will pursue other formulations Based on Phase II study results, Renovis Inc. is ceasing development of the oral formulation of REN-1654, an investigational treatment for a form of neuropathic pain known as sciatica, and will instead explore "alternate routes of administration." In the 74-patient study, REN-1654 demonstrated a positive trend in relieving pain but did not statistically significantly change the average daily spontaneous pain ratings at the end of three weeks when compared with placebo, which was the primary endpoint of the study. The study included patients who had developed leg pain from lumbosacral radiculopathy within the 12 weeks prior to enrollment. Daily spontaneous leg pain, maximum leg pain and other factors related to activities of daily living were recorded during a baseline week in which patients were not treated. Participants were then randomized to receive placebo or 100 mg of REN-1654, once a day, for 21 days. Researchers observed a statistically significant reduction in maximum daily leg pain among patients treated with REN-1654 compared with placebo at the end of the first and second weeks, but the reduction was not statistically significant after three weeks "due to a spontaneous reduction of pain in the placebo group," according to Renovis. Since safety findings limit the testing of higher oral doses of the drug, Renovis will instead focus on developing a different formulation of the small molecule compound, which inhibits the release of TNF-alpha and other proinflammatory cytokines. "While we will not continue to develop REN-1654 as an oral medication, we will continue to analyze the data from this study to consider whether there may be alternative routes for advancing this compound or mechanism of action," said Corey Goodman, chief executive officer of Renovis. Brand Profile Daily use of Depakote for migraine prophylaxis may reduce total cholesterol, review suggests Treatment with Abbott's Depakote (divalproex sodium) appears to reduce cholesterol in a dose-dependent fashion but does not seem to affect other metabolic parameters, according to post-hoc analyses. Researchers reviewed data from a randomized, double-blind study evaluating the drug as a prophylactic agent for migraine among 160 patients. Participants were randomized to a daily regimen of placebo or Depakote 500 mg, 1,000 mg or 1,500 mg for 12 weeks. The authors noted that patients who had chronic comorbid medical conditions or risk factors for these conditions were not excluded from the original study. Moreover, the use of agents known to affect cholesterol, such as lipid-lowering agents, beta blockers, thyroid supplements and estrogen, was low and comparable between treatment groups. After three months of treatment, researchers observed a dose-dependent reduction in cholesterol levels among the Depakote treatment groups: patients randomized to receive Depakote 500 mg/day, 1,000 mg/d and 1,500 mg/d experienced a mean decrease in total cholesterol of 5.7 mg/dL (3 percent reduction), 8.4 mg/dL (4 percent reduction) and 12.8 mg/dL (7 percent reduction), respectively. In addition, patients with a total cholesterol level higher than 200 mg/dL experienced a greater decrease (Depakote groups, -16.5 mg/dL; placebo group, -9.2 mg/dL) than did patients with total cholesterol levels of 200 mg/dL or less (-3.7 mg/dL and +3.5 mg/dL, respectively). No significant differences were observed between any of the Depakote groups and the placebo group with respect to mean changes from baseline in serum glucose levels, weight or body mass index. However, researchers did observe a small increase in BMI among all of the treatment groups. The authors conceded that the findings are limited by the study's post-hoc nature, a relatively short follow-up (three months) and a small sample size, which may not have been powered to detect small differences in weight change between the treatment groups. However, they stressed the importance of understanding the impact of "chronically administered medications on serum lipids" and called for future studies to evaluate clinical endpoints, such as myocardial infarction or stroke, "to confirm that the antihypercholesterolemic benefit of [Depakote] will decrease the risk of developing macrovascular disease." Data from the analyses were published in the September issue of the journal Headache. Brand Profile Requip, Mirapex, pergolide may cause uncontrollable somnolence in patients with PD, findings reveal Patients with Parkinson's disease who take GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Requip (ropinirole hydrochloride), Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Mirapex (pramipexole dihydrochloride) or pergolide mesylate may experience sudden and uncontrollable somnolence, according to a study in the August issue of the Archives of Neurology. Researchers interviewed 929 patients (average age, 66.7 years) with PD (average duration, 3.6 years) regarding their drug use, adverse events and clinical status in the prior six months. The study's primary outcome was patient-reported episodes of "uncontrollably falling asleep" in the six months preceding the telephone interview. Of all the patients interviewed, 91.3 percent said they took levodopa, either alone or in combination with other treatment, 38.8 percent used Mirapex, alone or in a combination and 18.5 percent took Requip as monotherapy or with another agent. Twenty-two percent of those interviewed said they had episodes of uncontrollable somnolence in the previous six months. After controlling for factors including age, sex and disease duration, researchers found that patients taking Requip, pergolide or Mirapex had an almost three-fold risk of having these episodes as compared with patients taking all other PD drugs. Compared with those who took levodopa alone, patients who took Mirapex, Requip or pergolide were 2.2 times, 1.8 times and 2.1 times as likely, respectively, to experience episodes of uncontrollable somnolence. The risk increased with the dose taken, leading the authors to suggest that "using these drugs at lower doses might help reduce the risk of the outcome studied." The researchers noted that, with respect to dopaminergic motor complications, the newer dopamine agonists such as Requip, Mirapex and pergolide have demonstrated an advantage over levodopa when used as an initial treatment. "However," they added, "these findings indicate that [the dopamine agonists'] increased capacity to cause clinically important episodes of uncontrollable somnolence will also need to be considered in the assessment of therapy for any given patient." Mirapex is co-promoted in the United States by Boehringer and Pfizer Inc., and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International markets pergolide under the brand name Permax. Brand Profile BMS' belatacept not inferior to cyclosporine, could extend life span of transplanted kidneys, results show Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s investigational selective costimulation blocker, belatacept, appears to allow transplanted kidneys to survive three to four years longer than those treated with Novartis AG's Neoral (cyclosporine), according to a recent study published in the Aug. 25 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. The partially blind, parallel-group Phase II study included 218 recipients of kidney transplantations. Patients were randomized to receive an intensive regimen of belatacept, a less-intensive regimen of belatacept or Neoral. Results demonstrated that belatacept achieved the study's primary endpoint of noninferiority to Neoral. The incidence of acute rejection was similar among the groups at six months: 7 percent for intensive belatacept, 6 percent for less-intensive belatacept and 8 percent for Neoral. The study also showed that the transplanted organs functioned significantly better at 12 months "with both intensive and less-intensive belatacept" as compared with Neoral. However, the study did not directly assess long-term kidney survival, as it was only designed to compare the two drugs in the short term. The drawback associated with cyclosporine-type drugs is that although they prevent the body from rejecting an organ, they also "can produce toxicity within the kidney, and ultimately many kidneys suffer significant damage," Dr. Flavio Vincenti, the study's lead author, noted in a Reuters report. "So, early on, they do an excellent job, but over the long term they do not provide significant improvement in the life of the kidney." Vincenti also mentioned that belatacept is administered intravenously, once a month, which helps to ensure patient compliance. Cyclosporine, on the other hand, is typically administered orally on a daily basis. "Our results suggest that belatacept can provide a level of immunosuppressive efficacy in renal-transplant recipients similar to that afforded by [Neoral], but with the potential benefits of improved cardiovascular and metabolic risk profiles, greater preservation of kidney function, and a lower incidence of chronic allograft nephropathy," the authors concluded. However, they also suggested that "because of a substantial amount of missing data on the measured glomerular filtration rate [a measure of kidney function], findings of improved renal function with belatacept should be regarded as preliminary." Brand Profile Groups say metabolic syndrome "diagnosis" misleading The American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes stated that the condition referred to as metabolic syndrome "is poorly defined, inconsistently used and in need of further research to help understand whether and how it should be treated." The organizations question whether the condition, which is believed to predict the risk of heart disease, is appropriately defined and whether it is a syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a widely cited medical condition often defined as applying to individuals who have at least three of the following: a large waist circumference, high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, low levels of HDL cholesterol and high blood glucose. However, various organizations, such as the World Health Organization, offer slightly differing definitions. "The metabolic syndrome requires much more study before its designation as a 'syndrome' is truly warranted and before its clinical utility is adequately defined," the statement cautioned. The associations warned that physicians should not give a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome until the science behind the condition is clear. "We shouldn't be diagnosing people with the 'metabolic syndrome,'" said Richard Kahn, chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association. "Doing so misleads the patient into believing he or she has a unique disease. What they really have are well-known cardiovascular risk factors. The combination of risk factors does not add up to a more significant or higher cardiovascular risk than the individual components." The controversy about metabolic syndrome follows similar contention for such disorders as generalized anxiety disorder, female sexual dysfunction and other nebulously defined conditions that have been attacked by critics as so-called "disease-mongering" on the part of drug companies searching for new markets for their products, Reuters reported. Analysts believe the associations' statement against metabolic syndrome could hurt sanofi-aventis Group's obesity drug, Acomplia (rimonabant), which the company wants to market as a treatment for the syndrome because the drug also helps with risk factors such as lipid levels. Sanofi-aventis offered no immediate comment on the statement, which will be published in the September issue of the journals Diabetes Care and Diabetologia. Brand Profile Retail pharmacy sales for 12 months ended June 2005 rise 6 percent in key global markets Drug sales through retail pharmacies in 13 key markets rose 6 percent to $360.85 billion from July 2004 to June 2005 at a constant exchange rate, according to IMS Health Inc.'s Retail Drug Monitor. In comparison, retail pharmacy drug sales totaled $333.66 billion for the 12-month period ended June 2004. U.S. retail drug sales also grew 6 percent to $179.28 billion, led by $41.33 billion in sales of central nervous system drugs. In the United States and Canada, the key therapeutic growth area was cardiovascular drugs; as in the previous month's survey, sales in this category increased 11 percent at constant exchange. Sales growth rates (also at constant exchange) in the top five European markets, the top three Latin American markets and Japan were 4 percent, 16 percent and 3 percent, respectively. Once again, Pfizer Inc.'s cholesterol-lowering drug, Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium), was the best-selling drug, with global sales totaling more than $11.07 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and sanofi-aventis Group's thrombosis treatment, Plavix (clopidogrel bisulfate), again experienced the highest rate of growth, at 23.3 percent. Brand Profile Brand Profile Pfizer Inc. Pfizer Inc. said the treatment use program for investigational cancer drug Sutent (sunitinib malate) has been expanded to patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, or kidney cancer, who have not responded to standard therapies. The program now permits eligible patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma to receive the drug, an oral, multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, from participating investigators. Patients enrolled in the open-label study will be monitored to further assess the drug's safety and efficacy. Brand Profile Brand Profile Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson said the European Commission cleared J&J's proposed acquisition of Guidant Corp.; the company expects the Federal Trade Commission's decision in October. J&J agreed to divest certain businesses to receive European clearance. In separate news, Guidant received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to expand enrollment in the U.S. arm of the SPIRIT III trial to a total of 1,292 patients. The trial is comparing Guidant's Xience V everolimus-eluting coronary stent system and Boston Scientific Corp.'s Taxus Express 2 paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system in the treatment of coronary artery disease. Additionally, The New York Times reported that the FDA will conduct a comprehensive inspection of Guidant's manufacturing facilities. The FDA began reviewing the company in May after The Times reported that Guidant had not properly informed physicians of a potential flaw in one of its defibrillators. Brand Profile Brand Profile Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s obesity drug candidate, APD356, a selective 5-HT2C serotonin receptor agonist, does not appear to adversely affect heart valves or blood vessel pressure, based on data from patient echocardiograms taken 90 days after initial dosing of the compound. The echocardiograms were taken as a follow-up measure to a Phase IIa trial conducted earlier this year in which patients who took a 15 mg dose of the drug lost an average of 2.9 pounds in 28 days. Patients in the trial's placebo group lost an average of 0.7 pounds in the same time period. Arena noted that it has completed enrollment of approximately 460 patients in a Phase IIb clinical trial of APD356 and expects to release initial results of this trial by the end of the year. Brand Profile Brand Profile Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. entered into an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement with iCo Therapeutics Inc. for the development and commercialization of ISIS 13650, a second-generation antisense drug. As per the agreement, iCo will initially develop the compound for the treatment of eye diseases caused by choroidal neovascularization, or the formation of new blood vessels, such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. The ISIS 13650 compound is an antisense inhibitor of c-Raf kinase, a key enzyme in the signal transduction pathway triggered by growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor. ICo will pay Isis an undisclosed license fee in cash and a convertible promissory note, along with milestone payments and royalties. Brand Profile


	- advertising slogan - b2b branding - best company names - brand architecture - brand association - brand awareness - brand building - brand communication - brand communications - brand creation - brand essence - brand evaluation - brand experience - brand extension - brand extensions - brand id - brand identification - brand image - brand management - brand marketing - brand name generator - brand name product - brand name search - brand personality - brand planning - brand position - brand positioning - brand products - brand profile - brand repositioning - brand revitalization - brand strategist - brand valuation - brand value - brand values - brand vision - branded media - branding a product - branding advertising - branding campaign - branding consultancy - branding consultant - branding consulting - branding design - branding expert - branding experts - branding firm - branding firms - branding guidelines - branding ideas - branding identity - branding logos - branding process - branding products - branding research - branding strategies - branding strategy - branding tools - brandname - brandnames - business branding - business naming - business slogan - catchy slogan - change company name - changing company name - co branding - cobranding - companies name - companies names - company logo - company logos - company name change - company name creator - company name finder - company name generator - company name ideas - company name registration - company name suggestions - company taglines - company titles - conjoint analysis - consumer market research - consumer panels - consumer research - consumer survey - cool company names - corporate identity - corporate identity design - corporate internet branding - corporate logo - corporate name change - corporate name generator - corporation name - corporation names - create a company name - create company name - creating a company name - creative company names - design branding - design company names - digital branding - drug safety - fda approval - fda regulations - find company name - food package design - global branding - global market research - global panel - global survey - good company name - good company names - great company names - healthcare market research - how to choose a company name - how to name a product - how to name your company - ideas for company names - identity branding - image branding - internal branding - international market research - internet branding - internet market research - internet panel - internet poll - internet surveys - law firm names - line extension - logo branding - logo companies - logo company - logo creation - logo design - logo designer - logo designers - logo research - market research panels - market research tools - marketing branding - marketing slogan - name a company - name company - name creation - name development - name generation - name research - names for companies - naming a business - naming a company - naming a product - naming business - naming consultants - naming products - naming service - naming services - naming software - naming standards - naming strategy - naming tools - naming your business - naming your company - new company name - new company names - online market research - package designs - pharmaceutical consultants - physician survey - product brand - product launches - qualitative research - real branding - rebrand - rebranding - register a company name - register company name - registered company names - registering company name - registering company names - research panel - research panels - slogan - slogans - strategic branding - strategic name development - survey panel - survey tool - survey tools - tagline - tagline generator - trade name search - trademark - trademark search - trademark searches - trademark searching - trademarks - unique company names - visual branding - your company name


			Austin / Chicago / Geneva / London / Los Angeles / Miami / New York / Ottawa / Raleigh Durham / Rockville / San francisco / Tokyo