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THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — A drug used to treat inflammatory diseases improved the conditions of patients with psoriasis that affected the scalp compared with placebo, according to results of a new study.

Amgen and Pfizer on Friday announced the results of the phase-4 study of Enbrel (etanercept), in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis with scaling on the scalp, also known as scalp involvement. Data from the trial will be presented Friday at the 69th annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in New Orleans.

AMITYVILLE, N.Y. — Hi-Tech Pharmacal subsidiary ECR Pharmaceuticals has launched a drug for treating insomnia.

ECR announced Friday the launch of Zolpimist (zolpidem tartrate) oral spray. The drug comes in units that provide 60 metered sprays, administering 5-mg or 10-mg doses of the active ingredient. As a hypnotic agent, the drug is classified as a CIV controlled substance by the federal government.

INDIANAPOLIS — Drug maker Eli Lilly and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation will fund research to find ways to regenerate insulin-producing cells in patients with Type 1 diabetes.

The two announced Thursday that ideas included finding ways to grow new insulin-producing cells within a person’s body. Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks beta cells, the cells that allow the body to produce insulin. As many as 3 million people in the United States have Type 1 diabetes.

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Merck’s vaccine for human papillomavirus is 89% effective in preventing genital warts in teenage boys and young men, according to a new study.

The phase-3 study of Gardasil (human papillomavirus quadrivalent [types 6, 11, 16 and 18] vaccine, recombinant) in boys and men ages 16 to 26 years was published in the Feb. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Human papillomavirus is the cause of genital and anal warts, and infection can increase the risk of developing cancer later in life.

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — Drug maker Valeant Pharmaceuticals International has acquired U.S. and Canadian rights to certain formulations of a GlaxoSmithKline drug used to treat cold sores.

Valeant announced Thursday that it had acquired the rights to nonophthalmic topical formulations of Zovirax (acyclovir) from GSK for $300 million through its Canadian subsidiary, Biovail Labs.

WASHINGTON — A bill that would make the biggest changes to patent laws in more than half a century has drawn mixed responses from the drug industry.

The bill, S. 23, The Patent Reform Act of 2011, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., would make the first significant changes to patent laws in 60 years.

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration declined to approve a drug made by Eisai for treating gastroesophageal reflux disease, Eisai said Tuesday.

The drug maker announced its receipt of a complete response letter from the agency for its application for rabeprazole sodium extended-release capsules, a proton-pump inhibitor for GERD. The FDA delivers a complete response letter when it has finished reviewing a regulatory approval application, but issues remain that preclude final approval of the drug.

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Eli Lilly’s and Amylin Pharmaceuticals’ Type 2 diabetes drug, Bydureon, appears to work better at promoting weight loss than drugs made by Takeda and Merck, but it could face a challenger of its own.