By: Ada Seldin, Staff Editor – Emily Whitehead, a 7-year-old girl who fought off relapsing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), has captured the hearts and prayers of the masses. Her story is an inspiration to those battling any disease with a poor prognosis and particularly holds promise for the 15% of children with ALL resistant to…

By: Jessica Lee, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013 – Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue, causing inflammation of the joints and potential harm to other organs.1  It affects 0.5-1% of the adult population and is more prevalent in the seventh decade of life.1  These patients tend to…

By Ebey P. Soman – TNF-alpha inhibitors are drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis, as well as other disease states. These agents suppress the immune system and increase the risk of developing serious infections. Currently, there are five approved drugs in this category: • Adalimumab (Humira®, Abbott) • Certolizumab pegol…

By: Ebey P. Soman – The World Trade Organization (WTO) and its member nations met in Uruguay in 1994 to establish international norms for trade, economy, and development. They developed the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which provided patent protection for pharmaceutical companies to make brand name medications and market those…