French biotech firm NicOx has submitted a new drug application (NDA) to the US regulatory authority for its anti-inflammatory drug naproxcinod. The naproxcinod drug is developed for the treatment of osteoarthritis. The marketing approval of the drug could deal a blow to sales of the Pfizer medicine Celebrex. The company also plans to submit a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for naproxcinod to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Glenmark Generics Limited has received ANDA approval from the FDA for Alcometasone Dipropionate Ointment, 0.05%. Alcometasone Dipropionate ointment is a low to medium potency corticosteroid indicated for the relief of the inflammatory and manifestations of corticosteroid- responsive dermatoses. The company will commence marketing and distribution of this product in the US market immediately.

A recent study published in International Immunopharmacology reveals Pycnogenol® (pic-noj-en-all), an antioxidant plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, inhibits the generation of COX-2 and 5-LOX, two naturally occurring enzymes associated with a host of inflammatory conditions. By shutting down the production of these enzymes involved with inflammation, Pycnogenol can actually decrease pain and reduce inflammatory conditions.

According to a study conducted by researchers from University of California, the Burnham Institute for Medical Research and the University of Copenhagen Hospital, anti-inflammatory drugs that are already in the market for the treatment of arthritis are also effective in treating a chemotherapy-resistant form of lymphoma. The research focused on a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma called diffuse large B-cell lymphoma discovered that anti-inflammatory drugs, etanercept and infliximab, used for arthritis shrank lymphoma tumors in mice.