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Scientists identify new metabolic pathway for breast cancer

Agios Pharmaceuticals, the leading biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel drugs in the rapidly emerging field of cancer metabolism, announced today a publication in the journal Nature that identifies dysregulated activity of the serine pathway as a novel metabolic target in certain breast cancers.

15 Jul 2011

FDA needs more oversight power to protect increasingly globalized drug supply, Pew report says

"The Food and Drug Administration needs much more power to protect the U.S. supply of drugs as more and more are made in other countries," according to a report released Tuesday by the Pew Health Group, National Journal reports.

15 Jul 2011

Camel blood can help scientists fight against cancer

Nanobodies produced from camel blood have unique properties, which can be used in future drug development. New research published in Journal of Controlled Release confirms that camel blood can help scientists in the fight against cancer.

15 Jul 2011

Seattle Genetics lymphoma drug gets FDA panel nod

Seattle Genetics Inc. has finally obtained the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) nod for a second type of blood cancer drug. The FDA advisory committee voted 10-0 on Thursday to recommend accelerated approval of the drug, under the proposed trade name Adcetris, for anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). The panel earlier unanimously approved the drug for Hodgkin's lymphoma, another type of blood cancer.

14 Jul 2011

Verastem raises $32 million to develop targeted cancer stem cell therapies

Verastem, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat breast and other cancers by targeting cancer stem cells, announced today that it has raised $32 million through a Series B financing. Proceeds from the financing will support ongoing research and development and will progress drug candidates into clinical development. The first candidate is projected to enter the clinic in 2012.

14 Jul 2011

Two new studies support use of PrEP for HIV prevention among heterosexual men and women

"Two new studies done in three African countries have shown for the first time that AIDS drugs taken daily can cut by more than half a person's chance of becoming infected with HIV through heterosexual intercourse," the Washington Post reports.

14 Jul 2011

Studies show AIDS drugs can prevent heterosexuals from acquiring HIV

Two new studies released early Wednesday show that AIDS drugs can prevent heterosexuals from acquiring HIV, adding to a growing number of new methods to slow the spread of the virus world-wide.

14 Jul 2011

Proteus receives U.S. patent for ingestible digital devices

Proteus Biomedical Inc., a pioneer in intelligent medicine, announced today that the United States Patent Office awarded U.S. Patent Number 7,978,064 to Proteus.

14 Jul 2011

Scientists discover new mechanism of drug resistance in hospital microbes

Hospitals struggle to prevent the infections that complicate treatment for cancer, joint replacement, heart surgery and other conditions. Hospital-acquired infections are often resistant to multiple antibiotics, leading to approximately 100,000 deaths and more than $30 billion in additional health care costs yearly.

14 Jul 2011

Light-switching complex could help detect signs of Alzheimer's disease

A breakthrough in sensing at Rice University could make finding signs of Alzheimer's disease nearly as simple as switching on a light.

14 Jul 2011

UW scientists determine atomic architecture of sodium channel

Scientists at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle have determined the atomic architecture of a sodium channel. The achievement opens new possibilities for molecular medicine researchers around the world in designing better drugs for pain, epilepsy, and heart rhythm disturbances.

14 Jul 2011

Treatment with estrogen dramatically lowers rates of stomach cancer in male mice

Several types of cancer, including stomach, liver and colon, are far more common in men than in women. Some scientists have theorized that differences in lifestyle, such as diet and smoking, may account for the discrepancy, but growing evidence suggests that the differences are rooted in basic biological differences between men and women.

14 Jul 2011

DARA's DB959 shows promise against type 2 diabetes

A new peroxisome proliferator activated receptor agonist currently in development, DB959, will most likely be administered orally once a day, according to a presentation made by researchers recently at the American Diabetes Association's 71st Scientific Sessions.

14 Jul 2011

Chimerix initiates CMX001 Phase 2 study for prevention of adenovirus disease following HSCT

Chimerix, Inc., a biotechnology company developing orally-available antiviral therapeutics, today announced that patient dosing has begun in the AdV HALT Trial (A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multi-site Phase 2 Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Preemptive Treatment with CMX001 for the Prevention of Adenovirus Disease Following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation [HSCT]).

14 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Prominent Republicans against IPAB; docs defend health law; medical marijuana research

The IPAB has created "immediate uncertainty at hand," says Scott & White Healthcare in central Texas, for their 12 hospitals and more than 800 physicians. Many more organizations and associations have expressed similar concerns and urged me to do what I can to repeal this ill-conceived bureaucratic board. That's why I have introduced the Health Care Bureaucrats Elimination Act, and why I'm testifying Wednesday on the other side of the Capitol to build support in the House.

14 Jul 2011

NHS justified in transferring responsibility to local governments

Public health issues will be dealt hereafter by the local government that has a duty to look after the health and wellbeing of its population and there is an obvious synergy between public health challenges such as obesity, smoking and sexually transmitted infections, and local authority services such as housing, environmental health and education.

13 Jul 2011

Dummy inhalers trick asthma patients to breathe easier: Study

A new study shows that dummy pills or placebo can act in asthma patients effectively making them think that real and fake drugs were doing the same level of good, even though the real medication actually had a much greater physical effect on their lungs. The effect was so strong that it convinced patients they were breathing much better even if they hadn't taken a real drug and hadn't actually improved much, as measured by a breathing test.

13 Jul 2011

Daily pill ‘combo’ prevents HIV transmission: New African study

According two studies in Africa, taking a daily pill containing either one or two anti-HIV drugs can reduce transmission of the virus by as much as three-quarters among heterosexual couples. This is an encouraging finding that could help focus on AIDS prevention. The results were so compelling that the larger study was halted early and the drugs given to all the participants, researchers said Wednesday.

13 Jul 2011

Chronic self-reported NSAID use associated with increased risk of adverse events in hypertensive patients with CAD

A study published in the July issue of The American Journal of Medicine, reports that among hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease, chronic self-reported use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was associated with an increased risk of adverse events during long-term follow-up. Long-term NSAID use is common for treatment of chronic pain.

13 Jul 2011

Clinical symptoms of food addiction are similar to symptoms of drug addiction

Research to be presented at the upcoming annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), the foremost society for research into all aspects of eating and drinking behavior, suggests that people can become dependent on highly palatable foods and engage in a compulsive pattern of consumption, similar to the behaviors we observe in drug addicts and those with alcoholism.

13 Jul 2011