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Columbia requests FDA Priority Review for PROCHIEVE progesterone gel NDA

Columbia Laboratories, Inc., and Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that Columbia has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for PROCHIEVE® (progesterone gel) for the reduction of risk of preterm birth in women with short uterine cervical length in the mid-trimester of pregnancy.

27 Apr 2011

Viewpoints: Shortsighted fight against fund to prevent disease; strengthening regulators' control of premium increases

House Republicans are so bent on blocking any and all aspects of health care reform that they have passed a bill that would eliminate a farsighted program — the Prevention and Public Health Fund — intended to help states and communities prevent diseases. Eliminating the fund would save roughly $16 billion over the course of a decade. … The loss to states and local communities would be considerable.

27 Apr 2011

Lilly and Medtronic’s joint venture in Parkinson’s disease therapy

Lilly has already developed a protein called GDNF (glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor) known to preserve the function of neurons and Medtronic will provide a system that carries the medicine to a key area of the brain.

From Medtronic 26 Apr 2011

Hair transplant robot gets FDA nod

The United States regulator, Food and Drugs Administrator (FDA) has approved a machine called the Artas System for commercial use. According to manufacturers Restoration Robotics, Artas is “an interactive, computer assisted system utilizing image-guided robotics to enhance the quality of hair follicle harvesting” by combining “several features including an interactive, image-guided robotic arm, special imaging technologies, small dermal punches and a computer interface.” Artas can be used only on patients with straight brown or black hair at this stage.

26 Apr 2011

FDA rules e-cigarettes as tobacco products and plans regulations

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled that electronic cigarettes should be considered tobacco products. E-cigarettes are small plastic or metal devices that heat a liquid nicotine solution, creating a vapor that is then inhaled. They are marketed as a way to help smokers quit by addressing their addiction and the behavioral aspects of smoking.

26 Apr 2011

FDA supports new Hepatitis C drug from Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Vertex pharmaceuticals jumped 10 percent in value on the Nasdaq after U.S. regulators FDA said the company’s experimental hepatitis C drug cures more patients than current therapies.

26 Apr 2011

Diabetes and prediabetes are on the rise: New medication in research trials

As the newest statistics from the CDC show, diabetes is an ever increasing problem for Americans. Almost 26 million adults in this country now have diabetes, an increase of 9% since 2008. Ninety to 95% of cases are type 2 diabetes, marked by a gradual inability of the body’s cells to respond to insulin, and eventually an inability to produce enough insulin. In addition, almost 79 million people in this country have prediabetes. The CDC has warned that if diabetes continues on its current course, it could affect a third of all adult Americans by 2050.

26 Apr 2011

New study sheds light on evolution of 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus in Japan

Analysis of mutations of the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus by researchers at the RIKEN Omics Science Center (OSC) has revealed major genetic differences between the virus in its early phase of infection in Japan and in its peak phase. While yielding valuable clues on the genetic origins of drug resistance, the findings also pave the way toward the development of new diagnostic kits for detecting and preventing the spread of global pandemic diseases.

26 Apr 2011

New malaria initiative

According to the UN chief envoy for malaria a $5 billion campaign has saved several hundred thousand lives in recent years, keeping international efforts on track to virtually end deaths from the mosquito-borne disease by 2015. The UN reveals that about 780,000 people, mostly babies and toddlers in sub-Saharan Africa, now die from malaria annually, down from nearly 1 million in 2008.

26 Apr 2011

Newer birth control pill raises risk of blood clots

Two human trials in the US and the UK including women from both populations showed that women taking newer forms of oral contraceptives, which include drosperinone, a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone, increased their risk of developing a blood clots by two or three times over those taking older birth control pills that rely on a different form of the hormone known as levonorgestrel.

26 Apr 2011

New angle in cause of tuberculosis discovered - scientists hopeful for new therapy

In a new study published Monday, researchers from the US have isolated the enzyme that allows tuberculosis to destroy lung tissue. This discovery could speed the search for treatments.

26 Apr 2011

Common painkillers decrease effectiveness of antidepressants: Study

According to a latest study, antidepressants like Prozac and Aspirin do not mix. Researchers found that painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen appear to decrease the effectiveness of a popular class of antidepressants that includes Prozac, Paxil, Lexapro and Zoloft and Celexa.

26 Apr 2011

Humana declares quarterly cash dividend, anticipates first quarter diluted EPS of $1.86

Humana Inc. announced today that it has realigned its business segments to more closely reflect the company's evolving business model. Effective immediately, the company will be managing and reporting its operating results using the following segments: Retail, Employer Group, and Health and Well-Being Services.

26 Apr 2011

BioControl Medical initiates INOVATE-HF study of CardioFit system

BioControl Medical, a medical technology company that develops and markets advanced implantable devices for the treatment of autonomic disorders, has announced first patient enrollment in the INOVATE-HF (INcrease Of VAgal TonE in Heart Failure) clinical study at Northwest Texas Heart Hospital, Amarillo, Texas, by study investigator Suresh Neelagaru, M.D.

26 Apr 2011

PolyMedix defensin-mimetic antibiotic compounds show antimicrobial efficacy against anthrax

PolyMedix, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutic drugs to treat patients with acute infectious diseases and cardiovascular disorders, announced today that several of its defensin-mimetic antibiotic compounds have shown antimicrobial efficacy in an animal model against the bacteria that causes anthrax.

26 Apr 2011

New nano-systems capable of binding heparin as effectively as protamine

New nano-systems developed in York may eventually help patients recover from surgery without the danger of allergic reactions to drugs.

26 Apr 2011

Active Healthy Kids Canada releases 2011 Report Card on physical activity for children, youth

School's out, do you know what your kids are doing? You may want to think again if you believe they are being physically active.

26 Apr 2011

Anti-inflammatory drugs reduce effectiveness of widely used antidepressant medications

Scientists at the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research at The Rockefeller University, led by Paul Greengard, Ph.D., and Jennifer Warner-Schmidt, Ph.D., have shown that anti-inflammatory drugs, which include ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen, reduce the effectiveness of the most widely used class of antidepressant medications, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, taken for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorders.

26 Apr 2011

Experts to present research on vascular biology and disease at ATVB meetings

Nearly 1,200 experts in cardiovascular medicine, vascular biology, endocrinology, hematology and other disciplines are expected to attend the American Heart Association's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 2011 Scientific Sessions, April 28-30, in Chicago, Ill.

26 Apr 2011

Ohio State Roundtable to discuss about cancer drug development

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute and Friends of Cancer Research are convening a high-level group of stakeholders to discuss current obstacles halting co-development of two or more experimental drugs for the treatment of cancer.

26 Apr 2011