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ESHRE workshop highlights problems related to MAR treatment in Europe

European patients are in many countries, in fact, limited in their individual choice of medically assisted reproduction (MAR) treatment, experts from the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) stressed today at the European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG).

6 Oct 2010

IVF pioneer wins Nobel prize three decades after groundbreaking work

Yesterday's announcement that a pioneer of in vitro fertilization (IVF) for humans has won the Nobel prize for medicine three decades after his groundbreaking work adds new historical perspective to advancements in reproductive medicine, a sharp reminder of how a once-feared technology has transformed into a highly popular and routine treatment for infertility, said one of Southern California's earliest fertility doctors.

6 Oct 2010

Study on potential advantages and disadvantages of medical tourism

Medical tourism is to go under the microscope in a major new study, led by an academic from the University of York, which aims to assess its potential advantages and disadvantages.

6 Oct 2010

Merck Serono to present Erbitux data at ESMO Congress

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany announces today that it will be presenting new data from several studies of Erbitux (cetuximab) in a range of solid tumor types including the first Phase II data in breast and prostate cancers. These data will be presented at the forthcoming 35th European Society for Medical Oncology Congress (ESMO) in Milan, October 8-12, 2010.

5 Oct 2010

Merck to appeal against jury verdict in retrial of federal FOSAMAX case

Merck & Co., Inc. today said it will appeal a decision by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that reduced the jury verdict from $8 million to $1.5 million but denied Merck's request for judgment in its favor or a new trial in the case of Boles v. Merck, a retrial of a federal FOSAMAX case.

5 Oct 2010

Father of IVF acknowledged with a Nobel prize

Professor Robert Edwards who came to be known as the “father of In Vitro fertilization” (IVF) has won this year's Nobel prize in medicine. He is 85 and has won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for his pioneering work on the in vitro fertilisation of human eggs that led to the birth of the world's first IVF baby, Louise Brown, in 1978. When he had started off initially his funding request for IVF research was turned down by Britain’s Medical Research Council (MRC) in the 1970s. His co-worker the gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe, died in 1988. Professor Edwards becomes the sole recipient of this award since it cannot be awarded posthumously.

4 Oct 2010

Merck's boceprevir Phase III studies for HCV to be presented at 61st AASLD

Merck today announced that final results from two pivotal Phase III studies of boceprevir, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, will be presented in oral plenary sessions at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), which is taking place from Oct. 29 through Nov. 2 in Boston. Results for boceprevir in response-guided therapy strategies, which evaluated treatment durations shorter than current standard therapy, will be presented during the meeting.

4 Oct 2010

FDA grants Type B meeting to review Phase III pivotal efficacy protocols for Androxal

Repros Therapeutics Inc. today announced that the Company has been granted a Type B meeting to be held on November 8, 2010 with the Division of Reproductive and Urologic Products to review the Company's Phase III pivotal efficacy protocols for Androxal in the treatment of secondary hypogonadism. Androxal is an oral drug that normalizes both testosterone and sperm levels.

30 Sep 2010

Federal appeals court rules NIH can continue to fund stem cell research

The Wall Street Journal: "A federal appeals court said Tuesday the Obama administration can continue to fund embryonic stem-cell research, reversing for the time being a trial judge's injunction barring the funding. The one-page order by a three-judge panel of the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the administration met the legal standard for a stay of the injunction, but didn't discuss the case in detail.

30 Sep 2010

Some IVF techniques leading to more bundles in blue: Study

According to a new study by Australian researchers some infertility treatments may influence the sex of a baby to such an extent that increased uptake could upset the gender balance later. The study shows that a type of IVF treatment increases the chance of having a boy to as much as 56.1 per cent, while another treatment cuts it to 48.7 per cent.

29 Sep 2010

New program offers options for fertility preservation in children with cancer

It is estimated that 1 in 500 children will be diagnosed with a form of childhood cancer. Fortunately, with the use of aggressive treatment modalities, more than 75% of these children will be cured. Therefore, many of these children and parents are looking beyond the cancer at important quality of life issues and guiding their treatments to assure "normal" post-cancer survivorship.

29 Sep 2010

Intrauterine devices for treatment of endometrial cancer

Intrauterine devices, originally developed as contraceptives, can also be used to treat and cure cancer of the endometrium according to new research published online in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology today (Wednesday 29 September). The finding opens the way for young women with the disease, which affects the lining of the womb, to be treated without the need for a hysterectomy, thus preserving their fertility until they have had all the children they want.

29 Sep 2010

The AFA to acknowledge use of media in family building, infertility

The American Fertility Association, a 501 (c)(3) national non-profit organization, will recognize the media's role in family building and infertility. Illuminations - an event celebrating the accomplishments of individuals and organizations who have made a positive impact in the fields of reproductive health, family building and fertility - is coming to New York City.

22 Sep 2010

PRC offers 'IVF Second Chances' program to fertility patients

Fertility patients who don't get pregnant on their first try at in vitro fertilization (IVF) will get a second chance for free at Pacific Reproductive Center (PRC), under a new program the fertility clinic announced today.

22 Sep 2010

HHS urged not to cover contraception or sterilization in health plans

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should not require coverage of contraception or sterilization in group and individual health plans as part of "preventive" services for women, said representatives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) as HHS continued its deliberations on a final list of required preventive services under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

21 Sep 2010

HRA Pharma, Watson enter licensing agreement for ulipristal acetate emergency contraceptive commercialization

HRA Pharma, a privately-held, European pharmaceutical company that develops healthcare solutions in reproductive health and endocrinology and makes them available worldwide, and Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that they have entered into a licensing agreement for the commercialization of HRA Pharma's next generation emergency contraceptive ulipristal acetate in Canada.

18 Sep 2010

FDA decides to review information on Avastin for advanced HER2-negative breast cancer

Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, today announced that information submitted by the company to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during the review of the supplemental Biologics License Applications (sBLAs) for Avastin (bevacizumab) for previously untreated (first-line) advanced HER2-negative breast cancer has been deemed a major amendment.

18 Sep 2010

Researchers decode key DNA in evolution of aging, development and fertility

UC Irvine researchers have deciphered how lowly fruit flies bred to rapidly develop and reproduce actually evolve over time. The findings, reported in the Sept. 15 online issue of Nature, contradict the long-held belief that sexual beings evolve the same way simpler organisms do and could fundamentally alter the direction of genetic research for new pharmaceuticals and other products.

17 Sep 2010

IVF on the rise in Australia: Report

According to a Federal Government report there are now more births via In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment than ever before in Australia. There has been a 45% rise in the number of babies born through IVF and other treatments between 2004-08, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report released today. In 2008 there were 10,509 babies born through fertility treatments in Australia.

16 Sep 2010