Shingles News and Research

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Shingles (herpes zoster) is an outbreak of rash or blisters on the skin that is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox — the varicella-zoster virus. The first sign of shingles is often burning or tingling pain, or sometimes numbness or itch, in one particular location on only one side of the body.

Roundup: Mass. officials wrestle with municipal health care issues

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick says he and legislative leaders are in fundamental agreement over what should be included in a municipal health care bill, even while there remains disagreement on the specifics. The House approved a measure last week that would largely strip public employee unions of collective bargaining rights over health care benefits. The Senate is expected to act in the coming weeks.

4 May 2011

Merck first quarter sales increase 1% to $11.6 billion for 2011

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2011.

30 Apr 2011

Researchers discover new compound to fight against shingles

Researchers at the University of Georgia and Yale University have discovered a compound with the potential to be more effective than existing agents in treating the very painful blisters known as shingles-a condition that affects up to 30 percent of Americans, mostly elderly, and for which no specific treatment exists.

22 Apr 2011

African genital herpes strains are more infectious than the U.S. virus

Strains of genital herpes in Africa are far more virulent than those in the United States, researchers at Harvard Medical School report, a striking insight into a common disease with important implications for preventing HIV transmission in a region staggered by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

15 Apr 2011

Positive top-line data from Inhibitex INX-189 Phase 1b trial against HCV

Inhibitex, Inc. today reported positive top-line safety and antiviral data from its multiple ascending dose Phase 1b clinical trial of INX-189, an oral nucleotide polymerase inhibitor being developed to treat chronic infections caused by hepatitis C virus.

31 Mar 2011

Mary Ann Liebert to launch new 'Shingles and PHN' open access journal

Shingles and PHN, a new, bimonthly open access peer-reviewed journal, will be launched in fall 2011 by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

30 Mar 2011

Merck & Co receives FDA approval for Zostavax vaccine to treat shingles

The Food and Drug Administration today approved the use of Zostavax, a live attenuated virus vaccine, for the prevention of shingles in individuals 50 to 59 years of age. Zostavax is already approved for use in individuals 60 years of age and older.

25 Mar 2011

Inhibitex fourth quarter net loss increases to $7.0 million

Inhibitex, Inc. today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2010, and provided an update on recent clinical and corporate developments.

11 Mar 2011

Alliqua completes transdermal pain patch initial in vitro study for treatment of PHN

Alliqua, Inc., an advanced biomedical products company focused on the development and manufacturing of proprietary drug delivery and liver health technologies, announced today the successful completion of its initial in vitro permeation study for its transdermal pain patch project.

8 Mar 2011

CPCHE launches multi-year project to promote healthier home energy retrofits

Home energy retrofits tackle climate change and when done right they should make homes healthier, while aiding families struggling with utility bills.

6 Mar 2011

FDA approves Matrix Labs generic Neurontin ANDA

Mylan Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Matrix Laboratories Limited has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Gabapentin Capsules USP, 100 mg, 300 mg and 400 mg, the generic version of Pfizer's Neurontin® Capsules used to treat a painful complication of shingles.

28 Feb 2011

Aestus commences ATx08-001 phase 2 trial to evaluate efficacy of novel pain therapeutic

Aestus Therapeutics, Inc., announced today that it has initiated screening of patients for a clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of its novel pain therapeutic, ATx08-001. This placebo-controlled, two-dose level study will test the efficacy of ATx08-001 in reducing the pain following an outbreak of shingles.

23 Feb 2011

FDA grants Inhibitex Fast Track Designation for INX-189 in treatment of chronic hepatitis C viral infection

Inhibitex, Inc. today reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") has designated the investigation of INX-08189, a potent guanosine nucleotide polymerase inhibitor for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C viral infection, as a Fast Track development program.

11 Feb 2011

Positive results from EpiCept NP-1 Phase IIb trial in patients with CPN

EpiCept Corporation today announced positive results from a Phase IIb trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of EpiCept NP-1 in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. EpiCept NP-1 is a topical analgesic cream containing two FDA-approved drugs, amitriptyline and ketamine, in development for the relief of pain from various peripheral neuropathies.

7 Feb 2011

Merck reports GAAP net income of $861 million for 2010

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2010. The company reported non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share (EPS) for the fourth quarter of $0.88, which excludes purchase accounting adjustments, restructuring costs and merger-related expenses.

4 Feb 2011

Study finds recurrences of shingles prevalent in the immunocompetent population

For decades, medical wisdom about shingles has been that it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The commonly-held belief is that patients are protected from a recurrence of the herpes zoster virus, which causes shingles, after one episode. But according to a study published in the February issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, recurrences of shingles may be significantly more common than doctors have suspected.

2 Feb 2011

FDA approves GRALISE Tablets for treatment of PHN

Depomed, Inc. today announced that US FDA has approved GRALISE (gabapentin) Tablets for once-daily treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia, which is pain following healing of the rash associated with shingles.

29 Jan 2011

Alliqua completes transdermal pain patch initial study for treatment of PHN

Alliqua, an advanced biomedical products company focused on the development and manufacturing of proprietary drug delivery and liver health technologies, announced today the successful completion of its initial study for the transdermal pain patch project.

20 Jan 2011

Few opt for vaccine to prevent painful shingles, NPR reports

[T]he fact is only about 10% of the 50 million people who should get the vaccine actually have. … The vaccine is expensive — $160 a shot, plus an administration fee.

18 Jan 2011

Herpes zoster vaccine reduces risk of developing shingles by 55%

Receiving the herpes zoster vaccine was associated with a 55 percent reduced risk of developing shingles, according to a Kaiser Permanente study of 300,000 people that appears in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

12 Jan 2011