Pandemic News and Research

RSS

A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

Adamas Pharmaceuticals presents study results of TCAD therapy in immunocompromised influenza A patients

Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held company, announced today the results from the first clinical study evaluating triple combination antiviral drug (TCAD) therapy for the treatment of influenza A in immunocompromised patients. Data from this Phase 1b study were presented by clinical investigator Dr. Janet Englund in a clinical symposium at the 23rd International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR) in San Francisco.

29 Apr 2010

Seasonal flu shots: Are they responsible for the adverse reactions? Investigations on

After the seasonal flu vaccines caused over 250 cases of fever, vomiting and convulsions and one reported death in under-fives there has been intense investigations to detect the cause. Further vaccinations were stopped last Friday.

28 Apr 2010

BiondVax announces successful conclusion of second Phase I/II trial of Multimeric-001 Universal Flu Vaccine

BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd., an Israeli biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of global efforts towards the development of a Universal Influenza Vaccine, announced the successful conclusion of the Company's second Phase I/II clinical trial of the Multimeric-001 Universal Influenza Vaccine.

28 Apr 2010

Tamiflu and two other drugs used to treat influenza appear safe for pregnant women and babies: Study

Tamiflu and two other drugs used to treat influenza appear safe for pregnant women and their babies, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in a retrospective study of 239 cases of women who received the medications during pregnancy.

28 Apr 2010

1976 "swine flu" vaccine protects against 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus

New evidence shows immunization against "swine flu" in 1976 might provide individuals with some protection against the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus, according to new research from St. Jude investigators.

24 Apr 2010

Children need to be immunized against 14 vaccine-preventable diseases: Secretary of Health

Pennsylvania parents are strongly urged to protect their children by making certain they are fully immunized against preventable diseases, Secretary of Health Everette James said today to mark the start of National Infant Immunization Week, April 24-May 1.

24 Apr 2010

April marks an important time to call attention to issues of child abuse intervention and prevention

Throughout the month of April (National Child Abuse Prevention Month), National Children's Alliance and its thousands of members and supporters across the country are bringing much needed attention to the issues of child abuse intervention and prevention. Child abuse is a national tragedy and a silent killer.

24 Apr 2010

News outlets examine H1N1's impact on U.S. vaccine development plans, Mexico's handling of outbreak

"A year after the emergence of swine flu [H1N1], U.S. health authorities and laboratories say the pandemic illustrated the need for new vaccine production techniques that are faster and more reliable," Agence France-Presse writes in an article that examines the challenges associated with current vaccine development practices and plans for future development.

24 Apr 2010

Plant-based vaccine factory to produce vaccines and therapeutics within weeks of outbreaks

The Fraunhofer Center for Molecular Biotechnology in Newark, Delaware, the Fraunhofer Center for Manufacturing Innovation in Boston, Massachusetts, the Boston University College of Engineering, and the biopharmaceutical company iBio, Inc. in Newark, Delaware, announced today that they have developed a fully automated, scalable "factory" that uses natural (non-genetically-modified) green plants to efficiently produce large quantities of vaccines and therapeutics within weeks.

23 Apr 2010

Mystic Pharmaceuticals granted U.S. patent covering VRx2 drug delivery platform technology

Mystic Pharmaceuticals today announced it has been granted U.S. Patent 7,669,597, a key technology of its VRx2™ drug delivery platform. The VRx2™ Delivery Platform provides preservative free, precision dose delivery for ophthalmic and intranasal drugs and biologics.

22 Apr 2010

Baxter International's global sales for first-quarter advances by 11% to $3.1 billion

Baxter International Inc. today reported first quarter net income of $525 million, an increase of 2 percent from $516 million reported in the first quarter of 2009. Earnings per diluted share of $0.86 increased 4 percent from $0.83 per diluted share reported in the prior-year period. Baxter's first quarter financial results included a one-time, non-cash special charge of $39 million (or $0.07 per diluted share) related to a change in the tax treatment of post-retirement prescription drug benefits under recent U.S. healthcare reform legislation.

From Baxter International Inc. 22 Apr 2010

Swine flu vaccine blues

Exactly a year after the swine flu outbreak vigilance, newer vaccine techniques and other measures are being emphasized by researchers and key decision makers. Dr. Harvey Fineberg, chairman of the World Health Organization's pandemic review committee and President of the U.S. Institute of Medicine says, we need to look at the past to learn from it.

22 Apr 2010

AFP reflects on WHO's response to H1N1

Agence France-Presse examines the WHO's response to H1N1 (swine flu) one year since the virus was first reported in Mexico and the U.S. "A year on, questions linger as to whether a decision by the World Health Organization to declare swine flu a pandemic, thereby unleashing the slew of health measures, was over-dramatic or even tainted by commercial interests," the news service writes.

22 Apr 2010

No more needles for vaccines – a two minute Nanopatch may suffice, say researchers

Vaccines have been associated with painful injections for a very long time. In a new and important discovery researchers have developed special ‘nano patches’ that can deliver vaccines without needles in just two minutes using 100 times less dose than used conventionally.

22 Apr 2010

Test shows efficacy of avian antibodies against H5N1 and H1N1 influenza in mice

Scientists have discovered for the first time that antibodies in common eggs laid by hens vaccinated against the H5N1 virus can potentially prevent a possible H5N1 pandemic, raising the possibility that the same principle could be applied to the current H1N1 influenza pandemic.

21 Apr 2010

Pregnant women face increased risk of death from H1N1; early antiviral treatment associated with fewer complications

Pregnant women had a disproportionately higher risk of death due to 2009 influenza A(H1N1) in the U.S., and early antiviral treatment appeared to be associated with fewer admissions to an ICU and fewer deaths, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA.

21 Apr 2010

NanoBio to develop intranasal vaccine for HBV

NanoBio® Corporation today announced an initiative to develop an intranasal vaccine for the treatment of hepatitis B (HBV). NanoBio and the University of Michigan's, Michigan Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and Biological Sciences received funding through a Phase 1 Technology Transfer (STTR) award by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to evaluate a potential therapeutic intranasal vaccine for the treatment of hepatitis B in patients.

20 Apr 2010

Avian flu's endurance in 5 countries poses global threat to human health, FAO official says

Though the world has made "great strides" in eliminating H5N1 (avian flu) from poultry since the "peak of its outbreak in 2006" in 63 countries, the virus persists in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Indonesia and Vietnam, VOA News reports (DeCapua, 4/16).

20 Apr 2010

UDH to participate in Abbott's new PLEX-ID BPEP

Abbott today announced that the Utah Department of Health is one of five sites in the United States to participate in Abbott's new PLEX-ID Biopreparedness Evaluation Program, which involves Abbott, the Association of Public Health Laboratories and five state public health labs.

16 Apr 2010

First meeting of WHO H1N1 response probe concludes

The first meeting of external experts tasked with reviewing the WHO's handling of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus came to a close Wednesday, with health leaders maintaining it was still too early to declare the pandemic over, Agence France-Presse reports.

16 Apr 2010

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Adamas Pharmaceuticals presents study results of TCAD therapy in immunocompromised influenza A patients

Seasonal flu shots: Are they responsible for the adverse reactions? Investigations on

BiondVax announces successful conclusion of second Phase I/II trial of Multimeric-001 Universal Flu Vaccine

Tamiflu and two other drugs used to treat influenza appear safe for pregnant women and babies: Study

1976 "swine flu" vaccine protects against 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus

Children need to be immunized against 14 vaccine-preventable diseases: Secretary of Health

April marks an important time to call attention to issues of child abuse intervention and prevention

News outlets examine H1N1's impact on U.S. vaccine development plans, Mexico's handling of outbreak

Plant-based vaccine factory to produce vaccines and therapeutics within weeks of outbreaks

Mystic Pharmaceuticals granted U.S. patent covering VRx2 drug delivery platform technology

Baxter International's global sales for first-quarter advances by 11% to $3.1 billion

Swine flu vaccine blues

AFP reflects on WHO's response to H1N1

No more needles for vaccines – a two minute Nanopatch may suffice, say researchers

Test shows efficacy of avian antibodies against H5N1 and H1N1 influenza in mice

Pregnant women face increased risk of death from H1N1; early antiviral treatment associated with fewer complications

NanoBio to develop intranasal vaccine for HBV

Avian flu's endurance in 5 countries poses global threat to human health, FAO official says

UDH to participate in Abbott's new PLEX-ID BPEP

First meeting of WHO H1N1 response probe concludes

Best practices - optimize qPCR processes for pathogen detection eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Latest News