Pandemic News and Research

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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.

TCAD therapy superior to double combinations and monotherapy against influenza viruses

Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held company, announced today results from in vivo animal studies and in vitro tests demonstrating that its triple combination antiviral drug (TCAD) therapy is superior relative to double combinations and monotherapy against multiple strains of pandemic and avian influenza viruses. Results of these studies were presented Sunday evening in an oral session at the XII International Symposium on Respiratory Viral Infections being held in Taipei.

15 Mar 2010

Children with chronic illness more likely to develop H1N1 influenza: Study

As critical care professionals develop a better understanding of the progression of H1N1, they are becoming better prepared to treat children with severe cases, according to a new study that will be published in the March issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (PCCM).

12 Mar 2010

PhRMA spends $6.3 million lobbying in fourth quarter, slight increase from year before

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America spent $6.3 million lobbying Congress and other government arms on health care in the fourth quarter of 2009, The Associated Press reports. PhRMA "spent just 2 percent more than the $6.17 million it paid out for lobbying in the year-ago period.

12 Mar 2010

Baxter International, DVC present Phase III clinical efficacy data for PREFLUCEL

Baxter International Inc., in conjunction with DynPort Vaccine Company LLC, a CSC Company, today presented Phase III study data measuring the clinical efficacy for PREFLUCEL, a trivalent seasonal influenza candidate vaccine. PREFLUCEL is made using Baxter’s Vero cell culture platform and does not contain an adjuvant or preservatives. The data were presented at the International Congress on Infectious Disease (ICID) in Miami, Florida.

From Baxter International Inc. 12 Mar 2010

British government, HIV/AIDS advocates warn decreased aid budgets could lead to reversals in HIV/AIDS treatment progress

Recent gains in the global fight against HIV/AIDS could be reversed as the "global economic downturn pinches poor countries' budgets and donors show signs of backing away from their promise to provide universal access to AIDS treatment," the British government together with Medecins Sans Frontieres warned Tuesday, Reuters AlertNet reports.

11 Mar 2010

UNAIDS director cautions against funding cuts to Global Fund

During an appeal to government and private donors to pledge money to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Monday, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe warned of the repercussions tightening budgets could play in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, the Associated Press reports.

10 Mar 2010

Selective immunization of children may help reduce community transmission of influenza

Immunizing children and adolescents with inactivated influenza vaccine resulted in reduced rates of influenza in their community compared to a similar community in which children did not receive the vaccine, suggesting that vaccinating children may help prevent transmission of the virus and offer protection for unimmunized community residents, according to a study in the March 10 issue of JAMA.

10 Mar 2010

Celltrion develops novel human monoclonal antibodies against influenza virus infection

Celltrion, Inc., a South Korean biopharmaceutical company, has developed novel human monoclonal antibodies against influenza virus infection, which neutralize a broad spectrum of influenza viruses, including pandemic H1N1 and the deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus. Preliminary tests in laboratory animals indicate that the novel human monoclonal antibodies can be used to prevent disease when given either before or after infection.

10 Mar 2010

Chicago Female Condom Campaign: Educating women about HIV/AIDS and FC2 Female Condom

The Female Health Company is supporting the launch of a social marketing campaign in Chicago that will educate women about HIV/AIDS and boost awareness, availability, and access to the FC2 Female Condom®, the only FDA approved woman-initiated HIV prevention method currently available.

9 Mar 2010

Obesity - Body's effort to protect organs from lipids' toxic effects

The collection of symptoms that is the metabolic syndrome-insulin resistance, high cholesterol, fatty liver, and a greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke-are all related to obesity, but, according to a review in the March 9th issue of the Cell Press publication Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism, not in the way you probably think they are.

9 Mar 2010

NOVAVAX' Stage B 2009 H1N1 VLP pandemic influenza vaccine study in Mexico: Enrollment complete

Novavax, Inc. announced today that the enrollment of over 3,500 subjects in Mexico has been completed in Stage B of its pivotal 2009 H1N1 virus-like-particle (VLP) pandemic influenza vaccine study. With the 1,000 subjects already enrolled in Stage A of the trial, the enrollment in this pivotal trial is now complete with over 4,500 subjects.

8 Mar 2010

Vaxart raises $12.5M to advance Phase I clinical trials on Avian flu vaccine

Vaxart, Inc., a San Francisco biotechnology company developing oral-delivery vaccines, has closed a $12.5 million Series B financing, led by Care Capital of Princeton NJ. The funding will be used to advance the Company's lead product, an oral vaccine for Avian influenza, through Phase I clinical trials.

4 Mar 2010

FDA issues final guidance to help develop safe and effective cell-based viral vaccines

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued final guidance to help manufacturers who are developing safe and effective cell-based viral vaccines to address emerging and pandemic threats.

3 Mar 2010

Ichor, Profectus announce agreement for clinical development of DNA vaccine programs

Ichor Medical Systems (Ichor) and Profectus Biosciences (Profectus) announced today that they have entered into a long-term development, license, and supply Agreement providing Profectus with commercial access to Ichor’s TriGrid™ Delivery System (TriGrid™) for the clinical development of its DNA vaccine programs, with an option for Ichor to co-develop.

3 Mar 2010

Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Netherlands Vaccine Institute launch AmpVacs project to develop influenza A vaccine

Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, and the Netherlands Vaccine Institute announce today the launch of their joint AmpVacs project aiming at the development of a broadly protective synthetic influenza A vaccine component that in combination with classical antibody-stimulating vaccines will induce protection against future influenza A threats.

2 Mar 2010

Intercell AG's revenues for full year 2009 increase 10.6%

Today, the biotech-vaccine company Intercell AG announced its financial results for Q4 and the preliminary results for the full financial year 2009, and presented an update on the Company's development programs.

2 Mar 2010

Inovio Biomedical's SynCon preventive DNA vaccine receives approval in Korea for Phase I clinical trial

Inovio Biomedical Corporation, a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today that its affiliate VGX International Inc. has received approval in Korea to begin a Phase I clinical trial in healthy volunteers for Inovio’s SynCon™ preventive DNA vaccine (VGX-3400) targeting H5N1 avian influenza.

2 Mar 2010

Most strains of pandemic H1N1 flu virus resist Tamiflu, say scientists

If the behavior of the seasonal form of the H1N1 influenza virus is any indication, scientists say that chances are good that most strains of the pandemic H1N1 flu virus will become resistant to Tamiflu, the main drug stockpiled for use against it.

2 Mar 2010

McGill University and RI MUHC secure $300,000 CIHR grant to develop VLP vaccines

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) have awarded a $300,000 grant for research focusing on the nature of the immune response induced by the action mechanisms of plant-made Virus-Like Particles (VLP) to Dr. Louis Vezina, Chief Scientific Officer of Medicago and to Dr. Brian Ward and Dr. Ciriaco Piccirillo of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) and McGill University.

1 Mar 2010

Widespread cases of flu plunge from 49 to zero

Normally, this is the peak period for the flu in the United States. But that just doesn't seem to be the case this year.

27 Feb 2010

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

TCAD therapy superior to double combinations and monotherapy against influenza viruses

Children with chronic illness more likely to develop H1N1 influenza: Study

PhRMA spends $6.3 million lobbying in fourth quarter, slight increase from year before

Baxter International, DVC present Phase III clinical efficacy data for PREFLUCEL

British government, HIV/AIDS advocates warn decreased aid budgets could lead to reversals in HIV/AIDS treatment progress

UNAIDS director cautions against funding cuts to Global Fund

Selective immunization of children may help reduce community transmission of influenza

Celltrion develops novel human monoclonal antibodies against influenza virus infection

Chicago Female Condom Campaign: Educating women about HIV/AIDS and FC2 Female Condom

Obesity - Body's effort to protect organs from lipids' toxic effects

NOVAVAX' Stage B 2009 H1N1 VLP pandemic influenza vaccine study in Mexico: Enrollment complete

Vaxart raises $12.5M to advance Phase I clinical trials on Avian flu vaccine

FDA issues final guidance to help develop safe and effective cell-based viral vaccines

Ichor, Profectus announce agreement for clinical development of DNA vaccine programs

Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Netherlands Vaccine Institute launch AmpVacs project to develop influenza A vaccine

Intercell AG's revenues for full year 2009 increase 10.6%

Inovio Biomedical's SynCon preventive DNA vaccine receives approval in Korea for Phase I clinical trial

Most strains of pandemic H1N1 flu virus resist Tamiflu, say scientists

McGill University and RI MUHC secure $300,000 CIHR grant to develop VLP vaccines

Widespread cases of flu plunge from 49 to zero

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

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