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.

CSL Biotherapies initiates clinical trials of Influenza A/H1N1 2009 vaccine in the US

CSL Biotherapies has announced the initiation of the company’s first U.S. clinical trials of its candidate Influenza A/H1N1 2009 vaccine. Study investigators will administer vaccinations to the first U.S. study volunteers today, August 24. The studies will determine the safety of CSL’s candidate vaccine and its ability to elicit an immune response (also referred to as immunogenicity) in adults and children.

24 Aug 2009

National campaign to educate people with developmental disabilities about protection from germs

The Tech-Aid Institute, http://www.techaidinstitute.com, is launching a national campaign to educate people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities about how to protect themselves from germs that include the 2009 flu pandemic that is commonly known as the Swine (H1N1) Flu.

24 Aug 2009

'Explosion' of H1N1 cases likely, WHO Says

In the coming months, countries should prepare for an "explosion" in new cases of H1N1 (swine) flu until peak transmission of the virus is reached, WHO Western Pacific Director Shin Young-soo told a symposium of health officials gathered in Beijing Friday, the Associated Press reports.

23 Aug 2009

Adamas Pharmaceuticals forges agreement with U.S. Naval Health Research Center for evaluating triple combination antiviral drug

Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held company, announced today that it has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the United States Naval Health Research Center for preclinical studies evaluating Adamas' triple combination antiviral drug (TCAD) therapy for influenza A, including novel influenza A/H1N1. TCAD therapy includes Adamas' investigational proprietary fixed-dose oral combination drug, to be administered adjunctively with a neuraminidase inhibitor, including Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate, Roche).

22 Aug 2009

UnitedHealth Group to follow the CDC’s guidance on administration of the swine flu vaccine

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) announced today that the company will cover the administration of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine for its members whose health benefit plans cover immunizations, and also cover the administration of the vaccine for members whose plans currently do not include immunizations and do not plan to in the future.

21 Aug 2009

Medicago and Ajanta Pharma forge MoU to commercialize seasonal influenza VLP-based vaccines in India

Medicago Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and affordable vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with Ajanta Pharma Limited ("Ajanta") to discuss and negotiate an agreement to commercialize Medicago's pandemic and seasonal influenza VLP-based vaccines in India and other territories.

21 Aug 2009

Influenza A H1N1 Real Time RT-PCR tests detect RNA of H1N1 influenza virus

Focus Diagnostics, the infectious disease diagnostics business of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, today announced that its Influenza A H1N1 (2009) Real Time RT-PCR test is now available as a test kit for use by "high complexity" clinical laboratories in the U.S.

21 Aug 2009

WHO says confirmed H1N1 deaths worldwide reach 1,800

According to the latest WHO report out Wednesday, the number of confirmed H1N1 (swine) flu deaths since its emergence in April has reached 1,799 - a jump from 1,462 deaths since the agency's last update, Agence France-Presse/the Australian reports.

20 Aug 2009

Inovio Biomedical records $2.9 million revenues in the six months ended June 30, 2009

Inovio Biomedical Corporation (NYSE AMEX: INO) (“Inovio”) today reported financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009. Total revenue of $2.5 million and $2.9 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, compared to $663,000 and $1.3 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2008, respectively.

20 Aug 2009

Newly joined Vice President to provide leadership for IAVI's fundraising strategy

Dianne Stewart, former head of Board and Donor relations at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, has joined the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) as Vice President of Resource Development. In her role at IAVI, Ms. Stewart will provide leadership for the organization’s fundraising strategy focused on both the public and private sectors.

20 Aug 2009

U.S. Food and Drug Administration launches new Center for Tobacco Products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today launched its new Center for Tobacco Products in an historic effort to curb the hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by those products each year.

19 Aug 2009

H1N1 vaccine orders top 1 billion, WHO Says

"Northern hemisphere countries have so far ordered more than one billion doses of swine flu vaccine, the World Health Organisation said Tuesday, sparking warnings over shortages," Agence France-Presse reports. While some countries, including Greece, The Netherlands, Canada and Israel, have ordered enough vaccine to inoculate their citizens, "[o]thers, such as Germany, the United States, Britain and France, have put in orders that would cover between 30 and 78 percent of people," the news service writes.

19 Aug 2009

Common-sense precautions for H1N1

Doctors and hospitals nationwide expect a surge in H1N1 influenza cases during the upcoming flu season. In a new video and the tips below, Yvonne Maldonado, MD, chief of infectious disease at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, explains what every parent should know about H1N1 flu as children head back to school.

19 Aug 2009

Sinovac Biotech announces positive results from clinical trial of H1N1 vaccine

Sinovac Biotech Ltd. announced today positive top-line results from the completed clinical trial for its internally-developed H1N1 vaccine. The clinical data unblinding conference was held in Beijing on the afternoon of August 17, 2009. Notably, Sinovac is the first company worldwide to complete clinical trials for the H1N1 vaccine.

19 Aug 2009

Novavax reports positive preclinical results for H1N1 influenza VLP vaccine

Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) announced positive preclinical results with Novavax's 2009 novel H1N1 influenza virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine. The study, conducted by scientists from Novavax and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) based in Atlanta, GA, under a collaborative agreement, represents the first efficacy report of a 2009 novel H1N1 vaccine in ferrets. The ferret model is widely accepted to be the most appropriate animal model for evaluating influenza disease and vaccines. Novavax scientists designed the vaccine using recombinant virus like particles (VLP) technology against an H1N1 virus strain (A/California/04/2009) isolated in the beginning of the 2009 H1N1 outbreak.

19 Aug 2009

Hard to Treat Diseases' swine flu clinical trials in progress

Hard to Treat Diseases (HTDS.PK) Mellow Hope, an operating subsidiary of HTDS, is pleased to report that its clinical trial is currently being processed.

19 Aug 2009

Aethlon Medical Chairman to present at the 14th Annual Southern California Investor Conference

Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: AEMD) announced that it will present at today's 14th Annual Southern California Investor Conference being held at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach, California.

19 Aug 2009

George Rehm and David Mahoney joins Adamas' Board of Directors

Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held company, announced today that it has closed a $40 million Series D round of funding led by aeris CAPITAL AG and DAG Ventures. Earlier investors MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures and Northgate Capital also participated in the round. In conjunction with the financing, the company announced the election of George M. Rehm, Managing Partner of aeris CAPITAL AG, and David L. Mahoney, a private equity investor, to the company's Board of Directors.

19 Aug 2009

Elsevier/Lancet launch H1N1 resource centre

An H1N1 influenza channel has been added to the Elsevier Global Medical News (EGMN) wire service division of the International Medical News Group. The H1N1 channel was created to meet physicians' continuing needs to keep up-to-date with the news about the spread of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, as well as the new diagnostics, vaccines, clinical trials, and treatments for H1N1 infections.

18 Aug 2009

H1N1 pandemic: no time for complacency

Prevention of H1N1 influenza virus through vaccination must be our top priority if disease patterns in the northern hemisphere follow those in the southern hemisphere this fall, writes Paul Hébert, Editor-in-Chief of CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) in an editorial.

18 Aug 2009

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

CSL Biotherapies initiates clinical trials of Influenza A/H1N1 2009 vaccine in the US

National campaign to educate people with developmental disabilities about protection from germs

'Explosion' of H1N1 cases likely, WHO Says

Adamas Pharmaceuticals forges agreement with U.S. Naval Health Research Center for evaluating triple combination antiviral drug

UnitedHealth Group to follow the CDC’s guidance on administration of the swine flu vaccine

Medicago and Ajanta Pharma forge MoU to commercialize seasonal influenza VLP-based vaccines in India

Influenza A H1N1 Real Time RT-PCR tests detect RNA of H1N1 influenza virus

WHO says confirmed H1N1 deaths worldwide reach 1,800

Inovio Biomedical records $2.9 million revenues in the six months ended June 30, 2009

Newly joined Vice President to provide leadership for IAVI's fundraising strategy

U.S. Food and Drug Administration launches new Center for Tobacco Products

H1N1 vaccine orders top 1 billion, WHO Says

Common-sense precautions for H1N1

Sinovac Biotech announces positive results from clinical trial of H1N1 vaccine

Novavax reports positive preclinical results for H1N1 influenza VLP vaccine

Hard to Treat Diseases' swine flu clinical trials in progress

Aethlon Medical Chairman to present at the 14th Annual Southern California Investor Conference

George Rehm and David Mahoney joins Adamas' Board of Directors

Elsevier/Lancet launch H1N1 resource centre

H1N1 pandemic: no time for complacency

Best practices - optimize qPCR processes for pathogen detection eBook

The Critical Role of Sample Storage in Drug Discovery and Development

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

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