Respiratory News and Research

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New shuttlte program helps probe spaceflight-induced immune-system impairment

When the space shuttle Discovery lifts off on its final flight Nov. 2, its six astronauts will be joined by 16 rodent passengers on a historic mission of their own. Riding in special self-contained modules that automatically supply them with food and water, the mice will be part of a long-term NASA effort aimed at understanding why spaceflight makes humans more vulnerable to infection by viruses and bacteria.

30 Oct 2010

Merck reports $342 million net income for 2010 third quarter

Merck & Co., Inc. today announced financial results for the third quarter of 2010. The company reported non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share (EPS) for the third quarter of $0.85, which excludes purchase accounting adjustments, restructuring costs, merger-related expenses and a $950 million legal reserve.

29 Oct 2010

Coadministration of INTUNIV tablets with stimulant reduces ADHD symptoms

Shire plc the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today presented research results of once-daily INTUNIV (guanfacine) Extended-Release Tablets, coadministered with stimulants in children and adolescents diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) who had suboptimal response to treatment with a long-acting stimulant alone.

29 Oct 2010

Scientists identify potential new treatment for Nipah and Hendra viruses

Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College have identified a potential new treatment for the Nipah and Hendra viruses, two lethal and emerging viruses for which there is currently no treatment or vaccine available. The approach could also lead to new therapies for measles, mumps and the flu. The new research appears in today's edition of the prestigious journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) Pathogens.

29 Oct 2010

Calypso Medical initiates clinical study to evaluate tracking technology for lung tumors

Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc., a developer of real-time localization technology used for the precise tracking of tumors, today announced the initiation of the first clinical study to evaluate the use of the Calypso System for tracking lung cancer tumors during radiation delivery, including a new design of the Company's implantable Beacon transponder.

28 Oct 2010

Study: lncRNA are involved in host response to viral infection

Scientists have demonstrated for the first time that a certain class of RNA (known as long non-protein-coding RNA [lncRNA]) are involved in the host response to viral infection. These findings, published today in the online journal mBio-, could greatly change the way scientists look at the body's response to viral infection.

27 Oct 2010

Pharmaceutical industry pays billions in fraud settlements; Walgreen selling PBM Co.

Bloomberg: "Walgreen Co., the largest U.S. drug-store chain, is looking to sell its pharmacy-benefits management business and has hired an adviser to run an auction, said three people with knowledge of the matter. The sale of the PBM unit, which Walgreen started in 1995, may fetch $500 million to $1 billion. … Medco Health Solutions Inc., Express Scripts Inc. and CVS Caremark Corp., the three largest PBMs in the U.S., are among the companies that have expressed interest, the people said.

27 Oct 2010

Boehringer Ingelheim and MacroGenics enter global antibody-based therapeutics alliance

Boehringer Ingelheim and MacroGenics today jointly announced that they have entered into a global alliance to discover, develop and commercialize antibody-based therapeutics which may span multiple therapeutic areas, including immunology, oncology, respiratory, cardiometabolic and infectious diseases.

27 Oct 2010

Long non-protein coding RNAs respond to SARS virus infection, says study

For the first time, scientists have discovered that a poorly understood class of RNA produced in a mammal's cells during a respiratory virus attack may affect the outcome of the infection. Their findings are reported today in mBio, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

27 Oct 2010

H1N1 linked to increased rate of empyema in children

The H1N1 influenza pandemic has led to a sharp increase in the number of children with a serious "secondary" bacterial infection called empyema in children, suggests a study in the October issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

25 Oct 2010

Childhood allergies and asthma linked to development in the womb

A child's chances of developing allergies or wheezing is related to how he or she grew at vital stages in the womb, according to scientists from the University of Southampton.

25 Oct 2010

Study on H1N1 virus to be presented at IDSA annual meeting

The 2009/2010 Influenza A (H1N1) is one of several viruses responsible for respiratory-related infections. A new study from Rhode Island Hospital examined patients with viruses and found distinguishing characteristics of the H1N1 virus in how it affects respiratory illness. Their findings will be presented at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America to be held in Vancouver, Canada on Friday, Oct. 22.

25 Oct 2010

New research shows flu virus with D222G mutation can cause pneumonia

A variant of last year's pandemic influenza linked to fatal cases carried a mutation that enabled it to infect a different subset of cells lining the airway, according to new research. The study, due to be published next week in the Journal of Virology, suggests that the mutant virus could have impaired the lungs' ability to clear out germs.

25 Oct 2010

Inspire presents data on denufosol therapy for cystic fibrosis at NACFC conference

Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that data will be presented on denufosol tetrasodium, an investigational therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF), during oral and poster presentations at the 24th Annual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC) October 21-23, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland.

22 Oct 2010

Gilead announces results from Phase III clinical trial of Cayston, TIS in cystic fibrosis patients

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced that its head-to-head Phase III clinical trial of Cayston (aztreonam for inhalation solution) versus tobramycin inhalation solution (TIS) in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) achieved its co-primary endpoint of superiority of Cayston for mean actual change in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1, a measure of lung function) percent predicted across three treatment cycles (six months).

22 Oct 2010

Boston Scientific's Advanix Biliary Plastic Stents receive FDA 510(k) clearance and CE Mark approval

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and CE Mark approval to market its Advanix™ Biliary Plastic Stents for the treatment of biliary strictures, including biliary stone disease, benign biliary strictures, and suspected and confirmed malignancies in the biliary system. The product is now available in Europe and other international markets; the Company plans to launch it in the U.S. this quarter.

21 Oct 2010

SO2 emission raise health concerns

Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii's big island has been erupting on its east rift since 1983. But, in March 2008, an additional eruption vent opened at the volcano's summit, resulting in about triple the amount of sulfur dioxide gas (SO2) emissions drifting to the local community of Ka'u, raising health concerns over the risks associated with exposure to "vog," as the islanders refer to this volcanic air pollution.

21 Oct 2010

Cipla launches generic Pirfenidone for IPF

Cipla, among the world's leading generic pharmaceutical companies, has introduced Pirfenidone in India under the brand name Pirfenex, for the treatment of IPF. A chronic progressive form of lung disease, IPF has average survival rates as low as 3-5 years which is less than many cancers. Till now there is no approved treatment for IPF.

20 Oct 2010

Aradigm reports positive data from DRCFI, ARD-3150 Phase 2b bronchiectasis study

Aradigm Corporation today announced positive top line data from its recently concluded 6-month Phase 2b study (ORBIT-2) with Aradigm's once-daily dual release ciprofloxacin for inhalation (DRCFI, ARD-3150) in patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis.

20 Oct 2010

EarlySense closes additional US$7 million D financing round

EarlySense, developer of the EverOn patient supervision system for hospital and post acute care, announced today that the company has closed an additional US$7 million D financing round led by JK & B.

20 Oct 2010