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FDA extends initial PDUFA date for Biogen Idec's review of ALPROLIX BLA

Biogen Idec announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has extended the initial Prescription Drug User Fee Act date for its review of the Biologics License Application (BLA) for ALPROLIX, the company's investigational long-lasting recombinant factor IX Fc fusion protein candidate for hemophilia B.

2 Dec 2013

Study: Diet low in vitamin D can cause free radical damage in brain

A new study led by University of Kentucky researchers suggests that a diet low in vitamin D causes damage to the brain.

2 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 2, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about healthcare.gov's status, the challenges that lie ahead and the concerns being expressed by consumers and insurers.

2 Dec 2013

Pharmaceutical industry in Asia to experience intensified competition

As Asia emerges as a major engine of global economic growth, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the region are expected to experience intensified competition. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, regional pharmaceutical sales are expected to hit USD386bn, reflecting an annual average growth rate of more than 13%.

2 Dec 2013

Experts suggest two ways to battle the holiday bulge

Though the Thanksgiving feast and leftovers are behind you, the holiday eating season has just begun. On average, Americans gain one or two pounds this time of year. Though that might not sound like much, the annual weight gain adds up from year to year and can lead to significant gains as time goes by.

30 Nov 2013

Garden-Gateway believes chronic sufferers can cope with holiday stress

The holidays are a time of high stress for all of us. This is especially true for the many Californians who suffer from chronic illness or disease. It's well documented that stress can aggravate a wide range of chronic ailments, both physical and psychological, such as back pain, cancer, PTSD or immune system deficiency.

30 Nov 2013

Fruit fly study shows how sex may be one of the secrets to good health and longer life

Sex may in fact be one of the secrets to good health, youth and a longer life - at least for fruit flies - suggests a new University of Michigan study that appears in the journal Science.

30 Nov 2013

ATGC, AHF to host dedication ceremony for new AIDS services facility in Cleveland

In conjunction with the 25th observation of World AIDS Day this weekend (observed each year on December 1st), AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland and AIDS Healthcare Foundation, two respected organizations that combined forces in a new partnership to improve delivery of lifesaving HIV/AIDS care and services in Ohio earlier this year, are hosting a candlelight vigil and building dedication ceremony of its new all-in-one AIDS services facility in Cleveland.

30 Nov 2013

Food safety tips for people with HIV/AIDS

December 1, 2013 is World AIDS Day and while the connection between HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) and food safety may not seem obvious, it's actually crucial.

30 Nov 2013

Poor oral hygiene, excess sugar consumption linked to heart disease

The association between poor oral health and increased risk of cardiovascular disease should make the reduction of sugars such as those contained in junk food, particularly fizzy drinks, an important health policy target, say experts writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

28 Nov 2013

Smartphone-based imaging could help physicians in remote locations to monitor patients' health

The latest episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS') award-winning Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions podcast series features an advance in smartphone-based imaging that could help physicians in resource-limited locations monitor their patients' health.

28 Nov 2013

Diabetic patients can benefit by eating single large meal than several smaller meals

For patients with diabetes, it is better to eat a single large meal than several smaller meals throughout the day. This is the result of a current dietary study at Linköping University in Sweden.

28 Nov 2013

State highlights: S.C. clinic a model for free care; Mont. doctor's push to treat mine workers sickened by asbestos; fast food consumption in Calif. kids

What began two decades ago on Hilton Head Island as a free clinic using retired physicians and volunteers to care for the working poor has become a model for dozens of similar clinics nationwide. At a time when the nation debates how to pay for care, there are now 96 Volunteers in Medicine Clinics in 29 states (Smith, 11/27).

28 Nov 2013

Intertek launches training sessions in South Africa to promote food safety

Intertek, the global testing, auditing and certification organisation, have launched a series of training sessions in South Africa to promote food safety within the country.

28 Nov 2013

Scientists identify new approach to fight malaria parasites

Using advanced methodologies that pit drug compounds against specific types of malaria parasite cells, an international team of scientists, including researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, have identified a potential new weapon and approach for attacking the parasites that cause malaria.

28 Nov 2013

KKR to acquire minority stake in Gland Pharma for about $200 million

Gland Pharma Limited, a leading Indian pure-play generic injectable pharmaceutical products company, today announced an agreement under which KKR, a leading global investment firm, will acquire a minority stake in the Company for approximately US$200 million, including KKR's acquisition of the entire stake held by Evolvence India Life Sciences Fund, an existing private equity investor in Gland Pharma.

28 Nov 2013

Probiotic drink changes reaction of cells lining nasal passages of hay fever sufferers

A study has shown that a daily probiotic drink changed how cells lining the nasal passages of hay fever sufferers reacted to a single out-of-season challenge. However, it did not lead to significant changes in hay fever symptoms, although this challenge test may not have accurately represented natural allergen exposure.

27 Nov 2013

Implantable genetic circuit serves as early warning system for high blood-fat levels

Humankind has a weight problem - and not only in the industrialised nations, either: the growing prosperity in many Asian or Latin American countries goes hand in hand with a way of life that quite literally has hefty consequences.

27 Nov 2013

More nuts, more health benefits

In a large new study, observational researchers at Harvard University looked at how eating nuts may help reduce the risk of mortality, finding that those who ate nuts daily, such as pistachios, saw health benefits nearly double.

27 Nov 2013

Graphic warnings would lead to decrease in smoking rates

A research paper published in the scientific journal Tobacco Control, "Cigarette graphic warning labels and smoking prevalence in Canada: a critical examination and reformulation of the FDA regulatory impact analysis", shows that graphic warning labels on cigarette packs led to a decrease in smoking rates in Canada of between 12% and 20% from 2000 to 2009. The authors estimate that if the same model was applied to the United States, the introduction of graphic warnings would potentially lead to a decrease of between 5.3 and 8.6 million smokers.

27 Nov 2013