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New momentum: WHO welcomes progress in tackling viral hepatitis

On World Hepatitis Day, 28 July, WHO welcomes new progress in tackling one of the world's most serious diseases. Viral hepatitis - a group of infectious diseases known as hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E - affects millions of people worldwide, causing acute and chronic liver disease and killing close to 1.4 million people every year.

23 Jul 2014

GSK begins shipment of flu vaccines to U.S. for the upcoming 2014-15 season

GSK announced today it has begun shipping FLUARIX QUADRIVALENT (Influenza Vaccine) doses to U.S. healthcare providers. This is the first shipment of GSK’s U.S. flu vaccine supply for the flu season, following licensing and lot-release approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

17 Jul 2014

Study does not find association between HPV vaccination and increased risk of blood clot

Although some data has suggested a potential association between receipt of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and subsequent venous thromboembolism (VTE; blood clot), an analysis that included more than 500,000 women who received the vaccine did not find an increased risk of VTE, according to a study in the July 9 issue of JAMA.

8 Jul 2014

Global forum calls for accelerated action to improve maternal, newborn and child health

More than 800 leaders and public health experts from around the world opened a landmark two-day meeting in Johannesburg to review new data and call for accelerated action to improve maternal, newborn and child health.

2 Jul 2014

Alexion announces that FDA grants ODD to Soliris for Myasthenia Gravis treatment

Alexion Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:ALXN) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation (ODD) to Soliris® (eculizumab) for the treatment of patients with Myasthenia Gravis (MG), a rare, debilitating neurologic disorder caused by uncontrolled complement activation.

17 Jun 2014

Delphi Genetics announces new license agreement for use of StabyExpress technology in food industry

Delphi Genetics SA has announced today a new license agreement for the use of the StabyExpress® technology in the food industry. The technology will be used for the production of enzymes for food processing.

17 Jun 2014

Text4baby benefits pregnant women

The leading mobile health service in the nation, Text4baby, was found to significantly benefit pregnant women, according to a new study led by Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University and the Madigan Army Medical Center.

10 Jun 2014

Combined MMRV vaccine slightly increases risk of febrile seizures in children

The combined measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine shows a slightly increased risk of febrile seizures in children, compared with the previously separate vaccines for MMR and varicella (chickenpox) (MMR+V), according to an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

10 Jun 2014

Flu vaccination of healthcare workers protects broader community, shows study

For every 15 healthcare providers who receive the influenza vaccination, one fewer person in the community will contract an influenza-like illness, according to a study using California public health data from 2009 - 2012.

5 Jun 2014

Immune system-boosting therapy slows recurrence of glioblastoma multiforme

A multicenter team of investigators, led by researchers from the Cedars-Sinai Department of Neurosurgery, the Cedars-Sinai Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, have found in a Phase II clinical trial that an immune system-boosting therapy slowed the recurrence of glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM, the most common and deadly malignant brain tumor.

2 Jun 2014

arGEN-X collaborates with Bayer Pharma for development of therapeutic antibodies

arGEN-X, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on creating and developing differentiated therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of cancer and severe autoimmune diseases, announced today the initiation of a collaboration with Bayer Pharma AG (Bayer), leveraging arGEN-X's SIMPLE Antibody™ technology for the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies.

28 May 2014

New project aims at saving lives of mothers, newborns in developing countries

Grand Challenges Canada, funded by the Government of Canada, today announces investments of $12 million in projects worldwide, aimed squarely at improving the health and saving the lives of mothers, newborns and children in developing countries.

22 May 2014

School-based influenza vaccine programs limited by low rates of reimbursement

School-based influenza vaccine programs have the potential to reach many children at affordable costs and with parental support, but these programs are limited by low rates of reimbursement from third-party payers, according to recently published study results by researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

21 May 2014

FDA approves Takeda's Entyvio for severe active ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc., has announced that the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) simultaneously approved a new biologic therapy, Entyvio™ (vedolizumab), for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD).

21 May 2014

CCHIT awards 2014 ONC HIT Certification to Mirth Connect version 3.0.1

Mirth, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, Inc. and a global leader in health information technology, announced today that Mirth® Connect version 3.0.1 is compliant with the ONC 2014 Edition criteria and was certified as an Electronic Health Record (EHR) Module on May 1, 2014 by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®), an ONC-ACB, in accordance with the applicable Eligible Providers (Ambulatory) certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

19 May 2014

ACP, CECity and Pfizer announce new initiative designed to increase adult immunization rates

The American College of Physicians (ACP), CECity, and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) today announced a new initiative designed to increase adult immunization rates by assisting physicians and other health care providers in strongly recommending appropriate vaccination and tracking adult immunization rates for quality measurement and improvement.

15 May 2014

DaVita wins 2014 Immunization Excellence Awards in "Healthcare Personnel Campaign" category

DaVita Kidney Care, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. (NYSE: DVA) and a leading provider of kidney care services, was recognized at the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS) as the national winner in the "Healthcare Personnel Campaign" category of the 2014 Immunization Excellence Awards.

14 May 2014

Pfizer reports positive results from rLP2086 Phase 2 study for invasive meningococcal disease

Pfizer Inc. announced today the results from two Phase 2 studies of bivalent rLP2086, Pfizer's recombinant vaccine candidate, currently under development for the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B in 10 to 25 year olds.

12 May 2014

Rates of infant immunization with pertussis-containing vaccine do not increase with epidemic

Conventional wisdom holds that when the risk of catching a disease is high, people are more likely to get vaccinated to protect themselves.

6 May 2014

FDA approves Alexion’s Soliris drug for treatment of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Company's supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) providing regular approval for Soliris® (eculizumab) for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) to inhibit complement-mediated thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA).