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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).

6 May 2014

Research provides definitive evidence of safety of Tdap immunization during pregnancy

A preliminary study finds that receipt of the tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine in the third trimester of pregnancy did not increase the risk of adverse events for the mother or infant, according to a study in the May 7 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child health.

5 May 2014

Sinovac Biotech commits to commercialize Sabin Inactivated Polio Vaccine in China

Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China that focuses on the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of vaccines, announced today that it has entered into a license agreement with Intravacc (Institute for Translational Vaccinology) from The Netherlands to develop and commercialize the Sabin Inactivated Polio Vaccine (sIPV) for distribution to China and other countries.

28 Apr 2014

Alexion Pharmaceuticals obtains orphan drug designation from EC for Soliris

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the European Commission has granted an orphan drug designation (ODD) to Soliris (eculizumab), a first-in-class terminal complement inhibitor, for the prevention of graft rejection following solid organ transplantation. Graft rejection can cause severe injury to the transplanted organ and is a significant barrier to successful transplantation.

23 Apr 2014

Pfizer reports positive results from two tofacitinib Phase 3 trials for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis

Pfizer Inc. announced today top-line results from two pivotal Phase 3 trials from the Oral treatment Psoriasis Trials (OPT) Program, OPT Pivotal #1 (A3921078) and OPT Pivotal #2 (A3921079), evaluating the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib, an oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, the first in a new class of medicines being investigated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

23 Apr 2014

Doctors must consider factors when administering combination vaccines, say researchers

One of the most popular vaccine brands for children may not be the most cost-effective choice. And doctors may be overlooking some cost factors when choosing vaccines, driving the market toward what is actually a more expensive option, according to a new study by University of Illinois researchers.

22 Apr 2014

FDA grants Orphan Drug Designation to Emergent BioSolutions' BioThrax for PEP of anthrax disease

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Orphan Drug Designation to BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) of anthrax disease resulting from suspected or confirmed exposure to Bacillus anthracis.

21 Apr 2014

Evidence-based interventions provide promising strategies for reducing racial, ethnic health disparities

Evidence-based interventions at the local and national levels provide promising strategies for reducing racial and ethnic health disparities related to HIV infection rates, immunization coverage, motor vehicle injuries and deaths, and smoking, according to a new report by the CDC's Office of Minority Health and Health Equity.

21 Apr 2014

Pitt CVR and Sanofi Pasteur join forces to help assess effectiveness of dengue vaccine

The University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research (CVR) and Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, have entered a scientific collaboration to help assess the effectiveness of a dengue vaccine once introduced for immunization programs.

16 Apr 2014

Study: Immunization program in UK has reduced HPV infections in young women

Each year around 2,000-2,500 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in England, the most common cancer in women under 35. Infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HR HPV) types 16 and 18 is responsible for around 70-80% of cervical cancers.

15 Apr 2014

Criterions EHR certified under Drummond Group's ONC-ACB program

Criterions EHR version 3.0 has been tested and certified under the Drummond Group's Electronic Health Records Office of the National Coordinator Authorized Certification Body program. This EHR software is compliant in accordance with the criteria adopted by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

11 Apr 2014