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Invokana tablets receive FDA approval to treat adults with type 2 diabetes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Invokana (canaglifozin) tablets, used with diet and exercise, to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.

30 Mar 2013

FDA approves Teva's Quartette tablets for prevention of pregnancy

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Quartette (levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol and ethinyl estradiol) tablets for the prevention of pregnancy.

30 Mar 2013

Medivir seeks FDA approval for simeprevir

Medivir AB today announced that a new drug application has been filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seeking approval for simeprevir.

30 Mar 2013

U.N. forced to delay urgent food aid to Guinea Bissau due to lack of donor support

"The United Nations said Tuesday that it had been forced to delay desperately needed food aid to nearly 300,000 people in Guinea Bissau since it so far had received no donations to support the operation," Agence France-Presse reports.

30 Mar 2013

New research shows how metabolism and physiology are connected to diet

Sometimes you just can't resist a tiny piece of chocolate cake. Even the most health-conscious eaters find themselves indulging in junk foods from time to time. New research by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School raises the striking possibility that even small amounts of these occasional indulgences may produce significant changes in gene expression that could negatively impact physiology and health.

30 Mar 2013

Kerry announces $51M in additional humanitarian aid for Sahel region

"[T]he United States has announced an additional $51 million in humanitarian aid to the people of the Sahel -- a belt up to 1,000 kilometers wide that spans Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea -- bringing its total aid to $520 million" in FY 2012, Devex's "Pennsylvania Ave." blog reports.

30 Mar 2013

Investment in women's health important for global development

"Throughout my tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives and on the Committee on Appropriations, I have had the opportunity to help shape U.S. development assistance. And I am proud of the United States' leadership in providing support and funding for critical global health initiatives that both save lives and strengthen our position in the world," Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) writes in The Hill's "Congress Blog."

30 Mar 2013

Foreign Prison Conditions Improvement Act introduced in Senate

Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.) last week introduced the Foreign Prison Conditions Improvement Act, which "would set standards for humane conditions [in prisons globally], require the Secretary of State to report on prison conditions in at least 30 countries receiving U.S. assistance or under U.S. sanctions, engage governments in recognizing and remedying human rights abuses behind bars and open the door to foreign aid to assist in bringing improvements,"

29 Mar 2013

GF foods lack vitamins and nutrients, can be high in fat and calories

In the ever-present search to identify and address bad nutrition habits, gluten-free eating has been receiving a lot of attention. But experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) say it is not to be confused with typical weight loss procedures.

29 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Budget woes leave Democrats with painful choices; David Kessler on health hazards of antibiotics in meat; the pros and cons of not hiring smokers

USA Today: Entitlements Or Investment? Democrats Must Pick Democrats therefore face a fundamental and inescapable choice: they can support funding current consumption, especially by older Americans who are not working, or future investment, particularly in scientific research and innovation.

29 Mar 2013

Study: Diabetes drug slows down ageing process by mimicking the effects of dieting

A widely prescribed type 2 diabetes drug slows down the ageing process by mimicking the effects of dieting, according to a study published today using worms to investigate how the drug works.

29 Mar 2013

Educated parents promote healthy eating habits, prevent childhood obesity

Almost 15,000 children aged between two and nine years old took part in the study. The level of education of parents has an influence on the frequency with which their children eat foods linked to obesity. The children of parents with low and medium levels of education eat fewer vegetables and fruit and more processed products and sweet drinks.

28 Mar 2013

New screening procedure determines animal, plant, and microbial substances in foodstuffs

Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Genetics, Genetic Security Research and Consulting at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed a novel screening procedure that provides for highly sensitive, quantifiable analysis of animal, plant, and microbial substances present in foodstuffs.

28 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Calif. insurers ignore Commissioner on premiums; Rick Perry says 'broken' Medicaid can't handle expansion; Doctor says NRA let him down

While most of us face uncertainty with the rollout of healthcare reform, some insurance companies in California have been feeling their oats lately. Here's how they're responding to Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones' warnings that their latest rate increases are unreasonable: Stuff it, Dave.

28 Mar 2013

Johns Hopkins scientists identify DNA-damaging substances in food

In a laboratory study pairing food chemistry and cancer biology, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center tested the potentially harmful effect of foods and flavorings on the DNA of cells.

28 Mar 2013

FDA accepts Merck's BLA for investigational Timothy grass pollen AIT

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that the Biologics License Application for its investigational Timothy grass pollen (Phleum pratense) allergy immunotherapy tablet has been accepted for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

28 Mar 2013

Humanitarian response to Syrian conflict 'half-hearted at best'

"The massacre in Syria rages on and yet we stand idle. We must realize that, to millions of Syrians trapped in the country, the virtual absence of humanitarian relief is nearly as arbitrary and cruel as the war itself," Desmond Tutu, archbishop emeritus of Cape Town and a Nobel peace laureate, writes in The Guardian's "Comment is Free" blog.

28 Mar 2013

New report from ONE reviews agricultural development in Africa over past decade

"In a report launched [on Tuesday] -- a valuable yardstick called, 'A Growing Opportunity: Measuring Investments in African Agriculture' -- ONE reviews the past decade and finds some notable successes in terms of mustering money and political commitment, and the impact of agricultural development," Roger Thurow, senior fellow on global agriculture and food policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, writes in the group's "Global Food For Thought" blog.

28 Mar 2013

Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical Trials successfully tests cabozantinib

The FDA has approved a thyroid cancer drug successfully tested at Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical Trials, a partnership of Scottsdale Healthcare and the Translational Genomics Research Institute.

28 Mar 2013

Tecfidera gets FDA approval for adults with relapsing forms of MS

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) capsules to treat adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.

28 Mar 2013