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Synthetic cannabinoid could treat pain in diabetes patients

Oral synthetic cannabinoid nabilone may be effective for treating diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, a study shows.

8 Nov 2012

Patient recruitment complete for immatics IMA901 Phase 3 trial for renal cell carcinoma

immatics biotechnologies GmbH, a biopharmaceutical company developing rationally designed therapeutic vaccines that are active against cancer, announced today that it has completed patient recruitment into the pivotal phase 3 trial evaluating its lead cancer vaccine IMA901 for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The trial has completed patient inclusion and it is expected that around 345 patients will be randomized across 10 countries in the US and Europe.

8 Nov 2012

FDA grants Albireo's A4250 orphan-drug designation for treatment of PFIC and PBC

Albireo AB, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in gastroenterology, today announced that A4250 (an inhibitor of the ileal bile acid transporter, IBAT/ASBT) has been granted orphan-drug designation by the U.S Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis (PFIC) and Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC).

8 Nov 2012

International Day of Radiology marks 117th anniversary of X-ray discovery

International Day of Radiology — November 8, 2012 — marks the 117th anniversary of the discovery of the X-ray and the tremendous advances in patient care made possible by radiation therapy and medical imaging exams, such as MRI and CT scans. It is also a reminder that Congress needs to pass the Diagnostic Imaging Services Access Protection Act (H.R. 3269/ S. 2347) and halt drastic cuts in Medicare funding for imaging scans. This vital legislation would preserve ready access to lifesaving imaging care and may help reduce harm to seniors already resulting from cutbacks.

8 Nov 2012

WFP to deliver emergency aid to Cuba in response to Hurricane Sandy

"The U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP) is to deliver emergency aid to the south-east of Cuba, where Hurricane Sandy wrought widespread damage," BBC News reports. "The WFP is also appealing for $20 million (£12.5) to help some 425,000 Haitians affected by the storm," the news service writes, noting, "The WFP is planning to work with the Cuban government to distribute emergency one-month aid in Santiago de Cuba, which is home to 500,000 residents."

8 Nov 2012

African leaders must do more to ensure continent meets farming potential

"Images of starving children, epitomized in news coverage from Ethiopia in the 1980s, have given Africa a reputation for famine that does an injustice to the continent's potential," Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria and a member of the Africa Progress Panel, writes in a CNN opinion piece.

8 Nov 2012

Women more likely to develop spice allergy

Imagine a world where you could never dine away from home, wear makeup, smell of sweet perfumes or eat a large percentage of food on store shelves. According to allergists at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting that is kicking off today in Anaheim, Calif., that is the world for 2 to 3 percent of individuals living with a spice allergy.

8 Nov 2012

Carbohydrate-rich food intake may cause recurrence of colon cancer

Colon cancer survivors whose diet is heavy in complex sugars and carbohydrate-rich foods are far more likely to have a recurrence of the disease than are patients who eat a better balance of foods, a new study by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers indicates.

8 Nov 2012

Scientists develop measures to prevent health problems associated with biogenic amines in wine

Biogenic amines may be one of the factors responsible for symptoms such as headaches, gastro-intestinal disorders, shortness of breath, fall in blood pressure, and even unconsciousness and cardiac arrhythmia in severe cases. Histamine, one of the best known members of this group, can cause serious physical problems. Biogenic amines can be produced in the body by natural metabolic activities but are also ingested in larger quantities with food.

8 Nov 2012

EpiCept, Immune Pharmaceuticals enter definitive merger agreement

Immune Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a privately held Israeli company, and EpiCept Corporation today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement. The transaction is anticipated to close during the first quarter of 2013 and is subject to satisfaction of certain customary closing conditions, including the approval of a majority of EpiCept shareholders.

8 Nov 2012

U-M to study disparities in access to healthy food across Michigan

Researchers at the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment are leading a five-year, $4 million study of disparities in access to healthy food across the state.

8 Nov 2012

Calcium intake does not increase risk of coronary artery calcification

Researchers at the Institute for Aging Research (IFAR) at Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School (HMS), have published a study that shows no evidence of a link between calcium intake and coronary artery calcification, reassuring adults who take calcium supplements for bone health that the supplements do not appear to result in the development of calcification of blood vessels.

8 Nov 2012

Teva announces additional data from QNASL Phase III program on seasonal allergic rhinitis

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today that additional data from the Phase III clinical program for QNASL- (beclomethasone dipropionate) Nasal Aerosol will be presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Anaheim, CA on November 8-13, 2012.

7 Nov 2012

FDA EMDAC votes unanimously in support of Signifor use for treatment of Cushing's disease

The US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee (EMDAC) has voted unanimously in support of the use of Signifor (pasireotide) for the treatment of patients with Cushing's disease who require medical therapeutic intervention.

7 Nov 2012

Elafin protein protects against inflammatory diseases

This protection is provided by a human protein, Elafin, which is artificially introduced into dairy produce bacteria (Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus casei). In time, this discovery could be useful for individuals suffering from chronic inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.

7 Nov 2012

What will the election's outcome mean for the health law?

The stakes are high for the health law's future with the vote either sealing the measure's implementation or becoming its undoing. However, some of the changes it includes have already been internalized by the health care marketplace.

7 Nov 2012

Two-level cervical disc from LDR receives approvable letter from U.S. FDA

LDR, a privately held medical device company offering innovative spinal implants for both non-fusion and fusion applications, announced that it has received an Approvable Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Mobi-C® Cervical Disc (Mobi-C). Mobi-C is a metal and polyethylene mobile bearing prosthesis specifically designed as a low-profile cervical intervertebral disc replacement for both one and two level applications.

7 Nov 2012

Previous meningitis outbreak did not trigger additional oversight, changes

The Washington Post reports that, despite an outbreak of fungal meningitis that took place 10 years ago and was linked to injections made by a compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts, not much has changed. Meanwhile, Politico adds that a recall of drugs related to the most recent round of illness could add to a critical drug shortage.

7 Nov 2012

Positive results from Santarus and Pharming’s RUCONEST Phase III trial on HAE

Santarus, Inc. and Pharming Group NV today announced that their pivotal Phase III clinical study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the investigational drug RUCONEST (recombinant human C1 esterase inhibitor) 50 U/kg for the treatment of acute attacks of angioedema in patients with Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) met the primary endpoint of time to beginning of symptom relief.

7 Nov 2012

Failure to renew U.S. Farm Bill would be missed opportunity to help end global hunger

"The U.S. Farm Bill that was up for renewal in September in the House of Representatives could have included policies to support farmers in developing countries in their efforts to grow enough food to feed the local population," but "Congress allowed the Farm Bill to expire on Sept. 30," Ruth Messinger, president of the American Jewish World Service (AJWS), writes in the Huffington Post's "Religion" blog.

7 Nov 2012