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Australian Medical Association slams BUPA Australia

Australian Medical Association President, Dr Bill Glasson, today slammed claims by health insurer, BUPA Australia, that doctors are forcing up the cost of patient care in private hospitals by ordering the most expensive drugs and medical technology.

20 Jan 2005

Researchers attack cervical cancer

As more and more promising results of clinical trials on vaccination against human papillomaviruses are published, the more likely it becomes that an HPV vaccine will be the first licensed immunization against a sexually transmitted disease.

17 Jan 2005

How do you remember your own name?

How do you remember your own name? Is it possible ever to forget it? The memory trace, or engram, "feels" like it is stored permanently in the brain and it will never be forgotten.

16 Jan 2005

High levels of homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood, may indicate an increased risk of stroke

Observational studies measuring homocysteine concentrations in healthy individuals have found that, on average, those with high levels of homocysteine in their blood are more likely to have a stroke. But other factors that increase homocysteine concentration and stroke risk— such as smoking and socioeconomic class—may be responsible for the relationship observed in these studies, confounding the result.

13 Jan 2005

Alternative therapies and conventional medical therapies should be held to same standards

Stating that health care should strive to be both comprehensive and evidence-based, a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies calls for conventional medical treatments and complementary and alternative treatments to be held to the same standards for demonstrating clinical effectiveness.

13 Jan 2005

Steady points to need for more rigorous evaluation of complementary & alternative medicine use

In a comparison of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by adults in 1997 and 2002, researchers from Harvard Medical School found more than one in three U.S. adults (36.5 and 35.0 percent, respectively) used at least one form of CAM.

12 Jan 2005

Myriad Genetics initiates phase 3 clinical trial of Flurizan

Myriad Genetics announced today that it has initiated enrollment in a Phase 3 human clinical trial of its lead therapeutic candidate, Flurizan (MPC-7869), in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

12 Jan 2005

Campral, first new treatment for alcoholism in ten years

Forest Laboratories announced that Campral (acamprosate calcium) Delayed- Release Tablets are now available to physicians, patients and pharmacies nationwide.

12 Jan 2005

Patient education on aerosol therapy key to effective asthma control

New evidence-based guidelines for the selection of aerosol medication devices conclude that health-care providers should avoid basing device selection exclusively on device efficacy. Instead, the choice should be based on other patient-related factors.

10 Jan 2005

Modafinil may be a possible medicinal treatment for cocaine dependence

Cocaine dependence is a major public health problem affecting thousands of people around the globe. Despite years of active research there are still no approved medications for the treatment of this life-shattering addiction.

10 Jan 2005

Macular degeneration patients benefit from self-management training

A 12-hour self-management program for individuals with advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) leads to lasting improvements in mood and function, especially in depressed patients, and decreases the development of clinical depression in AMD patients over time, according to a University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Shiley Eye Center study published in the January 2005 Archives of Ophthalmology.

10 Jan 2005

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis study points to survival as key endpoint in future actimmune studies

InterMune, Inc. today announced that CHEST, the journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, published an important analysis of variables that measure clinical outcomes in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a deadly and debilitating lung disease.

10 Jan 2005

Rotary blood pump shows promise for pediatric patients

Ventricular assist devices (VADs), blood pumps used in heart failure situations, now have the potential for use in additional patient groups. Scientists and clinicians gathered at the 11th Congress of the International Society of Rotary Blood Pumps in Germany last year to discuss past lessons learned and future directions for this technology.

10 Jan 2005

Velcade (bortezomib) phase III clinical trial initiated in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma

Millennium Pharmaceuticals today announced, in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, LLC, the initiation of VISTA (Velcadeas Initial Standard Therapy in multiple myeloma: Assessment with melphalan and prednisone), a multicenter, international phase III clinical trial of Velcadein combination with melphalan and prednisone versus melphalan and prednisone in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) who are not transplant candidates.

10 Jan 2005

Seven percent of college students have used prescription stimulants for non-medical purposes

Seven percent of college students have used prescription stimulants for non-medical purposes over their lifetimes and 4 percent have used in the past year, according to a study of students at 119 four-year colleges and universities nationwide published in the January issue of the journal Addiction.

10 Jan 2005

Why the Mediterranean diet appers to protect against breast cancer

U.S. researchers have uncovered reasons why the Mediterranean diet, with its high intake of oleic acid-rich olive oil, seems to protect against breast cancer. They have also found evidence that oleic acid may have a future role in treatment. The findings are reported (Monday 10 January) in Annals of Oncology.

9 Jan 2005

Peginterferon alfa-2b produced sustained responses in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Results from a large international clinical study reported in this week's issue of The Lancet showed that peginterferon alfa-2b produced sustained responses in patients with chronic hepatitis B. The investigator-initiated study is the largest clinical trial to date with peginterferon alfa-2b therapy for chronic hepatitis B.

7 Jan 2005

DermaVir, a novel treatment for HIV/AIDS, complements and improves present drug therapies

DermaVir, a novel treatment for HIV/AIDS, offers a new option which complements and improves present drug therapies. The vaccine, applied topically to the skin, has demonstrated efficacy in boosting immune responses and controlling virus replication in chronically infected monkeys.

6 Jan 2005

European approval of Cymbalta/Xeristar for treatment of major depressive episodes

Eli Lilly and Company and Boehringer Ingelheim announced today that Cymbalta/Xeristar (duloxetine hydrochloride)(+) has been granted marketing authorization by the European Commission for the treatment of major depressive episodes.

5 Jan 2005

First LED device to receive approval for a medical claim associated with cosmetic improvement of aging and sun-damaged skin

Light BioScience announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared GentleWaves Light Emitting Diode (LED) Photomodulation System for the non-invasive treatment of periorbital (eye area) wrinkles and rhytids.

5 Jan 2005

Efficacy News and Research

Australian Medical Association slams BUPA Australia

Researchers attack cervical cancer

How do you remember your own name?

High levels of homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood, may indicate an increased risk of stroke

Alternative therapies and conventional medical therapies should be held to same standards

Steady points to need for more rigorous evaluation of complementary & alternative medicine use

Myriad Genetics initiates phase 3 clinical trial of Flurizan

Campral, first new treatment for alcoholism in ten years

Patient education on aerosol therapy key to effective asthma control

Modafinil may be a possible medicinal treatment for cocaine dependence

Macular degeneration patients benefit from self-management training

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis study points to survival as key endpoint in future actimmune studies

Rotary blood pump shows promise for pediatric patients

Velcade (bortezomib) phase III clinical trial initiated in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma

Seven percent of college students have used prescription stimulants for non-medical purposes

Why the Mediterranean diet appers to protect against breast cancer

Peginterferon alfa-2b produced sustained responses in patients with chronic hepatitis B

DermaVir, a novel treatment for HIV/AIDS, complements and improves present drug therapies

European approval of Cymbalta/Xeristar for treatment of major depressive episodes

First LED device to receive approval for a medical claim associated with cosmetic improvement of aging and sun-damaged skin

Industry Focus eBook - Cell biology (5th edition) eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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