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Mallinckrodt receives FDA approval for 32 mg tablet strength of EXALGO

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified Mallinckrodt, the pharmaceuticals business of Covidien, that it has approved a 32 mg tablet strength of EXALGO (hydromorphone HCI) Extended-Release Tablets (CII) for opioid-tolerant patients with moderate-to-severe chronic pain requiring continuous around-the-clock opioid analgesia for an extended period of time.

27 Aug 2012

Lunch boxes and school eating areas are hotspots for bacteria

Canadian moms earn top marks when it comes to good hygiene practices, but a new study by Lysol and the Global Hygiene Council reveals they could do more to safeguard against bacteria hotspots in schools, especially at lunch time.

27 Aug 2012

FDA approves Mallinckrodt's EXALGO (32 mg) sNDA to manage opioid-related pain

Zalicus Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops novel treatments for patients suffering from pain and immuno-inflammatory diseases, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the supplemental new drug application (sNDA) filed by Mallinckrodt Inc., a subsidiary of Covidien plc, for the 32 mg dose strength of EXALGO (hydromorphone HCl) Extended-Release Tablets (CII), for the management of moderate to severe pain in opioid-tolerant patients requiring continuous, around-the-clock opioid analgesia for an extended period of time.

27 Aug 2012

Regulating microbes could help prevent diseases associated with obesity

Vaccines and antibiotics may someday join caloric restriction or bariatric surgery as a way to regulate weight gain, according to a new study focused on the interactions between diet, the bacteria that live in the bowel, and the immune system.

27 Aug 2012

Healthy intake of micronutrients may boost sperm DNA quality in older men

A new study led by scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) found that a healthy intake of micronutrients is strongly associated with improved sperm DNA quality in older men.

27 Aug 2012

Genzyme receives Refuse to File letter from FDA for LEMTRADA

Genzyme, a Sanofi company, announced it has received a Refuse to File letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for the approval of LEMTRADA (alemtuzumab) as a treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis.

27 Aug 2012

WFP podcast examines implications of rising food prices on global hunger

In this episode of the World Food Programme's (WFP) Food Factor Podcast, WFP Deputy Director of Food Security Analysis Arif Husain examines "what the third food-price shock in five years means for the fight against hunger."

27 Aug 2012

Detect-to-Protect project to measure performance of new sensors for biological agents

The idea that disease and infection might be used as weapons is truly dreadful, but there is plenty of evidence showing that biological weapons have been around since ancient times. Bioterrorism, as it is dubbed, is nothing new, and although medicines have made the world a safer place against a myriad of old scourges both natural and manmade, it still remains all too easy today to uncork a nasty cloud of germs.

27 Aug 2012

Drought, food security fears boost small-scale irrigation use in South Asia, Africa, study finds

"Farmers in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly taking up small-scale irrigation schemes as drought threatens the security of food supplies, a report by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) said," Reuters reports.

26 Aug 2012

Food-export restrictions undermine goal of food security

"Although food prices remain below their February 2011 peak, and the situation has not yet reached international crisis proportions, the recent spike is cause for serious concern," Robert Hormats, U.S. under-secretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment, writes in this Foreign Policy opinion piece.

24 Aug 2012

Concern over tattoo-related infections

More care should be taken to prevent infections associated with tattooing, suggest researchers who describe a series of tattoo-related Mycobacterium chelonae infections in the USA.

24 Aug 2012

Guidelines for parents to beat back-to-school bugs

School bells are beginning to sound again across the country, so it will only be a matter of time until every parent comes face-to-face with a child who wakes up with a cold, fever or upset stomach.

24 Aug 2012

McGill University experts to present at World Cancer Congress

The following list includes some of the McGill University experts who will be attending or presenting at the World Cancer Congress (WCC), the largest gathering of international leaders in the field of cancer, taking place in Montreal from August 27 to 30, 2012.

24 Aug 2012

Viewpoints: Cantaloupes and food safety; Diversity in health incentives

People don't ordinarily think of cantaloupes as killers, but over the last two summers 32 Americans have died after eating contaminated pieces of the popular fruit. ... Government is hyper-vigilant about terror attacks and problem airliners, which is good, but not so much about food - at least if you judge by the time it's taking the Obama administration to release new rules intended to prevent exactly the sort of food-borne outbreaks cantaloupes have caused.

24 Aug 2012

IRIN examines efforts of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to end country's dependence on food aid

Noting the death of Ethiopia's prime minister on Monday, IRIN "looks at his legacy in promoting food self-sufficiency and fighting rural poverty in a country historically associated with drought and environmental stress," writing, "During his two decades in power, Meles Zenawi committed himself to ending Ethiopia's dependence on food aid."

24 Aug 2012

Bristol-Myers Squibb terminates BMS-986094 Phase II development for treatment of hepatitis C

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company announced today that the Company has discontinued development of BMS-986094 (formerly known as INX-189), a nucleotide polymerase (NS5B) inhibitor that was in Phase II development for the treatment of hepatitis C.

24 Aug 2012

FDA approves Watson’s ANDA for lidocaine topical patch 5%

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc., has received final approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for lidocaine topical patch 5%, the generic equivalent to Endo's Lidoderm.

24 Aug 2012

Food insecure HIV-infected poor people more likely to visit ERs

UCSF researchers found that poor HIV-infected individuals living in San Francisco are significantly more likely to visit emergency rooms and to have hospital stays if they lack access to food of sufficient quality and quantity for a healthy life.

23 Aug 2012

A father's obesity negatively impacts sperm

Australian scientists studying the impact obesity has on pregnancy, are urging men to get 'match fit' before conceiving to assist with fetal development.

23 Aug 2012

U.N. calls on countries to develop national drought, climate policies

"The world urgently needs to adopt drought-management policies as farmers from Africa to India struggle with lack of rainfall and the United States endures the worst drought it has experienced in decades, top officials with the U.N. weather agency said Tuesday," the Associated Press reports.

23 Aug 2012