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Royal Society report calls for renewed global action to slow population growth, reduce consumption

"Over-consumption in rich countries and rapid population growth in the poorest both need to be tackled to put society on a sustainable path," according to a report by an expert group convened by the Royal Society, BBC News reports.

27 Apr 2012

FDA approves Novartis’ Afinitor for treatment of renal angiomyolipomas and TSC

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Afinitor (everolimus) tablets for the treatment of adult patients with kidney tumors known as renal angiomyolipomas and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), who do not require immediate surgery.

27 Apr 2012

FDA issues Complete Response Letter to Amgen’s sBLA for XGEVA

Amgen today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Complete Response Letter for the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for XGEVA (denosumab) to treat men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) at high risk of developing bone metastases.

27 Apr 2012

Poverty linked to HIV infection among heterosexuals living in inner-city neighborhoods

In a groundbreaking study published last year, scientists reported that effective treatment with HIV medications not only restores health and prolongs life in many HIV-infected patients, but also curtails transmission to sexual partners up to ninety-seven percent. However, a new study by UCSF scientists shows that lack of basic living needs severely undercuts these advances in impoverished men.

27 Apr 2012

Consumption of resistant starch leads to positive changes in the bowel

Consumption of resistant starch leads to positive changes in the bowel and could protect against genetic damage implicated in bowel cancer.

27 Apr 2012

GSK receives FDA approval for Votrient to treat advanced soft tissue sarcoma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Votrient (pazopanib) to treat patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma who have previously received chemotherapy. Soft tissue sarcoma is a cancer that begins in the muscle, fat, fibrous tissue, and other tissues.

27 Apr 2012

Positive top-line results from Shire’s Vyvanse Phase 2 study on binge eating disorder

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced positive top-line results from a Phase 2 study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) Capsules, (CII) in adults with binge eating disorder.

27 Apr 2012

Novartis receives FDA approval for Afinitor to treat renal angiomyolipomas caused by TSC

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Afinitor (everolimus), the first drug approved specifically to treat non-cancerous kidney tumors (renal angiomyolipomas) not requiring immediate surgery in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex.

27 Apr 2012

Allergies may provide benefit by keeping away noxious environmental toxins

Yale researchers suggested Wednesday that allergies may be an outgrowth of the protective mechanism of the body to protect itself from noxious substances in the environment.

26 Apr 2012

Mad cow disease raises concern but safety nets are in place says USDA

Four sick cows ever discovered in the U.S., the one announced Tuesday being the first since 2006, and no human version of the illness linked to eating U.S. beef, is not enough to worry about. “From simply a public health issue, I put it very, very low,” Cornell University food safety expert Martin Wiedmann said of the level of concern about mad cow disease. Maintaining confidence in exports fuels the nation's monitoring of the beef supply as much as continuing safety concerns, he said.

26 Apr 2012

CytRx commences INNO-206 Phase 2 clinical trial for pancreatic cancer

CytRx Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in oncology, today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the preliminary efficacy and safety of INNO-206 in patients with advanced pancreatic ductual adenocarcinomas (PDA) who have progressed after receiving two prior therapies.

26 Apr 2012

Study of lean finely textured beef's fall from grace

The process for producing what has become known as "pink slime" actually seemed like a triumph of technology in an industry haunted by the specter of food poisoning and, at one point, even got rave reviews in the news media, according to an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News. C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

26 Apr 2012

Draft farm bill includes 'promising' fixes to U.S. food aid system

In this post in the Center for Global Development's (CDG) "Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Blog," Connie Veillette, director of CGD's rethinking U.S. foreign assistance initiative, comments on a draft farm bill released by Congress last week, which she writes "includes some promising fixes to the notoriously inefficient U.S. food aid system."

26 Apr 2012

Aid agencies appeal for additional funding to address food insecurity in African Sahel

A coalition of "aid agencies said on Monday they are facing a multi-million dollar funding shortage to deal with a food crisis in the Sahel," News24 reports.

26 Apr 2012

GOP budget focuses on cutting health law funds rather than trimming Medicare, Medicaid

House Republican lawmakers propose big spending cuts to health care, labor and foreign aid programs. Meanwhile, progress on Food and Drug Administration user fee legislation could stall over "key differences" on proposed amendments.

26 Apr 2012

Scientists identify linchpin of fat metabolism

Humans are built to hunger for fat, packing it on during times of feast and burning it during periods of famine. But when deluged by foods rich in fat and sugar, the modern waistline often far exceeds the need to store energy for lean times, and the result has been an epidemic of diabetes, heart disease and other obesity-related problems.

26 Apr 2012

Flavonoid rich berries may delay memory decline in older women

Berries are good for you, that's no secret. But can strawberries and blueberries actually keep your brain sharp in old age? A new study by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) finds that a high intake of flavonoid rich berries, such as strawberries and blueberries, over time, can delay memory decline in older women by 2.5 years.

26 Apr 2012

Study sheds new light on common food poisoning bug

BBSRC-funded researchers at Cambridge University have shed new light on a common food poisoning bug. Using real-time video microscopy, coupled with mathematical modelling, they have changed our assumptions about Salmonella and how it infects human cells.

26 Apr 2012

New 'super food' breakthrough in sports nutrition

RESEARCHERS have found that antioxidant-rich watercress, often labelled a super-food, can alleviate the natural stress put on our body by a workout.

26 Apr 2012

FDA issues complete response letter to Takeda’s NDAs for type 2 diabetes investigational therapies

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Inc. today announced that the company received a complete response letter from the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding New Drug Applications (NDAs) for alogliptin and fixed-dose combination (FDC) alogliptin and pioglitazone.

26 Apr 2012