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Anticoagulant drug bivalirudin shows mixed results in MATRIX trial

Patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing angioplasty who received the anticoagulant drug bivalirudin did not show significant improvements in either of two co-primary endpoints--a composite of rate of death, heart attack or stroke at 30 days, or a composite of those events plus major bleeding--as compared to patients receiving standard anticoagulation therapy, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 64th Annual Scientific Session.

23 Mar 2015

MRD-directed therapy helps boost survival of young leukemia patients

Measuring the concentration of leukemia cells in patient bone marrow during the first 46 days of chemotherapy should help boost survival of young leukemia patients by better matching patients with the right intensity of chemotherapy. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators led the research, which appears in the March 20 edition of the journal Lancet Oncology.

22 Mar 2015

Eli Lilly, Innovent Biologics announce biotech drug development collaborations in China

Eli Lilly and Company and Innovent Biologics, Inc. today announced one of the largest biotech drug development collaborations in China to date between a multi-national and domestic company.

21 Mar 2015

Cosentyx (secukinumab) safe, effective for treating psoriasis patients

Novartis today announced new two-year results demonstrating sustained efficacy with Cosentyx (secukinumab) with an acceptable safety profile for the treatment of psoriasis patients. The data comes from the extension study of the pivotal Phase III FIXTURE and ERASURE trials.

21 Mar 2015

Shp2 enzyme blocks protection program, boosts tumor growth

Cells have two different programs to safeguard them from getting out of control and developing cancer. One of them is senescence (biological aging). It puts cancer cells into a permanent sleep so they no longer divide and grow in an uncontrolled way.

20 Mar 2015

New anti-clotting therapy no better than established anticoagulants

A novel therapy that would allow doctors to turn the body's blood-clotting ability off and on in a more controlled way was about as effective as established anticoagulants in patients undergoing angioplasty but was associated with higher rates of moderate to severe bleeding, according to an analysis of data from a terminated Phase III trial presented at the American College of Cardiology's 64th Annual Scientific Session.

20 Mar 2015

Promising new treatment for hereditary breast/ovarian cancer

European scientists recently discovered a novel therapy to treat a subgroup of patients with hereditary breast/ovarian cancer. Both the EU and the US have approved an accelerated procedure to market this promising new treatment with few side effects.

20 Mar 2015

New triple combination therapy shows promise in controlling advanced melanoma

Results of a new study by UCLA researchers has found that a groundbreaking new triple combination therapy shows promising signs of more effectively controlling advanced melanoma than previous BRAF + MEK inhibitor or BRAF inhibitor + immunotherapy combos alone, and with increased immune response and fewer side effects.

20 Mar 2015

MRI more accurate, safe and less painful than liver biopsy in measuring total body iron balance

Investigators at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles have demonstrated that MR imaging of the liver is more accurate than liver biopsy in determining total body iron balance in patients with sickle cell disease and other disorders requiring blood transfusion therapy.

20 Mar 2015

Scientists discover how ALL cells mutate to survive chemotherapy

By genomic sequencing of leukemia cells from relapsed patients at different stages, scientists have discovered key details of how acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells mutate to survive chemotherapy. These mutations enable the cells to proliferate, causing relapse and often death.

20 Mar 2015

Researchers find way to enhance effects of immunotherapy in glioblastoma

When cancer strikes, it may be possible for patients to fight back with their own defenses, using a strategy known as immunotherapy. According to a new study published in Nature, researchers have found a way to enhance the effects of this therapeutic approach in glioblastoma, a deadly type of brain cancer, and possibly improve patient outcomes.

20 Mar 2015

UZH researchers map spinal cord neurons involved in 'Gate Control Theory' of pain

Sensing pain is extremely unpleasant and sometimes hard to bear - and pain can even become chronic. The perception of pain varies a lot depending on the context in which it is experienced. 50 years ago, neurobiologist Patrick Wall and psychologist Ronald Melzack formulated the so-called "Gate Control Theory" of pain.

20 Mar 2015

Golden Jubilee National Hospital's Seven Day Service makes positive impact on patient outcomes

A pioneering Seven Day Service implemented by the Golden Jubilee National Hospital’s Rehabilitation Department has celebrated its one year anniversary of making a positive impact on patient outcomes.

20 Mar 2015

Targeted drug doubles progression free survival in Hodgkin lymphoma

A phase 3 trial of brentuximab vedotin (BV), the first new drug for Hodgkin lymphoma in over 30 years, shows that adults with hard-to-treat Hodgkin lymphoma given BV immediately after stem cell transplant survived without the disease progressing for twice as long as those given placebo (43 months vs 24 months).

19 Mar 2015

Vitamin D plays major role in preventing diabetes and atherosclerosis

In recent years, a deficiency of vitamin D has been linked to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, two illnesses that commonly occur together and are the most common cause of illness and death in Western countries. Both disorders are rooted in chronic inflammation, which leads to insulin resistance and the buildup of artery-clogging plaque.

19 Mar 2015

Neurology Times features special coverage of MS in observance of MS Awareness Month

UBM Medica US announces that Neurology Times, a leading online community and information resource for neurologists and other healthcare providers, is featuring special coverage of multiple sclerosis in observance of MS Awareness Month.

19 Mar 2015

New pre-clinical, clinical data for IMBRUVICA to be highlighted at AACR Annual Meeting

Pharmacyclics, Inc. today announced that new pre-clinical and clinical data for ibrutinib (IMBRUVICA) will be highlighted at the 2015 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting to be held April 18 – 22, 2015, in Philadelphia, PA.

19 Mar 2015

LDLT effective for treating patients suffering from acute liver failure

When patients develop acute liver failure, severe complications arise rapidly after the first signs of liver disease, and patients' health can deteriorate rapidly. New research published in the American Journal of Transplantation indicates that emergency evaluations of living liver donors can be conducted safely to allow acute liver failure patients to undergo transplantation before their condition worsens.

19 Mar 2015

ImmunoCellular, PharmaCell sign manufacturing agreement for European production of ICT-107

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. today announced the establishment of an agreement with PharmaCell B.V. to provide contract manufacturing services for the European production of ICT-107, a dendritic cell-based cancer immunotherapy in development as a potential treatment for glioblastoma (GBM).

19 Mar 2015

New diagnostic method replaces surgery for bowel tumor assessment

A new study at the MedUni Vienna's Comprehensive Cancer Center is assessing patients with metastasised bowel cancer to determine whether it is possible to characterise tumour and better control resistance mechanisms with a blood test. The aim of this is to spare patients the stress of having tissue removed via biopsies and to make the targeted use of therapy easier.

19 Mar 2015