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Fertility preservation may be unsafe for leukemia patients: Study

Although the use of ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation has lead to 13 live births in women with lymphoma or solid tumors, this method of fertility preservation may be unsafe for patients with leukemia, according to a recent study published online in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology.

16 Aug 2010

FDA approves ellaOne for emergency contraception

HRA Pharma announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval for ella(R) (ulipristal acetate) as a prescription-only emergency contraceptive indicated for use within 120 hours (five days) of unprotected intercourse or a known or suspected contraceptive failure. ella is not intended for routine use as a contraceptive.

16 Aug 2010

Repros receives US patent for Androxal

Repros Therapeutics Inc. today announced the US Patent and Trademark office has issued U.S. Patent No. 7,759,360 for Androxal, the Company's lead program for the treatment of low testosterone in men. This patent specifically claims methods and materials for the treatment of testosterone deficiency in men with secondary hypogonadism. Repros has over 35 issued or pending US and European patents involving Androxal.

11 Aug 2010

FDA approves longer Valcyte therapy for CMV disease in adult kidney transplant patients

Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved increasing the length of therapy with Valcyte (valganciclovir hydrochloride) in adult kidney transplant patients at high risk for cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease.

11 Aug 2010

Repros Therapeutics second-quarter net loss decreases to $1.3 million

Repros Therapeutics Inc. today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

10 Aug 2010

Healthy eggs require tremendous amount of zinc to reach maturity for fertilization: Research

Scientists as well as fertility doctors have long tried to figure out what makes a good egg that will produce a healthy embryo. It's a particularly critical question for fertility doctors deciding which eggs isolated from a woman will produce the best embryos and, ultimately, babies.New research reveals healthy eggs need a tremendous amount of zinc to reach maturity and be ready for fertilization,a finding that may ultimately help physicians assess the best eggs for fertility treatment, according to a study from Northwestern University.

10 Aug 2010

Repros Therapeutics receives positive feedback from FDA for Androxal

Repros Therapeutics Inc. today announced that the Company has received positive written feedback from the FDA (the "Agency") regarding the Company's drug candidate Androxal. The Agency concurred with Repros' indication statement for the use of Androxal in the treatment of secondary hypogonadism in men wishing to preserve fertility.

9 Aug 2010

Ovulating women unconsciously dress in sexier fashion products to outdo attractive rival women

Ovulating women unconsciously buy sexier clothes, says new research from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. The study finds that ovulating women unconsciously dress to impress - doing so not to impress men, but to outdo rival women during the handful of days each month when they are ovulating.

5 Aug 2010

Merck's two pivotal boceprevir Phase III registration studies for chronic HCV meet primary endpoint

Merck reported that two pivotal Phase III registration studies for boceprevir, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, have been completed and met the primary endpoints: in both studies in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection, the addition of boceprevir to treatment with PEGINTRON® and REBETOL® significantly increased the number of patients who achieved sustained virologic response, compared to control groups that received Peg/riba plus placebo.

5 Aug 2010

Bisphenol A may decrease sperm quality, concentration: Research

In one of the first human studies of its kind, researchers have found that urinary concentrations of the controversial chemical Bisphenol A, or BPA, may be related to decreased sperm quality and sperm concentration.However, the researchers are quick to point out that these results are preliminary and more study is needed. Several studies have documented adverse effects of BPA on semen in rodents, but none are known to have reported similar relationships in humans.

4 Aug 2010

Merck reports strong bottom-line performance in second quarter

Merck & Co., Inc. today announced financial results for the second quarter of 2010. The company reported non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share (EPS) for the second quarter of $0.86, which excludes purchase accounting adjustments, merger-related expenses, restructuring costs and the gain on AstraZeneca's asset option exercise. Second-quarter GAAP EPS was $0.24.

2 Aug 2010

World Congress on Fertility and Sterility to take place 12-16 September in Munich, Germany

The World Congress on Fertility and Sterility takes place every 3 years. It is the most important international congress in this fast moving field. The 20th congress will take place in Munich, Germany, from 12-16 September, 2010, just a few days before the start of the famous Oktoberfest.

30 Jul 2010

VitaPath Genetics launches VitaTrack Folate Tracker

VitaPath Genetics, the Spina Bifida Association and the National Council on Folic Acid today announced the launch of the free iPhone application—the VitaTrack Folate Tracker— which allows women to track their daily intake of folate and folic acid. Maintaining an adequate level of folic acid prior to and during pregnancy can reduce the risk of serious birth defects like Spina Bifida by up to 70%. Studies show that folic acid may also help prevent congenital heart disease, pre-term labor, and cleft lip and palate.

30 Jul 2010

Vitro Diagnostics, Mokshagundam Biotechnologies enter contract to develop stem cell-derived food

Vitro Diagnostics, Inc., dba Vitro Biopharma, announced that it has entered into a contract with Mokshagundam Biotechnologies, a private research organization established to develop alternative meat sources, to develop cell culture medium for use in exploration of alternative food sources derived from stem cells.

28 Jul 2010

Merck signs non-exclusive license agreement with LabCorp for commercialization of genetic test

Merck announced a non-exclusive license agreement with Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings for the commercialization of a genetic test that may help predict the response of patients with Hepatitis C virus infection to peginterferon alpha-based therapy.

28 Jul 2010

Highlights on reasoning behind MRC's negative decision on funding of IVF

Thirty-two years ago today, the world's first baby was born after in vitro fertilisation. However, the work that led to the birth of Louise Brown on 25 July 1978 had to be privately funded after the UK's Medical Research Council decided in 1971 against providing the Cambridge physiologist Robert Edwards and the Oldham gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe with long-term financial support. Today, an intriguing paper published in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction reveals for the first time the reasoning behind the MRC's much-criticised decision.

26 Jul 2010

Prototype ring with sensors helps to detect, prevent preterm labor

The birth of a baby is usually a joyous event, but when a child is born too early, worrisome complications can occur, including serious health problems for the baby and steep medical bills for the family. To address this, Johns Hopkins graduate students and their faculty adviser have invented a new system to pick up very early signs that a woman is going into labor too soon.

22 Jul 2010

Genentech disappointed with FDA ODAC's recommendation against Avastin

Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) voted 12 to one that use of Avastin® (bevacizumab) in combination with paclitaxel for previously untreated (first-line) advanced HER2-negative breast cancer be removed from Avastin's U.S. label.

21 Jul 2010

Univfy, Stanford scientists develop first validated prognostic test for predicting IVF live birth outcomes

Univfy, a pioneer in the development of personalized in vitro fertilization (IVF) prognostic tools, announced today the publication of new research findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by its founding scientific team and clinical collaborators from Stanford University.

20 Jul 2010

Mother’s obesity surgery may cause vitamin deficiencies in children

Biliopancreatic diversion surgery for morbid obesity is known to cause multiple vitamin deficiencies that may worsen during pregnancy. In the June issue of the Journal of AAPOS, the Official Publication of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, a group of Australian clinicians report a child who was born blind as a result of Vitamin A deficiency caused by his mother's obesity surgery.

17 Jul 2010