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Yissum introduces novel technology for manufacturing an anti-malaria drug in tobacco

Combating malaria is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals described in the United Nations Millennium Declaration signed by all UN members at the year 2000. A key intervention to control malaria is prompt and effective treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies.

19 Dec 2011

FDA nod for pediatric Berlin heart

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Berlin Heart for pediatric patients waiting for heart transplants. The ventricular assist device is similar to the one worn by former Vice President Dick Cheney but scaled down in size for children and babies.

19 Dec 2011

India's cabinet passes food security bill

"India's cabinet agreed on Sunday to tackle widespread malnutrition with food subsidies for two-thirds of the country's 1.2 billion population, a move that may shore up support for the government but carries risks for the faltering economy," Reuters reports.

19 Dec 2011

Phase I clinical study of Selexys SelG1 for sickle cell disease completed

Selexys Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has completed a Phase I clinical study of its lead compound SelG1, an antibody specific for the pro-inflammatory cell adhesion molecule P-selectin.

19 Dec 2011

U.N. asks for $447M in humanitarian aid for Yemen

The U.N. on Sunday released its Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2012, asking for $447 million in humanitarian assistance targeted toward four million vulnerable people in the country, Reuters reports (Fuchs, 12/18).

19 Dec 2011

Exactech commences clinical trial to evaluate new cartilage repair technology

Exactech, Inc., a developer and producer of bone and joint restoration products for hip, knee, shoulder, spine and biologic materials announced today it has initiated a prospective, randomized, multi-center, clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a new cartilage repair technology.

19 Dec 2011

Affordable artemisinin using tobacco plants

19 Dec 2011

Alkermes commences ALKS 9070 phase 3 clinical trial for schizophrenia

Alkermes plc today announced the initiation of a phase 3 clinical trial of ALKS 9070 for the treatment of schizophrenia. ALKS 9070, a proprietary Alkermes molecule, is designed to provide patients with once-monthly dosing of a medication that, once in the body, converts into aripiprazole, a molecule that is commercially available under the name ABILIFY for the treatment of a number of central nervous system disorders.

19 Dec 2011

Diseases of the Colon & Rectum publishes results from Pacira's EXPAREL Phase 3 trial

Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the publication of data from a placebo-controlled, pivotal Phase 3 trial of EXPAREL (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension), a non-opioid local analgesic that was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for administration into the surgical site to produce postsurgical analgesia.

19 Dec 2011

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to expand coverage of MNT

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has prepared a request to submit to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand coverage of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for specific diseases, including hypertension, obesity, and cancer, as part of the CMS National Coverage Determination (NCD) Process.

19 Dec 2011

Baxter receives FDA approval for ADVATE to prevent hemophilia A

Baxter International Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ADVATE [Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant) Plasma/Albumin Free Method] for routine prophylaxis to prevent or reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes in patients with hemophilia A.

From Baxter International Inc. 17 Dec 2011

NewYork-Presbyterian/Westchester named 'Planetree Designated Patient-Centered Hospital'

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's Westchester Division has been formally named by Planetree Inc. as a "Planetree Designated Patient-Centered Hospital" in recognition of the Hospital's achievement and innovation in the delivery of patient-centered care.

17 Dec 2011

Scientists devise a way to reduce side effects of lung cancer therapy

Scientists may have a way to double the efficacy and reduce the side effects of radiation therapy.

17 Dec 2011

Berlin Heart receives FDA approval for EXCOR Pediatric System

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a medical device that supports the weakened heart of children with heart failure to help keep them alive until a donor for a heart transplant can be found.

17 Dec 2011

Research reveals role of government funding in pharmaceutical R&D

Research conducted by Columbia Business School Professor Frank Lichtenberg, Courtney C. Brown Professor of Business, Finance and Economics, Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management Program, and Bhaven Sampat, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University, identifies the respective contributions of direct and indirect government support in research and development of new pharmaceutical drugs.

16 Dec 2011

Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges to develop new diagnostics for tropical diseases

Grand Challenges Canada and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have teamed up on an unprecedented global effort to discover and develop affordable, easy-to-use tools to help developing country health workers rapidly diagnose diseases in rural communities. The expected result: more timely and appropriate treatment of illnesses in poor countries, potentially saving countless lives.

16 Dec 2011

Study unveils mechanisms behind neurological effects of penitrem A

The mould fungus Penicillium crustosum occurs relatively frequently in food and animal fodder stored in temperate conditions. This mould produces powerful neurotoxins, for example penitrem A, which causes symptoms that are difficult to distinguish from those of other neurological diseases.

16 Dec 2011