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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

Department of Health launches “Immunizations across the Lifespan” campaign

Secretary of Health Everette James today urged all Pennsylvanians to ensure they are fully immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases, noting that August is National Immunization Awareness Month.

31 Jul 2010

FDA announces approval of vaccines for 2010-2011 US influenza season

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it has approved vaccines for the 2010-2011 influenza season in the United States.

31 Jul 2010

Sanofi Pasteur announces shipping of Fluzone Influenza Virus Vaccine in the U.S.

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group, announced today that shipping of the 2010-2011 formulation of its seasonal influenza vaccine Fluzone Influenza Virus Vaccine is underway in the U.S.

31 Jul 2010

GSK anticipates to supply over 30 million doses of FLULAVAL, FLUARIX for 2010-2011 flu season

GlaxoSmithKline announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) has released the first lots of FluLaval® [Influenza Virus Vaccine] allowing distribution in the U.S. to begin for the 2010-2011 flu season. GSK anticipates distribution of Fluarix® [Influenza Virus Vaccine] to follow in the next several weeks.

30 Jul 2010

Vaccine scares may do more harm than previously believed to population's 'herd immunity'

Public immunization efforts may be much more sensitive than previously realized to small changes in the perceived costs or risks of vaccination, scientists at Harvard University report this week. In some cases, the spread of vaccine avoidance via social networks can make the difference between a minor, localized outbreak and an epidemic four times as large.

30 Jul 2010

Polio cases in India lowest in a decade; Vaccination effort begins in Afghanistan

This year "India has reported the lowest number of polio cases in [the] January-June period ... in a decade," PTI/ZeeTV reports. Twenty-four cases were detected between January and June this year, compared to 151 in the corresponding 2009 period, and 317 in January-June 2008 (7/29).

30 Jul 2010

At summit, AU leaders discuss funding challenges for maternal, child health

African leaders focused on the theme of the 15th African Union (AU) Summit on Sunday: maternal and infant mortality on the continent, PANA/Afrique en ligne reports (7/26).

28 Jul 2010

Life-saving interventions can save 11 million African women, children over next five years: Countdown report

In the next five years, 11 million African women and children could be saved by creating near-universal availability of key life-saving interventions, according to The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health and the Countdown to 2015 Decade Report (2000-2010).

27 Jul 2010

Anti-vaccination group declared unsafe

A Bangalow, NSW based group known as the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) had earlier maligned the nation’s immunization campaign calling vaccines unsafe on their website. The New South Wales Health Care Complaints Commission had then issued a warning to them to include a disclaimer that the contents of the sites webpages should not be taken as medical advice. AVN failed to heed to the warnings and now the HCCC has issued a safety warning against the group.

26 Jul 2010

Council seeks to limit medical resident working hours for improved patient care

As the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education seeks to improve patient care by further limiting the hours worked by medical residents, the Journal of Surgical Research will published a new study online on Monday reporting that outcomes in two common surgeries - appendectomy and laparoscopic cholecystectomy - were similar among residents who had worked less than 16 hours and those who had worked more than 16 hours.

26 Jul 2010

Experimental treatment for sickle cell disease enters Phase 3 clinical trials

An experimental treatment for sickle cell disease developed at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute has entered Phase 3 clinical trials, David I. Meyer, PhD, LA BioMed president and CEO announced today.

26 Jul 2010

Pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria cause death of 6 million of world's poorest children

A Johns Hopkins University scientist, whose team of researchers recently identified pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria as the primary causes of death of 6 million of the world's poorest children, today called on leaders in donor and developing nations to take action to address the terrible death toll.

23 Jul 2010

NACI updates, strengthens statement related to the use of rotavirus vaccines in Canada

This week, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization updated and strengthened its statement related to the use of rotavirus vaccines in Canada. Rotavirus infection is the most common cause of severe gastroenteritis in children under the age of three. The NACI statement now includes Grade A recommendations (good evidence to recommend immunization) for healthy and preterm infants.

21 Jul 2010

Natural, needle-free vaccination against malaria

If mice are administered an antibiotic for three days and are simultaneously infected with malaria, no parasites appear in the blood and life-threatening disease is averted. In addition, the animals treated in this manner also develop robust, long-term immunity against subsequent infections. This discovery was made by the team headed by Dr. Steffen Borrmann from the Department of Infectious Diseases at Heidelberg University Hospital in cooperation with Dr. Kai Matuschewski of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin. The scientists think that safe and affordable prophylaxis with antibiotics in residents of areas with high malaria transmission has the potential to be used as a natural "needle-free" vaccination against malaria.

21 Jul 2010

Abortion fight again heats up over high-risk pools, other health reform news

Anti-abortion activists have "scored a victory" after a decision last week by the Obama administration to not allow the new high-risk pools in America to cover most abortions, The Associated Press reports.

20 Jul 2010

Study evaluates immunization benefits of dissolving microneedles

A new vaccine-delivery patch based on hundreds of microscopic needles that dissolve into the skin could allow persons without medical training to painlessly administer vaccines - while providing improved immunization against diseases such as influenza.

19 Jul 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

As part of a series in advance of AIDS 2010, the "Science Speaks" blog features an interview with U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby "about his expectations for the conference, what was behind the Uganda problem with shortages of AIDS medicine, and whether The New York Times was right when it reported in May that the Ugandan drug shortfall was 'the first example … of how the war on AIDS is falling apart.'"

16 Jul 2010

Health Canada approves FluMist for preventing seasonal influenza

AstraZeneca Canada Inc. announced today that Health Canada has approved FluMist (Influenza Vaccine, Live, Attenuated) for the prevention of seasonal influenza. FluMist is the first vaccine in Canada that is administered as a gentle mist sprayed into the nose.

14 Jul 2010

Loyola primary care physicians honored with Blue Ribbon rating from Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Loyola University Health System primary care physicians recently received a Blue Ribbon rating from Blue Cross and Blue Shield. This honor is given to physicians who have received a satisfaction rate of 85 percent or higher based on a member survey.

14 Jul 2010

Immunization News and Research

Merck reports strong bottom-line performance in second quarter

Department of Health launches “Immunizations across the Lifespan” campaign

FDA announces approval of vaccines for 2010-2011 US influenza season

Sanofi Pasteur announces shipping of Fluzone Influenza Virus Vaccine in the U.S.

GSK anticipates to supply over 30 million doses of FLULAVAL, FLUARIX for 2010-2011 flu season

Vaccine scares may do more harm than previously believed to population's 'herd immunity'

Polio cases in India lowest in a decade; Vaccination effort begins in Afghanistan

At summit, AU leaders discuss funding challenges for maternal, child health

Life-saving interventions can save 11 million African women, children over next five years: Countdown report

Anti-vaccination group declared unsafe

Council seeks to limit medical resident working hours for improved patient care

Experimental treatment for sickle cell disease enters Phase 3 clinical trials

Pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria cause death of 6 million of world's poorest children

NACI updates, strengthens statement related to the use of rotavirus vaccines in Canada

Natural, needle-free vaccination against malaria

Abortion fight again heats up over high-risk pools, other health reform news

Study evaluates immunization benefits of dissolving microneedles

Recent releases in Global Health

Health Canada approves FluMist for preventing seasonal influenza

Loyola primary care physicians honored with Blue Ribbon rating from Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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