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Agios, Foundation Medicine announce diagnostic partnership for cancer metabolism programs

Foundation Medicine, Inc., and Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced a multi-year diagnostic partnership for Agios' lead programs in cancer metabolism.

4 Apr 2013

First Edition: April 4, 2013

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby, working in collaboration with USA Today, reports: "It's not just sore throats and flu shots anymore. Walgreens today became the first retail store chain to expand its health care services to include diagnosing and treating patients for chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes and high cholesterol. The move is the retail industry's boldest push yet into an area long controlled by physicians, and comes amid continuing concerns about health care costs and a potential shortage of primary care doctors" (Appleby, 4/4).

4 Apr 2013

Schizophrenia patients experiencing relapse are more likely to develop UTIs

Schizophrenia patients experiencing relapse are 29 times more likely than healthy individuals to have a urinary tract infection, researchers report.

4 Apr 2013

Molecular diagnostic testing in lung cancer offers new hope for patients

The emergence of molecular diagnostic testing in lung cancer offers new hope for patients battling the number one cancer killer in the United States and abroad.

4 Apr 2013

Phenylbutazone in horsemeat detected by Thermo Fisher Scientific test

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, recently mobilized its Food Safety Response Center (FSRC) to develop a method to test for the presence of the veterinary drug phenylbutazone in horsemeat. Phenylbutazone, also known as “bute,” is a potent painkiller banned in any horsemeat intended for human consumption.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 4 Apr 2013

Finding solutions to protect U.S. troops against invisible killers

A Saint Louis University researcher has received a contract worth up to $980,000 to see if two cancer medications have the potential of protecting U.S. troops from biological agents that could be unleashed during an attack.

4 Apr 2013

Reuters examines implications of India's Novartis patent ruling for big pharma

Reuters examines the implications of India's Supreme Court ruling to reject drug maker Novartis's request for a new patent on an updated version of the cancer treatment Glivec on the pharmaceutical industry in India and across the developing world.

4 Apr 2013

More must be done to find balance between drug innovation, affordable health care

"The decision by India's Supreme Court to overturn the patent on Novartis's cancer treatment Glivec is good news for more affordable health care and bad news for drug innovation," a Financial Times editorial states, adding, "It fails fundamentally to address either issue, both of which need wide-ranging reform.

4 Apr 2013

Despite discovery of sight-saving drugs, AMD still causes severe vision loss in older Americans

Age-related macular degeneration continues to be the leading cause of visual impairment in the United States for people over age 65, according to a study recently published online in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

4 Apr 2013

Viewpoints: Obama's brain initiative is 'modest but welcome start;' Disability insurance facing 'immediate crisis'

President Obama officially announced his new brain research initiative on Tuesday, with a pledge to put $100 million in his 2014 budget to support work at three federal agencies.

4 Apr 2013

Confirmation hearing for CMS nominee set for next week

The Senate Finance Committee will hold a session on whether to approve Marilyn Tavenner to head the agency that controls Medicare and Medicaid.

4 Apr 2013

Researchers confirm effectiveness of spray that improves dry mouth

Researchers from the universities of Granada and Murcia have confirmed the effectiveness of a spray containing 1% malic acid, which greatly improves xerostomy, or dry mouth, caused by anti-depressant drugs.

4 Apr 2013

Fight brews over abortion coverage in Va.'s health insurance exchange

Abortion coverage could be banned in Virginia's health insurance exchange if an amendment pushed by Gov. Bob McDonnell wins legislative approval. The bill faces an uncertain outcome in the state Senate.

4 Apr 2013

Duloxetine drug alleviates pain from chemotherapy

Among patients with painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, use of the anti-depressant drug duloxetine for 5 weeks resulted in a greater reduction in pain compared with placebo, according to a study in the April 3 issue of JAMA.

3 Apr 2013

Polymer scaffolds can advance the development of cancer therapeutics

Porous polymer scaffolds fabricated to support the growth of biological tissue for implantation may hold the potential to greatly accelerate the development of cancer therapeutics.

3 Apr 2013

Study suggests drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol may be effective against macular degeneration

A new study raises the intriguing possibility that drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol may be effective against macular degeneration, a blinding eye disease. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in Americans over 50, shares a common link with atherosclerosis.

3 Apr 2013

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is often over-diagnosed in infants, says research

The American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation recently recommended against routine use of medications to treat infants for gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), commonly known as reflux disease.

3 Apr 2013

Targeting cholesterol metabolism in eye may prevent age-related macular degeneration, says study

Targeting cholesterol metabolism in the eye might help prevent a severe form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), one of the most common causes of blindness in older Americans, according to indications in a study in mice, which was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

3 Apr 2013

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease treatments: an interview with Dr Parikh, vice president, general medicine, Takeda

Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are both relapsing and remitting chronic diseases of bowel inflammation. By that I mean they flare and physicians try to get the flare under control and try to induce remission. However, despite a number of treatments available, they tend to relapse.

From Takeda 3 Apr 2013

Isis Pharmaceuticals starts ISIS-APOARx Phase 1 clinical study for treatment of atherosclerosis

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has initiated a Phase 1 clinical study for ISIS-APOARx, an antisense drug targeting apolipoprotein(a) for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

3 Apr 2013

Drugs News and Research

Agios, Foundation Medicine announce diagnostic partnership for cancer metabolism programs

First Edition: April 4, 2013

Schizophrenia patients experiencing relapse are more likely to develop UTIs

Molecular diagnostic testing in lung cancer offers new hope for patients

Phenylbutazone in horsemeat detected by Thermo Fisher Scientific test

Finding solutions to protect U.S. troops against invisible killers

Reuters examines implications of India's Novartis patent ruling for big pharma

More must be done to find balance between drug innovation, affordable health care

Despite discovery of sight-saving drugs, AMD still causes severe vision loss in older Americans

Viewpoints: Obama's brain initiative is 'modest but welcome start;' Disability insurance facing 'immediate crisis'

Confirmation hearing for CMS nominee set for next week

Researchers confirm effectiveness of spray that improves dry mouth

Fight brews over abortion coverage in Va.'s health insurance exchange

Duloxetine drug alleviates pain from chemotherapy

Polymer scaffolds can advance the development of cancer therapeutics

Study suggests drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol may be effective against macular degeneration

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is often over-diagnosed in infants, says research

Targeting cholesterol metabolism in eye may prevent age-related macular degeneration, says study

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease treatments: an interview with Dr Parikh, vice president, general medicine, Takeda

Isis Pharmaceuticals starts ISIS-APOARx Phase 1 clinical study for treatment of atherosclerosis

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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