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Heart, cancer doctors get break on scheduled Medicare pay cuts

Heart and cancer doctors will get a smaller fee cut next year from Medicare, the U.S. government program for the elderly, than the Obama administration first sought in a move to shift money to family physicians," Bloomberg reports. Earlier this year, Medicare officials said they would cut 10 percent of payments for the two specialties. Now, they plan on making the reductions over four years, instead.

2 Nov 2009

Vanda Pharmaceuticals announces financial results for the third quarter of 2009

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of clinical-stage products for central nervous system disorders, today announced financial and operational results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009.

2 Nov 2009

Pulmatrix raises $30.2 million through Series B financing

Pulmatrix, a clinical stage biotechnology company discovering and developing a new class of therapies for the treatment and prevention of infectious and progressive respiratory diseases, today announced that it has secured $30.2 million in Series B financing. ARCH Venture Partners and Novartis Bioventures Fund co-led the round with participation from existing investors Polaris Venture Partners and 5AM Ventures.

2 Nov 2009

Canadian programs underscore evidence of PEGETRON's positive outcomes in treating HCV infection

Results from two significant Canadian studies underscore the growing scientific evidence of PEGETRON's positive outcomes in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Canadian investigators across the country collaborated to generate and analyze clinical data from the Canadian PEGETRON POWeR (Prospective Optimal Weight-based Dosing Response) and REDIPEN programs, which were presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Annual Meeting in Boston on November 1, 2009.

2 Nov 2009

Methacetin breath test predicts long-term survival in patients with chronic viral hepatitis

A methacetin breath test (MBT) that can be performed quickly and noninvasively has been proven to accurately predict survival in patients with viral hepatitis and may be used as an adjunctive tool to MELD.

2 Nov 2009

Dietary cholesterol is not a primary factor for coronary heart disease

Contrary to the established view, current data suggest that dietary cholesterol is not a primary factor of or causes heart disease - with the possible exception of the genetic forms of familial hypercholesterolemias. For instance, recent clinical trials evaluating the effect of cholesterol-lowering drugs on the development of chronic heart failure, diabetes and stroke have yielded disappointing results.

2 Nov 2009

Interim data from Bristol-Myers Squibb's BARACLUDE study for chronic hepatitis B patients

Bristol-Myers Squibb today announced 48-week data from an ongoing study (ETV-048) of chronic hepatitis B patients with decompensated cirrhosis, in which BARACLUDE demonstrated greater viral suppression compared to adefovir. The new BARACLUDE data were presented today at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

2 Nov 2009

Women at particular risk of their primary care physicians delaying diagnosis of CKD: Study

Woman are at particular risk of their primary care physicians delaying diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, California. The findings suggest that educating practitioners about CKD could increase the timely diagnosis of CKD, thereby leading to improvements in care to patients and savings in Medicare dollars.

2 Nov 2009

Gilead Sciences to present Viread Phase III clinical trial data

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced the presentation of three-year (144-week) open label data from two pivotal Phase III clinical trials, Studies 102 and 103, evaluating the safety and efficacy of once-daily Viread® (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) among adult patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

2 Nov 2009

Study finds no link between hepatitis B and pancreatic cancer

A Henry Ford Hospital study found that hepatitis B does not increase the risk for pancreatic cancer - and that only age is a contributing factor.

2 Nov 2009

Chronically ill patients report better quality of life than those with reversible outcomes

Holding on to hope may not make patients happier as they deal with chronic illness or diseases, according to a new study by University of Michigan Health System researchers.

2 Nov 2009

Dialysis patients with low body fat face high mortality rate

Dialysis patients with low body fat are at increased risk of death-even compared to patients at the highest level of body fat percentage, according to research being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego.

2 Nov 2009

Bacteria use a well-studied communication system to resist antibiotics

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark along with other collaborators in Denmark and the US found that the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa can 'switch on' production of molecules that kill white blood cells - preventing the bacteria being eliminated by the body's immune system.

1 Nov 2009

Amgen publishes Phase 3 study results of Aranesp

Amgen today announced the publication of results from TREAT (the Trial to Reduce Cardiovascular Events with Aranesp® Therapy), a large, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase 3 pivotal study of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) not on dialysis, moderate anemia and type-2 diabetes.

31 Oct 2009

NCOA supports CLASS Act health reform proposal

At a briefing by the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations today in Washington, DC, James Firman, President of the National Council on Aging (NCOA), applauded the House for making the CLASS Act (Community Living Assistance Services and Supports) part of its Affordable Health Care for America Act and urged the Senate to include the CLASS Act and other important long-term care provisions in its final package as well.

31 Oct 2009

Molecular imaging pinpoints inflammation in the brains of schizophrenics and migraine sufferers

Inflammatory response of brain cells-as indicated by a molecular imaging technique-could tell researchers more about why certain neurologic disorders, such as migraine headaches and psychosis in schizophrenic patients, occur and provide insight into how to best treat them, according to two studies published in the November issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

31 Oct 2009

Colgate-Palmolive reaches ‘100 Million Smiles’ goal with its oral health education program

Colgate-Palmolive Company, the world leader in oral care, announced this week that it has reached 100 million children in the United States, providing free dental screenings, oral health education and treatment referrals as part of its ongoing national education program Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures®.

31 Oct 2009

Shire announces third quarter 2009 financial results

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announces results for the three months to September 30, 2009.

31 Oct 2009

Study indicates possibility of a vaccine to prevent Group B Streptococcus infection

Scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have completed a Phase II clinical study that indicates a vaccine to prevent Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection is possible. GBS is the most common cause of sepsis and meningitis in newborns in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It can also cause severe illness in pregnant women, the elderly and adults with chronic illnesses.

31 Oct 2009

Novo Nordisk re-launches its changing possibilities in hemophilia campaign

Novo Nordisk Inc. announced the re-launch of its changing possibilities in hemophilia(TM) campaign through a rebranded Web site and a new community on Facebook®. People living with hemophilia face many daily challenges, and Novo Nordisk is committed to helping this community realize that there is also a lifetime of possibilities.

From Novo Nordisk 31 Oct 2009

Chronic News and Research

Heart, cancer doctors get break on scheduled Medicare pay cuts

Vanda Pharmaceuticals announces financial results for the third quarter of 2009

Pulmatrix raises $30.2 million through Series B financing

Canadian programs underscore evidence of PEGETRON's positive outcomes in treating HCV infection

Methacetin breath test predicts long-term survival in patients with chronic viral hepatitis

Dietary cholesterol is not a primary factor for coronary heart disease

Interim data from Bristol-Myers Squibb's BARACLUDE study for chronic hepatitis B patients

Women at particular risk of their primary care physicians delaying diagnosis of CKD: Study

Gilead Sciences to present Viread Phase III clinical trial data

Study finds no link between hepatitis B and pancreatic cancer

Chronically ill patients report better quality of life than those with reversible outcomes

Dialysis patients with low body fat face high mortality rate

Bacteria use a well-studied communication system to resist antibiotics

Amgen publishes Phase 3 study results of Aranesp

NCOA supports CLASS Act health reform proposal

Molecular imaging pinpoints inflammation in the brains of schizophrenics and migraine sufferers

Colgate-Palmolive reaches ‘100 Million Smiles’ goal with its oral health education program

Shire announces third quarter 2009 financial results

Study indicates possibility of a vaccine to prevent Group B Streptococcus infection

Novo Nordisk re-launches its changing possibilities in hemophilia campaign

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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