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Biologic treatments reduce mortality risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

According to a study presented today at EULAR 2012, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are prescribed biologic treatments have a significantly lower mortality risk (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 0.61) than those just treated with traditional disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).The study also found the mortality was similar irrespective of the method of action of biologics (anti-tumour necrosis factor drugs [anti-TNFs] or rituximab).

7 Jun 2012

Young adults, adolescents with mental health disorders more likely to become long-term opioid users

Long-term use and abuse of opioid painkillers, such as OxyContin and Vicodin, has markedly increased in the United States in the last two decades. Of note, prescription opioids constitute 86.9 percent of prescription drug misuse among high school students. And last week in a two-day U.S. Food and Drug Administration public meeting, officials questioned the use of long-term opioids for chronic pain due to a lack of evidence for the effectiveness and concerns about the potential risk for addiction.

7 Jun 2012

Call for increased screening and faster testing for drug-resistant tuberculosis

Johns Hopkins experts in the prevention and treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis are calling for increased screening and more rapid testing of the 9 million people worldwide estimated to be infected each year with TB, and now at risk for this form of the highly contagious lung disease. The call follows results of a survey showing that the harder-to-treat TB variants are much more widespread than previously thought.

7 Jun 2012

WHO calls for greater vigilance on correct use of antibiotics against gonorrhoea

Millions of people with gonorrhoea may be at risk of running out of treatment options unless urgent action is taken, according to WHO. Already several countries, including Australia, France, Japan, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom are reporting cases of resistance to cephalosporin antibiotics - the last treatment option against gonorrhoea. Every year an estimated 106 million people are infected with gonorrhea, which is transmitted sexually.

7 Jun 2012

New nanomedicine cancer treatments promise to reduce severity of side effects

A new generation of cancer treatments based on nanotechnology is making its way out of the laboratory and into the clinic with the promise of targeting cancer cells while steering clear of healthy tissue, according to the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News.

7 Jun 2012

DODAC to discuss ThromboGenics’ new BLA for ocriplasmin intravitreal injection

ThromboGenics NV, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative ophthalmic medicines, today announces that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified the Company that its new biologic license application (BLA) for ocriplasmin intravitreal injection will be discussed at the Dermatologic and Ophthalmic Drugs Advisory Committee scheduled for July 26, 2012.

7 Jun 2012

Debiopharm announces results from Debio 0932 Phase I study on cancer

Debiopharm Group (Debiopharm), a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies with a focus on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs and companion diagnostics, presented results of a Phase I open-label dose-escalation study with Debio 0932, an oral Heat Shock Protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitor in clinical development as an anti-cancer agent.

7 Jun 2012

Fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to be published in 2013

Every new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders stirs up a host of questions and controversies, and the next DSM-the DSM-5, to be published in 2013-is no exception.

7 Jun 2012

ADACTA trial: Tocilizumab more effective than adalimumab in treating RA

Data presented today at EULAR 2012, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, demonstrates that tocilizumab monotherapy is more effective than adalimumab monotherapy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) based on change from baseline in DAS28 (-3.3 vs. -1.8, p<0.0001) at week 24.

7 Jun 2012

CCR5 antagonists may also help prevent aggressive breast cancers from metastasizing

The HIV drugs known as CCR5 antagonists may also help prevent aggressive breast cancers from metastasizing, researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson suggest in a preclinical study published in a recent issue of Cancer Research.

7 Jun 2012

Omentum appears to play an important role in regulating the immune system

A fatty membrane in the belly called the omentum has until recently been considered somewhat like the appendix -- it didn't seem to serve much purpose. But Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researchers have found that the omentum appears to play an important role in regulating the immune system.

7 Jun 2012

Vitamin D deficiency may be an important risk factor for erectile dysfunction

A paper just published hypothesizes that vitamin D deficiency may be an important risk factor for erectile dysfunction (ED).

7 Jun 2012

Arrowhead initiates final IND-enabling steps for ARC-520 to treat HBV

Arrowhead Research Corporation, a targeted therapeutics company, today announced that its hepatitis B virus (HBV) program has completed all internal preclinical requirements and has named a clinical candidate.

7 Jun 2012

English Rheumatoid Arthritis care standards out of step with Europe

A 12-country comparative analysis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment guidelines reveals that there is considerable variation in patient access to care, with England out of step with standards adopted by its European counterparts.

6 Jun 2012

Study determines transgenerational effects of cannabinoid exposure in adolescent female rats

Mothers who use marijuana as teens-long before having children-may put their future children at a higher risk of drug abuse, new research suggests.

6 Jun 2012

STELARA effectively reduces signs and symptoms of active psoriatic arthritis

Patients with active psoriatic arthritis receiving the interleukin (IL)-12/23 inhibitor STELARA (ustekinumab) experienced significant improvements in signs and symptoms of the disease, according to new findings presented today from a Janssen Research & Development, LLC, (Janssen)-sponsored investigational study.

6 Jun 2012

PhaseBio raises $48.4M in Series B financing

PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held, clinical-stage biotechnology company developing drugs to treat diabetes, metabolic disease and cardiovascular disease, announced today that it has raised a total of $48.4 million from its Series B financing following receipt of the third tranche to advance the company's product development programs.

6 Jun 2012

Cardio-protective drug during cancer treatment may prevent heart damage in children

About 75 percent of children with leukemia who take chemotherapy face life-threatening heart problems as they age, but an international study led by a University of Rochester Medical Center investigator shows that giving a cardio-protective drug during cancer treatment may prevent the damage.

6 Jun 2012

Transgenomic introduces ICE COLD-PCR mutation detection technology

Transgenomic, Inc. today announced the commercial launch of its ICE COLD-PCR mutation detection technology, a breakthrough technology enabling unmatched sensitivity and complete DNA mutation detection using the standard sequencing equipment already installed in laboratories around the world.

6 Jun 2012

FDA approves Lupin’s SUPRAX capsules

Pharma major, Lupin Ltd., announced today that its subsidiary, Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received approval for SUPRAX (Cefixime) Capsules 400 mg from the United States Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

6 Jun 2012