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Itamar, Roche to further develop EndoPAT technology for pre-clinical trials

Itamar-Medical, the world's leader of non-invasive devices for diagnosis of cardiovascular health, announced achievement of the next milestone of the international pharmaceutical company, Roche, to further develop the EndoPAT technology for pre-clinical trials.

5 Jan 2012

Bionomics, Ironwood partner to develop and commercialize novel anti-anxiety compound

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Bionomics Limited today announced that they entered into a collaboration, research, and licensing agreement that will enable Ironwood to develop and commercialize Bionomics' investigational anti-anxiety compound BNC210 and other related compounds.

5 Jan 2012

FDA issues order prohibiting certain uses of cephalosporins in food-producing animals

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued an order that prohibits certain uses of the cephalosporin class of antimicrobial drugs in cattle, swine, chickens and turkeys effective April 5, 2012.

5 Jan 2012

RGS9-2 gene plays a role in regulating body weight

Abraham Kovoor was studying a brain protein, called RGS9 2, that he had previously related to the involuntary, random and repetitive body movements that are side effects of drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia.

5 Jan 2012

First study to elucidate how statins reduce activation of abnormal blood clotting

People with high cholesterol are at risk of heart attack and stroke because atherosclerotic plaques within their arteries can rupture triggering the formation of a blood clot called an occlusive thrombus that cuts off the blood supply to their heart or brain.

5 Jan 2012

Free public lecture to look at role of stents in treating coronary artery diseases

State-of-the art treatments for patients with heart problems are the theme of a public lecture at the University of Greenwich this month. The lecture, which is free and open to all, will look at the role of stents in treating coronary artery diseases. A stent is a tiny, artificial tube which is placed in the coronary arteries that supply the heart: by keeping the arteries open, the stent combats the effects of reduced blood flow, such as blood clots.

5 Jan 2012

Lithocholic acid can kill several types of cancer cells

Lithocholic acid (LCA), naturally produced in the liver during digestion, has been seriously underestimated. A study published in the journal Oncotarget shows that LCA can kill several types of cancer cells, such as those found in some brain tumors and breast cancer.

5 Jan 2012

Positive preliminary results from Alnylam's Phase I ALN-PCS trial on severe hypercholesterolemia

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today the achievement of positive preliminary results from its ongoing clinical trial of ALN-PCS, an RNAi therapeutic targeting PCSK9 for the treatment of severe hypercholesterolemia.

5 Jan 2012

Rilonacept appears safe and well-tolerated in patients with gout

A phase II clinical trial found that rilonacept, an inhibitor of the protein interleukin-1 (IL-1), significantly reduced acute gout flares that occur when initiating uric acid-lowering therapy. Results of the trial—the first placebo-controlled study investigating IL-1 targeted therapy in prevention of gout flares—show rilonacept to be generally well tolerated with no serious infections or treatment-related serious adverse events reported.

5 Jan 2012

Weight loss surgery can improve blood sugar control in diabetes patients

Weight loss surgery is not a cure for type 2 diabetes, but it can improve blood sugar control, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Surgery. Whereas some previous studies have claimed that up to 80 per cent of diabetes patients have been cured following gastric bypass surgery, researchers at Imperial College London found that only 41 per cent of patients achieve remission using more stringent criteria.

5 Jan 2012

Scientists determine structure of endomannosidase enzyme

Scientists have determined the structure of the enzyme endomannosidase, significantly advancing our understanding of how a group of devastating human viruses including HIV and Hepatitis C hijack human enzymes to reproduce and cause disease.

4 Jan 2012

IQWiG examines added benefit of pirfenidone for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Pirfenidone inhibits the development of inflammation and scarring (fibrosis) in pulmonary tissue and has been approved for the treatment of mild to moderate idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) since the beginning of 2011.

4 Jan 2012

PEDF may suppress brain from tumor-induced damage, metastasis

Scientists are one step closer to repairing the damage caused by brain metastasis, a major challenge in cancer treatment, according to data published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

4 Jan 2012

Losartan may help prevent smoking-related COPD

Working with mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins have successfully used a commonly prescribed blood pressure medicine, losartan (Cozaar), to prevent almost all of the lung damage caused from two months of exposure to cigarette smoke. The treatment specifically targeted lung tissue breakdown, airway wall thickening, inflammation and lung over-expansion.

4 Jan 2012

Foreign aid to MICs needs 'more sophisticated approach' instead of cuts

"[T]he E.U., the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and the World Bank's International Development Association ... want to save money during a fiscal crunch by cutting off aid to middle-income countries (MIC)," Andy Sumner and Amanda Glassman of the Center for Global Development write in the Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog."

4 Jan 2012

J&J will not join Medicines Patent Pool; Company's pharma head says mechanism could 'cause disaster'

Pharmaceutical company "Johnson & Johnson has rejected calls to offer patent rights on its HIV medicines to generic drug companies through a" Medicines Patent Pool, created to promote low-cost antiretroviral drugs in low-income countries and the development of new drug combinations and formulations, the Financial Times reports.

4 Jan 2012

CMS assigns J-code for Pharmaxis ARIDOL Bronchial Challenge Test Kit

Pharmaxis, Inc. today announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has assigned a product-specific billing code, or J-code, for ARIDOL (mannitol inhalation powder) Bronchial Challenge Test Kit.

4 Jan 2012

Quest Diagnostics to acquire S.E.D. Medical Labs

S.E.D. Medical Laboratories will soon become part of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the world leader in diagnostic testing, information and services, through a definitive agreement signed today by Lovelace Health System and Quest Diagnostics.

From Quest Diagnostics 4 Jan 2012

State roundup: Texas health assistance program closing; Florida's dangerous assisted living facilities

A reduction in prescription drug coverage under last year's state budget cuts means 292,000 New Yorkers will now be paying more at the pharmacy.

4 Jan 2012

Positive results from Can-Fite BioPharma's CF102 Phase 1/2 study on HCC

Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd, a biotechnology company developing small molecule drugs for the treatment of inflammatory, and liver diseases, traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange announced today the successful results of the Phase 1/2 study of its drug candidate CF102 in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

4 Jan 2012