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Bird flu updates

The latest bird flu virus that killed a 39-year-old bus driver in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen over the weekend is not yet transmissible between humans, Chinese health authorities said. The man, who lived in Shenzhen just across the border from Hong Kong, died from multi-organ failure on Saturday, a week after being admitted to hospital with a fever brought on by the virus, state media reported.

3 Jan 2012

Ampio completes enrollment phase of Australian Ampion In Knee trials

Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a company that discovers and develops new uses for previously approved drugs and new molecular entities, today announced that it is has completed the expanded patient enrollment phase of its Ampion In Knee (AIK) trials in Australia.

3 Jan 2012

Combination of biomarkers indicates high risk of Alzheimer's in the future

Physician Oskar Hansson and his research group are studying biomarkers - substances present in spinal fluid and linked to Alzheimer's disease. The group has studied close to 140 people with mild memory impairment, showing that a certain combination of markers (low levels of the substance beta-amyloid and high levels of the substance tau) indicate a high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in the future.

3 Jan 2012

Lundbeck invests in Ossianix to focus on biotherapeutics for CNS disorders

Ossianix, Inc. today announced a strategic investment by H. Lundbeck A/S in the form of a Convertible Promissory Note. The proceeds from Lundbeck's investment is expected to allow Ossianix to generate biopharmaceuticals for the treatment of nervous system disorders by utilizing Ossianix's proprietary single domain antibody platform modeled on the shark vNAR structure.

3 Jan 2012

FDA sets Feb. 9 for ODAC meeting to review CTI's resubmitted pixantrone NDA

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) announced today that on February 9, 2012 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) will review CTI's resubmitted New Drug Application (NDA) for pixantrone for the treatment of relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in patients who failed two or more lines of prior therapy.

3 Jan 2012

Tamiflu resistant flu on the rise: Study

According to World Health Organization researchers there is a rise in Australia in the number of seasonal influenza cases resistant to Tamiflu, the most commonly used antiviral drug. The rise in such cases involving the pandemic 2009 A (H1N1) flu strain, also known as swine flu, took place during Australia's most recent winter: May through August of 2011.

2 Jan 2012

FDA notes shortage of ADHD medicines

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are in such short supply that hundreds of patients complain daily to the agency that they are unable to find a pharmacy with enough pills to fill their prescriptions.

2 Jan 2012

2012 & health care: Medicare faces big changes, new state laws include abortion issues

News outlets began 2012 by looking ahead at what is promising to be a busy health care year, especially because of the 2010 federal health law.

2 Jan 2012

Soon therapies may be guided by genetic blueprints

In a futuristic bid the doctors have drawn up plans to sequence the full genetic code of thousands of people in a landmark project to personalize their medical care. Each person will have all 6 billion letters of their genome read, stored and linked to their medical records to help doctors prescribe more effective drugs and other therapies.

1 Jan 2012

Similar sounding drug names should come with warnings

There have been mix ups and medication errors with similar sounding names of drugs - eye drops called Durezol and salicylic acid-containing wart remedy Duresal for example.

1 Jan 2012

Poll surveys New Year resolutions on weight loss and smoking

Roughly one-third of Americans say they have made a New Year's resolution to lose weight in the last five years and 42 percent of people who said they smoke regularly in that timeframe pledged to quit the habit, according to the Thomson Reuters-NPR Health Poll.

31 Dec 2011

Poly Implant Prothèse misleads TÜV Rheinland over silicone-filled breast implants

TÜV Rheinland has in February initiated proceedings against Poly Implant Prothèse with the French prosecution service in Marseille. PIP continued to mislead TÜV Rheinland as the experts were shown the conforming silicone and the correct documents during the inspections that were regularly performed at PIP production site. Therefore, the TÜV Rheinland auditors must have the impression that the production was operated correctly.

31 Dec 2011

Van Andel studies distinguish cancer subtypes and provide promising new drug targets

Two recent studies by Van Andel Research Institute scientists are providing a foundation for a more complete understanding of distinct kidney cancer subtypes, which could pave the way for better treatments.

30 Dec 2011

FDA invites Amgen for ODAC meeting on XGEVA sBLA to treat castration-resistant prostate cancer

Amgen today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has invited the Company to participate in a meeting of the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) on Feb. 8, 2012 to discuss the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for XGEVA (denosumab) to treat men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) at high risk of developing bone metastases.

30 Dec 2011

Single shared REMS for TIRF products receives FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a single shared Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for the transmucosal immediate-release fentanyl (TIRF) products. This new shared system will replace the individual REMS and allow prescribers and pharmacies to enroll into just one system, easing the burden on the health care system.

30 Dec 2011

GOG targeted therapy phase 3 clinical trial delays progression of advanced ovarian cancer

Targeted drugs, which block or disrupt particular molecules involved in the growth of tumors, have been shown to be effective treatments against many types of cancer.

29 Dec 2011

Speedy drug metabolism more likely to cause multidrug-resistant TB

A UT Southwestern Medical Center study using a sophisticated "glass mouse" research model has found that multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is more likely caused in patients by speedy drug metabolism rather than inconsistent doses, as is widely believed.

29 Dec 2011

New initiative to detect cancers in earliest stages inside cells

A team of cancer imaging experts at Johns Hopkins has embarked on a five-year research initiative to speed development of early diagnostic tests and new treatments for breast, prostate and other common cancers.

29 Dec 2011

Powerful painkiller on its way to the market: Experts worry about addiction woes

Drug makers are on their way to a pure, more powerful version of the nation’s second most-abused medicine, which has addiction experts worried that it could spur a new wave of abuse. The new pills contain the highly addictive painkiller hydrocodone, packing up to 10 times the amount of the drug as existing medications such as Vicodin.

28 Dec 2011

Research provides first proof of epigenetic risk factor for type 2 diabetes

Research carried out at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has provided the first proof of molecular risk factors leading to type 2 diabetes, providing an "early warning" sign that could lead to new approaches to treating this and other human disease conditions.

28 Dec 2011