Swine Flu News and Research

RSS

Swine Flu or influenza A (H1N1) is a new flu virus of swine origin that first caused illness in Mexico and the United States in March and April, 2009. It’s thought that novel influenza A (H1N1) flu spreads in the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread, mainly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick with the virus, but it may also be spread by touching infected objects and then touching your nose or mouth. Novel H1N1 infection has been reported to cause a wide range of flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. In addition, many people also have reported nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea.

WHO Director-General responds to criticisms over agency's H1N1 response

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan on Tuesday rejected recent criticisms that her decisions to declare H1N1 (swine flu) a pandemic were impacted by her advisers' link to the pharmaceutical industry, the Associated Press reports.

11 Jun 2010

NanoViricides anti-HIV drug candidates demonstrate efficacy in cell culture studies with HIV-1 isolates

NanoViricides, Inc. reports that its anti-HIV drug candidates demonstrated efficacy in the recently completed cell culture studies using two distinctly different HIV-1 isolates. The studies were performed in the laboratory of Carol Lackman-Smith at the Southern Research Institute, Frederick, Maryland.

8 Jun 2010

BMJ report questions WHO advisors' ties to pharmaceutical industry

"Key scientists behind World Health Organization advice on stockpiling of pandemic flu drugs had financial ties with companies which stood to profit," according to a joint investigation by BMJ in collaboration with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, BBC News reports (6/4).

5 Jun 2010

Researchers discover svRNA component that may help develop universal anti-viral treatment

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a novel component of the influenza virus that may be the key to disabling the virus's ability to replicate itself and to developing a universal anti-viral treatment. The findings were published June 1 online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

4 Jun 2010

WHO says H1N1 remains pandemic

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan on Thursday announced the WHO still considers H1N1 (swine) flu a pandemic, despite the fact "its most intense activity has passed in many parts of the world," Reuters reports (Lynn, 6/3).

4 Jun 2010

Anti-Dengue drug candidates demonstrate efficacy in preliminary cell culture studies

NanoViricides, Inc. reports that its anti-Dengue drug candidates demonstrated significant efficacy in the recently completed preliminary cell culture studies. The studies were performed in the laboratory of Dr. Eva Harris, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of California, Berkeley.

2 Jun 2010

Research roundup: Reform's impact on health spending; Cultural/Racial differences in medicine; Swine flu lessons

The Impact Of Health Reform On Health Spending - This issue brief "projects the effect of national reform on total national health expenditures and the insurance premiums that American families would likely pay. We estimate that, on net, the combination of provisions in the new law will reduce health care spending by $590 billion over 2010-2019 and lower premiums by nearly $2,000 per family.

29 May 2010

NanoViricides reports $2.95M in cash, $305,000 in prepaid expenses for quarter ended March 31, 2010

NanoViricides, Inc., has filed its quarterly report with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, May 20th, in a timely fashion.

24 May 2010

Health leaders discuss polio, alcohol, childhood obesity at WHA

From the 63rd World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, the Associated Press reports on what some "describe as a new strategy to get rid of" polio that focuses on developing solutions to "problems in each country, provides more WHO monitoring, like more teleconferences, and holds governments more accountable." The plans also provide "[n]ew [polio] outbreak response plans," according to the AP.

24 May 2010

Results of BioSante's 2A/Furin technology in industrial antibody CHO expression system announced

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that results of an evaluation of its 2A/Furin technology by Novartis Pharma AG in its industrial antibody CHO expression system were published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology & Biotechnology. The results demonstrate that the 2A/Furin technology was integrated successfully into a plasmid-based, industrial-scale, CHO antibody cell line development process, with minimal optimization required.

21 May 2010

Medco: Big jump in kids' prescription drug use last year

Children's prescription drug use rose "several times faster" than adult use last year, "due in part to swine flu drugs and Type 2 diabetes medications, according to Medco Health Solutions Inc," The Associated Press reports. The "pharmacy benefits manager said a 5 percent increase in prescription drug use for children contributed to a 10.8 percent spending increase last year. In contrast, overall prescription drug use rose 1.3 percent, and drug spending climbed 3.7 percent. Medco released its annual drug trend report Wednesday" (Murphy, 5/19).

21 May 2010

WHO Director-General pushes for sustained commitment to MDGs at World Health Assembly

During her opening address to the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan called for increased global efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals, PANA/Afrique en ligne reports. Chan also set-up several global health challenges to be addressed during the five-day meeting, according to the news service.

19 May 2010

BioSante receives two new US patents covering 2A/Furin technology for expressing proteins

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the receipt of two US new patents directed to its 2A/Furin technology for expressing proteins. The first issued US patent, US Pat. No., 7,709,224, covers methods for manufacturing recombinant antibodies. By incorporating our 2A/Furin technology into antibody-expression in viral vectors it is possible to rapidly generate stable, high producing antibody cell lines.

18 May 2010

New study shows DFA testing for H1N1 influenza unreliable in ICU patients

Direct Immunofluorescence Assay testing for H1N1 influenza is unreliable in ICU patients, according to a new study from Stanford University. Multiple methods exist for diagnosing influenza, but data on the utility and accuracy of these tests for H1N1 are still emerging, given the relatively recent onset of the epidemic.

18 May 2010

NanoViricides signs Research Agreement with UCSF for testing anti-HIV drug candidates

NanoViricides, Inc., announced that it has signed a Research Agreement with the University of California, San Francisco for testing of its anti-HIV drug candidates. Cheryl Stoddart, PhD, Assistant Professor in the UCSF Division of Experimental Medicine, will be the Principal Investigator.

17 May 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

As the 193 WHO member states gather at next week's World Health Assembly (WHA) "a draft global code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel will be on the agenda. Negotiation and adoption of a WHO code of practice is an unprecedented opportunity to advance global consensus to address the critical challenges of migration of health workers and its effect on health systems worldwide," the authors of a Lancet Comment write.

15 May 2010

BioSante Pharmaceuticals first-quarter net loss increases to $10.5 million

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported on its recent developments and financial results for the first quarter, and its cash balance as of March 31, 2010.

14 May 2010

NanoViricides signs research and development agreement with Dr. Ken S. Rosenthal's laboratory

NanoViricides, Inc., reports that it has signed a research and development agreement with Dr. Ken S. Rosenthal's laboratory at Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy.

14 May 2010

Seaside purchases NanoViricides' Series B Convertible Preferred Stock for gross proceeds of $5M

NanoViricides, Inc., announced today that it has raised $5,000,000, drawing down on its previously announced universal registered shelf "Form S-3" offering. The registered shelf offering became effective on April 29, 2010.

12 May 2010

Challenges and limitations faced in avian influenza

Over the past decade, substantial resources have been spent on tackling avian influenza and building a global capacity for a pandemic response. The catastrophic costs of the 1918 influenza pandemic are well documented, and the swine flu pandemic of 2009-10 has raised the alarm yet again.

7 May 2010