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Dwindling donor funding in Burundi leads to national shortage of ARVs

"Burundian NGOs say at least 20 people have died" as a result of a "months-long shortage" of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), although "Ministry of Health officials could not be reached to confirm the number of people affected," PlusNews reports.

7 Sep 2011

BioLineRx, Tel Aviv University sign license agreement to develop and commercialize BL-7050

BioLineRx, a biopharmaceutical development company, today announced that it has signed a worldwide, exclusive license agreement with Ramot at Tel Aviv University Ltd., the technology transfer company of Tel Aviv University, for the development and commercialization of BL-7050, a novel, orally-available treatment for neuropathic and inflammatory pain.

7 Sep 2011

Cancer Research UK opens olaparib-temozolomide combination Phase I trial in glioblastoma

Cancer Research UK's Drug Development Office has opened a trial of a new combination of drugs for the treatment of patients with brain cancer.

7 Sep 2011

International researchers to assess role of pre-clinical animal models in drug discovery

The New York Academy of Sciences and the Global Medical Excellence Cluster (GMEC), in collaboration with Imperial College London and King's College London, will host a two-day scientific conference, "Animal Models and Their Value in Predicting Drug Efficacy and Toxicity," that will provide a forum to critically examine the role of pre-clinical animal models in drug discovery.

7 Sep 2011

Glioma stem cells can change their metabolic state at will, finds study

The metabolic state of glioma stem cells, which give rise to deadly glioblastomas, is significantly different from that of the brain cancer cells to which they give birth, a factor which helps those stem cells avoid treatment and cause recurrence later.

7 Sep 2011

Scientists discover two opposing neuronal regulatory circuits for generation, elimination of fear

Emotional balance is regulated by molecular factors behind stress response. When healthy people are faced with threatening situations, they react with a suitable behavioural response and do not descend into a state of either panic or indifference, as is the case, for example, with patients who suffer from anxiety.

7 Sep 2011

Cheap medicines could prevent huge number of deaths from heart attacks, strokes

A major new international study involving researchers from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital has revealed that aspirin, statins, beta blockers and ACE inhibitors are prescribed far too infrequently. They are cheap, preventive medicines that could prevent a huge number of deaths from heart attacks and strokes.

7 Sep 2011

Scientists uncover new ways to stimulate pancreatic beta cell growth

One of the holy grails in diabetes research is to discover molecules that stimulate beta cell growth and to find drugs that target these molecules. Now, JDRF-funded researchers in collaboration with the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche, have done both, discovering not only a protein that regulates beta cell growth, but also a chemical compound that stimulates it.

7 Sep 2011

Use of nonaspirin NSAIDs during early pregnancy raises risk of miscarriage in women

The risk of miscarriage is 2.4 times greater for women who took any type and dosage of nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in early pregnancy, according to a University of Montreal study in CMAJ.

7 Sep 2011

Drugs produced in offshore manufacturing plants more likely to have quality problems

Drugs produced in offshore manufacturing plants -- even those run by U.S. manufacturers -- pose a greater quality risk than those prepared in the mainland United States, a new study suggests.

7 Sep 2011

St. Jude Medical's Genesis neurostimulation device receives European CE Mark approval

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced it has received the industry's first and only regulatory approval for the use of an implanted neurostimulation device for patients with intractable chronic migraine.

7 Sep 2011

Oxycodone no safer than codeine for breastfed infants: New study

Doctors have been prescribing codeine for postpartum pain management for many years, and, until recently, it was considered safe to breastfeed while taking the opioid. But the death of an infant exposed to codeine through breast milk has many health care providers questioning the safety of the drug when used by breastfeeding mothers.

7 Sep 2011

FDA reviews safety issues of bisphosphonates for osteoporosis

An advisory committee for U.S. Food and Drug Administration meets Friday to review the safety of a popular class of osteoporosis drugs called bisphosphonates amid worry that their long-term use could cause rare fractures of the thighbones and affect the jawbone. The committee will evaluate whether women should temporarily stop using the drugs or use them for only a few years.

6 Sep 2011

FDA stalls the blood-thinner Xarelto’s approval citing inadequate evidence

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a staff report released today that “there is insufficient information about the drug to determine whether it is safe for use with its proposed labeling.” Their report questions its safety and effectiveness, saying a new study is needed.

6 Sep 2011

Mental health problems ail nearly half of all Americans: Report

According to a new government report about half of Americans will experience some form of mental health problem at some point in their life. The report stresses that more must be done to help the population with mental health problems.

6 Sep 2011

First Edition: September 6, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations include reports from a GOP presidential candidate forum in South Carolina and analysis of what to expect as Congress returns to Washington.

6 Sep 2011

NanoViricides selects NV-INF-1 anti-influenza drug for FDA submission

NanoViricides, Inc. announced today that it has selected a clinical candidate, now designated NV-INF-1, for FDA submission in its highly successful FluCide anti-influenza therapeutics program.

6 Sep 2011

Latest Consumer Reports Index: 16.3% of Americans unable to pay medical bills

When we visit our doctors, we don't typically think of ourselves as "consumers" or buyers of health care, but in these tough times, that is precisely the role a patient needs to play to avoid drowning in a sea of medical bills.

6 Sep 2011

European Neurotech Investing & Partnering Summit to take place in Helsinki

The inaugural European Neurotech Investing & Partnering Summit takes place in Helsinki this week. It features keynotes on the state of the European neurotech industry, investor analysis, as well as company and research project presentations on next generation treatments emerging in the EU for unmet needs of brain and nervous system disorders like Alzheimer's, addiction, depression, schizophrenia, Parkinson's, Huntington's, stroke and more.

6 Sep 2011

Amakem receives €18m in Series A round of funding

Amakem NV today announced it has raised €18m with a syndicate of leading life sciences investors to advance its ophthalmology drug development portfolio and progress its lead candidate, AMA0076 for glaucoma, to clinical proof of concept.

6 Sep 2011