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Taxoxifen combined with dasatinib reverses chemo-resistance in breast cancer cells

Taking a leukemia chemotherapy drug may help breast cancer patients who don't respond to tamoxifen overcome resistance to the widely-used drug, new research from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson suggests.

2 Aug 2011

Statins may help protect young people from future strokes

New research indicates cholesterol lowering drugs known as statins may help prevent future strokes among young people who have already had a stroke.

2 Aug 2011

Merrimack receives FDA orphan drug status for MM-398 to treat pancreatic cancer

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted MM-398 orphan drug status for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

2 Aug 2011

Scientists design octapeptides to fight drug resistant ovarian cancer cells

Italian and German scientists have designed peptides to target the protein-protein interface of a key enzyme in DNA synthesis crucial for cancer growth. The peptides act by a novel inhibitory mechanism and curb cancer cell growth in drug resistant ovarian cancer cells.

2 Aug 2011

Can-Fite commences CF101 phase 2/3 trial for treatment of Psoriasis

Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd, a biotechnology company developing small molecule drugs for the treatment of inflammatory, ophthalmic, and liver diseases, traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange announced today that it has commenced patient enrolment in a phase 2/3 clinical trial of CF101 for the treatment of Psoriasis.

2 Aug 2011

Drink wine to prevent sunburns: Flavonoid research

According to a new Spanish study wine could protect against harmful sunburns. The researchers from the University of Barcelona and the Spanish National Research Council find that a compound found in grapes or grape derivatives may protect skin cells from skin-damaging ultraviolet radiation.

1 Aug 2011

Preventive health services at no additional cost for women: HHS

Historic new guidelines that will ensure women receive preventive health services at no additional cost were announced today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

1 Aug 2011

Prohibitive costs prevent elders from sticking to prescribed medication

As many as one in ten elderly people in the US, registered with Medicare, do not stick to their prescribed medication because it is too expensive, according to Dr. Larissa Nekhlyudov and colleagues from Harvard Medical School.

1 Aug 2011

New device can produce blood-based diagnostic results in minutes

Samuel K. Sia, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering, has developed an innovative strategy for an integrated microfluidic-based diagnostic device-in effect, a lab-on-a-chip-that can perform complex laboratory assays, and do so with such simplicity that these tests can be carried out in the most remote regions of the world.

1 Aug 2011

FDA should collect information needed to develop new framework for 510(k) clearance process

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should gather the information needed to develop a new regulatory framework to replace the 35-year-old 510(k) clearance process for medical devices, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

30 Jul 2011

FDLI conference to discuss IOM study on 510(k) Clearance Process

On the heels of the release of the highly anticipated Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Public Health Effectiveness of the FDA 510(k) Clearance Process, The Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) is holding a "Dialogue" on the report August 4 in Washington, D.C.

30 Jul 2011

Political, economic tensions in Malawi threaten new HIV/AIDS strategy

In a guest post on the GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog, Janet Fleischman, a senior associate at the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, describes the Malawian government's "plans to launch a 'test and treat' program in which all HIV-infected pregnant women will immediately be put on antiretroviral treatment drugs for life."

30 Jul 2011

UCSD researchers examine association of energy balance, breast cancer

A team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center will be participating in a cooperative agreement initiative, funded by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, with four other major cancer centers.

30 Jul 2011

PPTA applauds introduction of 'Preserving Access to Orphan Drugs Act'

The Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA) applauds the introduction of bipartisan legislation, the Preserving Access to Orphan Drugs Act (H.R. 2672) and (S. 1423), which will safeguard the development of drugs and therapies that treat patients with rare diseases by eliminating barriers to innovation.

30 Jul 2011

LA Times: Robots and pharmacies

At Molina Medical Group clinics in Southern California, a vending machine rather than a pharmacist dispenses prescription drugs. Molina officials say the machines make life simpler for patients, but their use has drawn objections from some pharmacists.

30 Jul 2011

Humira defect lawyers file lawsuit against Abbott in Texas state court

Humira defect lawyers filed a lawsuit against Abbott Laboratories in Texas state court claiming Abbott's blockbuster drug, Humira, caused a life-threatening disease, leukemia.

30 Jul 2011

Research roundup: Avoiding readmissions; the future of ACOs

Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Shefali S. Kulkarni compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.

30 Jul 2011

UH Case Medical Center to commence Phase 1 clinical trial on TMC207

University Hospitals Case Medical Center will begin a Phase 1 clinical trial on a new experimental anti-tuberculosis drug called TMC207.

30 Jul 2011

AACE declares obesity as a disease state

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists has declared that there is significant clinical evidence to declare obesity as a disease state. The decision was made in a unanimous vote of the AACE Board of Directors at their quarterly meeting, July 23, in Dallas, TX.

30 Jul 2011

ORENCIA SC formulation receives FDA approval for treatment of adults with RA

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a subcutaneous formulation of ORENCIA (abatacept) for the treatment of adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis.

30 Jul 2011