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Positive preliminary results from Sinovac EV71 vaccine phase I trial in adults

Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, announced today the unblinding of the Phase I clinical trial results for the adult population for its proprietary inactivated vaccine against human enterovirus 71, which causes hand, foot, and mouth disease.

10 Mar 2011

Sinovac submits clinical trial application for 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to China SFDA

Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, announced today it submitted the application to commence clinical trials for its 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) to China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) on March 3, 2011.

3 Mar 2011

Study results of NanoViricides anti-dengue drug candidates presented at NIH/NIAID sponsored conference

NanoViricides, Inc.announced today that Anil R. Diwan, PhD, President of the Company, gave a presentation on Friday, February 18th, that discussed the Company's anti-viral technology and more specifically, results from both in-vitro and in-vivo studies of its drug candidates against dengue virus infections that can potentially cause a fatal manifestation, viz. dengue hemorrhagic fever.

23 Feb 2011

Nasal spray vs. injection -- what would you prefer?

Adelaide researchers have taken a step closer to the development of a universal flu vaccine, with results of a recent study showing that a vaccine delivered by a simple nasal spray could provide protection against influenza.

19 Feb 2011

Rising number of livestock diseases threatens public health, food security in developing countries, report says

"A growing number of livestock, such as cows and pigs, are fuelling new animal epidemics worldwide and posing more severe problems in developing countries as it threatens their food security, according to a report [.pdf] released on Friday" during an international conference in New Delhi, India, on Leveraging Agriculture for Improving Nutrition & Health, Reuters reports (Lyn, 2/11).

14 Feb 2011

Avian flu vaccine stockpiled in 2004 still useful

A stockpiled vaccine designed to fight a strain of avian flu that circulated in 2004 can be combined with a vaccine that matches the current strain of bird flu to protect against a potential pandemic, researchers from Saint Louis University's Center for Vaccine Development have found.

10 Feb 2011

Total flu cover with one shot

In a medical breakthrough, English scientists have developed a so-called “universal” vaccine to influenza - one that protects against all strains of the potentially deadly illness. This would do away with the need for a new vaccine each flu season they say. Seasonal flu affects up to 20 percent of the population and kills an average of 24,600 people each year. This vaccine would act against swine flu as well assure researchers.

8 Feb 2011

Lancet series examines health issues facing populations in Southeast Asia

"Southeast Asia's 600 million people are facing a raft of new health challenges as the disaster-prone region undergoes some of the world's fastest social change," according to a series of papers and commentary pieces, published Tuesday in the Lancet, Agence France-Presse reports (O'Brien, 1/25).

27 Jan 2011

Bird flu outbreak in Japan

After six birds were confirmed to have avian flu, the Miyazaki Prefectural Government has begun culling more than 10,000 chickens at a local poultry farm southwest Japan.

23 Jan 2011

Scientists create GM chicken that does not spread bird flu to other chickens

"Scientists have developed genetically modified [GM] chickens that don't transmit bird flu [H5N1] to other chickens," HealthDay News/Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

18 Jan 2011

Chicks that don’t pass on bird flu

Influenza from birds, commonly known as H5N1 avian flu, has killed at least 306 people during the past seven years and innumerable birds and poultry. Now a team of scientists in Britain have developed a way to breed poultry that are genetically resistant to H5N1 or any other avian flu virus. The study by Scientists from Cambridge and Edinburgh universities was reported in the Jan. 13 issue of Science.

13 Jan 2011

Sinovac's inactivated EV71 vaccine clinical trial against HFMD receives Chinese SFDA approval

Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, announced today that it received approval from the China State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) to commence clinical trials for its proprietary inactivated EV71 vaccine against Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD).

28 Dec 2010

Scientific American examines efforts to increase influenza virus monitoring in pigs to prevent pandemics in humans

Scientific American examines how, in an attempt to improve early recognition of viruses that could give rise to pandemics in people, such as last year's H1N1 swine flu, scientists are looking to better understand "the viruses that infect the estimated 941 million domesticated pigs around the world." However, as the article notes, "[i]ntensive monitoring of pig viruses is unlikely to come any time soon … Most pork-producing countries do not test their pigs at all, and in some that do - such as the U.S. - the testing is done on behalf of the pork producers.

24 Dec 2010

More effective treatment for severe form of influenza

Flu season is upon us and while getting the nasty bug is bad news, the good news is it's now possible to treat the severe form of the virus more effectively, according to a Ryerson University researcher. Though Canada is not expecting a pandemic flu season this winter Health Canada reports that about 4,000 to 8,000 Canadians die each year from flu-related pneumonia.

2 Dec 2010

University of Adelaide researcher leads collaboration for universal flu vaccine

A University of Adelaide researcher is leading a collaboration between Australia and Indonesia on the production of a universal flu vaccine. The frequent arising of new influenza strains represents the greatest challenge to health authorities as it renders currently available vaccines ineffective, says Dr Mohammed Alsharifi, the Head of the Vaccine Research Group at the School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, University of Adelaide.

30 Nov 2010

New simple diagnostic tool to detect dangerous viruses

Boston University researchers have developed a simple diagnostic tool that can quickly identify dangerous viruses like Ebola and Marburg. The biosensor, which is the size of a quarter and can detect viruses in a blood sample, could be used in developing nations, airports and other places where natural or man-made outbreaks could erupt.

22 Nov 2010

NanoViricides' optimized FluCide drug candidates reduce viral load in H1N1 influenza virus study

NanoViricides, Inc. reports that its optimized FluCide™ drug candidates achieved dramatic reduction in viral load within the lungs of animals infected with a lethal dose of H1N1 influenza virus.

15 Nov 2010

Sinovac third quarter sales decrease 7% to $9.6 million

Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, announced today its unaudited financial results for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2010.

15 Nov 2010

Lab study shows nanoviricide drug candidate improves survival rate in influenza viral infection

NanoViricides, Inc. reported today that its FluCide drug candidates demonstrated dramatically improved survival in animals administered a lethal dose of influenza virus. Animals treated with all of the different influenza nanoviricide drug candidates survived for dramatically longer periods as compared to Tamiflu treated animals.

1 Nov 2010

H5N1 lethality gene Replikin Count continues to rise in 2010

BioRadar™ software correctly predicted the 2009 H1N1 (Swine Flu) outbreak a year in advance. The same rise in Replikin Count of these genomic Replikin genes, this time in the H5N1 (Bird Flu) virus, may similarly warn of the coming of severe outbreaks in H5N1.

28 Oct 2010