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New analysis finds global improvements in life expectancy

Global life expectancy increased by 5.8 years in men and 6.6 years in women between 1990 and 2013, according to a major new analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 (GBD 2013).

19 Dec 2014

Figitumumab development discontinued for non-adenocarcinoma NSCLC

Adding the novel insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor inhibitor figitumumab to the epidermal growth factor receptor–tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib does not improve survival in patients with non-adenocarcinoma non-small-cell lung carcinoma, research shows.

12 Dec 2014

First-line dacomitinib may improve advanced NSCLC survival

Preliminary research suggests that the second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor dacomitinib may improve progression-free survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor mutations.

11 Dec 2014

Study indicates major added benefit of propranolol in some children with haemangioma

The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG)investigated in a dossier assessment whether propranolol offers an added benefit in comparison with the appropriate comparator therapy in infants with proliferating infantile haemangioma (sometimes called "strawberry mark").

7 Dec 2014

Simple treatments for Ebola patients not given sufficient priority

The widespread misconception that there are no proven treatments for Ebola virus disease has meant that simple treatments – especially intravenous fluids and electrolytes, which could reduce the number of deaths caused by the virus – have been neglected, according to a new Comment, published in The Lancet.

5 Dec 2014

Dacomitinib ‘not superior’ to erlotinib in advanced NSCLC

Dacomitinib, an irreversible, pan-epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, does not improve outcomes compared with the first-generation EGFR–TKI erlotinib in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, irrespective of their KRAS mutation status, finds the ARCHER 1009 study.

24 Nov 2014

New drug shows promise against treatment-resistant non-small cell lung cancer

A new drug that targets not only common cancer-causing genetic mutations in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but also a form of the mutation that causes resistance to treatment, has shown promising results in patients in a phase I/II clinical trial.

23 Nov 2014

Study reveals ETEC bacteria's genetic composition

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) bacteria are responsible each year for around 400 million cases of diarrhoea and 400,000 deaths in the world's low- and middle-income countries. Children under the age of five are most affected.

11 Nov 2014

Griffith University receives significant funding boost to combat pneumonia

Griffith University’s bid to fight the childhood killer pneumonia has received a significant boost following the award of a $304,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

11 Nov 2014

MSD announces Phase 2b results of doravirine therapy in untreated patients with HIV-1 infection

Merck Sharp & Dohme Ltd. MSD (known as Merck & Co., Inc. in the United States and Canada), today announced the presentation of results from a Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of once daily oral doravirine, an investigational next-generation non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), plus tenofovir/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) compared to efavirenz plus TDF/FTC in previously untreated patients with HIV-1 infection.

4 Nov 2014

Specific complex carbohydrates in human milk protect against Norovirus

Norovirus is the most common cause of viral epidemic gastroenteritis. About 18% of all gastroenteritis infections are caused by Norovirus affecting 267 million people worldwide every year. According to information of the Robert Koch-Institute more than 200.000 Norovirus-infections were registered in Germany during 2012 and 2013. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report up to 21 million Norovirus-infections per year in the USA.

30 Oct 2014

Obeticholic acid drug shows promise against bile acid diarrhoea

A pilot study testing a new type of drug in patients with chronic diarrhoea has shown promising effects on reducing their symptoms.

21 Oct 2014

Statement on Ebola epidemic

The Ebola virus is spreading rapidly and to an unexpected extent. The outbreak does not follow the patterns experienced in the past and the virus shows a new disease dynamic in regions, where it has never been recorded before. For this reason, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, acatech – the German Academy of Science and Engineering, and the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities have presented a statement on the Ebola epidemic today.

16 Oct 2014

Four out of ten children in Burkina Faso genetically resistant to virus strains

Every year rotavirus causes half a million diarrhoea-related deaths amongst children in developing countries. Existing vaccines provide poor protection. The reason could be a widespread genetic resistance amongst children, according to virologists at Linköping University.

15 Oct 2014

New research shows impact of ulcerative colitis on patients' quality of life, treatment satisfaction

New research shows that the majority of patients with the challenging inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis (UC), state that the three biggest impacts of the disease on their lives are on their emotional state (in terms of depression, anger or anxiety levels) (76%), ability to get adequate rest/sleep (75%), and taking sick days off work (70%). Those who have had a colectomy (removal of the colon) were more likely to suffer from these impacts.

14 Oct 2014

Sanitation programme in India increases latrine coverage, not health

A sanitation programme currently being widely implemented in low-income communities in India significantly increases latrine coverage but does not actually improve health, a study involving 100 rural villages, published in The Lancet Global Health has found.

10 Oct 2014

Depression contributes to abnormal pain processes in IBS patients

High rates of anxiety and depression amongst patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have led many researchers to believe there could be a causal relationship between psychological factors and IBS symptoms. Now, scientists in Germany have found clear evidence that patients with IBS process pain signals from the gut abnormally, and that disturbed brain responses to pain are particularly pronounced in patients with more depression symptoms.

3 Oct 2014

Combination treatment prevents disease progression in patients with advanced melanoma

New data announced today has demonstrated that combinational treatment of cobimetinib with Zelboraf (vemurafenib), the first personalised medicine to extend life in the first-line setting for over 30 years, in patients with advanced melanoma (BRAFV600 mutation-positive) can prevent disease progression (progression-free survival; PFS) by 9.9 months compared to 6.2 months following treatment of vemurafenib alone.

30 Sep 2014

AZD9291 shows median progression-free survival in patients with EGFRm T790M+ advanced NSCLC

Updated data from the ongoing AURA study of AZD9291 shows encouraging, although still immature, median progression free survival of 9.6 months (95% CI 8.3 to NC) in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor mutation positive (EGFRm) T790M+ advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had disease progression following treatment with an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR TKI).

30 Sep 2014

Cediranib combined with chemotherapy improves survival in recurrent cervical cancer

For patients with cervical cancer that has recurred after treatment or has spread elsewhere in the body, adding the experimental drug cediranib to standard chemotherapy improves tumour shrinkage and adds a modest improvement in progression-free survival, researchers report at the ESMO 2014 Congress in Madrid.

29 Sep 2014