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NormOxys raises $17.5M in Series B financing round

NormOxys, Inc., a biotechnology company developing a novel class of small molecule drugs which enhance the body's ability to deliver oxygen to diseased tissues, today announced that it has raised $17.5 million in a Series B financing round. The financing was led by a new investor, Care Capital, LLC, with participation from existing venture investor Index Ventures.

24 May 2010

China Yongxin Pharmaceuticals first-quarter 2010 revenues increase 16.3% to $10.68M

China Yongxin Pharmaceuticals Inc., one of the leading health products distribution and retail sales companies in China, today announced its financial results for the first quarter ending March 31, 2010.

24 May 2010

Phase 1 clinical trial of OXY111A initiated

NormOxys Inc., a biotechnology company developing a novel class of small molecule drugs which enhance the body's ability to deliver oxygen to diseased tissues, today announced that it has initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial of OXY111A, a novel allosteric modulator of affinity of oxygen to hemoglobin. NormOxys plans to initially develop this compound as a treatment for chronic heart failure and cancer indications.

24 May 2010

State roundup: Genetic testing on campus, Texas docs in Mass., and more

"A plan by the University of California, Berkeley to voluntarily test the DNA of incoming freshman has come under fire from critics who said the school was pushing an unproven technology on impressionable students. The university has said it will send test kits to 5,500 new students to analyze genes that help control the body's responses to alcohol, dairy products and folic acid" (Wohlsen, 5/21).

24 May 2010

Lytix Biopharma receives approval to initiate Phase I/IIa clinical trial of Lytixar for MRSA

The Norwegian pharmaceutical company Lytix Biopharma AS today announces the approval by the Swedish Medical Products Agency to commence a Phase I/IIa clinical trial with Lytixar (LTX-109) for nasal decolonisation of MRSA.

24 May 2010

Lithium reduces brain inflammation by adjusting metabolism of DHA: Researchers

Though it has been prescribed for over 50 years to treat bipolar disorder, there are still many questions regarding exactly how lithium works. However, in a study appearing in this month's Journal of Lipid Research, researchers have provided solid evidence that lithium reduces brain inflammation by adjusting the metabolism of the health-protective omega-3-fatty acid called DHA.

24 May 2010

New therapies can turn cancer into chronic disease

Two new studies suggest that the prolonged use of cancer drugs helped stunt the progress of the disease, a shift from the scheduled courses of treatment typically delivered to patients, The Wall Street Journal reports.

24 May 2010

New MALDI molecular imaging system offers spatial analysis of target metabolites

At the 58th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, Bruker today announces a novel MALDI molecular imaging system based on the extreme performance of the solariX FTMS.

24 May 2010

CINJ experts available to discuss prevention and treatment of skin cancer

As Memorial Day Weekend and the start of summer beach season fast approach, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) is making experts available to discuss the risks of developing skin cancer and what steps can be taken to prevent it.

24 May 2010

Research on new types of anti-HIV drugs presented at International Microbicides Conference

Researchers testing a vaginal microbicide based on a new type of anti-HIV drug found it provided monkeys significant protection against infection with a virus similar to HIV, according to a study reported at the International Microbicides Conference in Pittsburgh today.

24 May 2010

New electronic device regulates nerve cell activity

A major step toward being able to regulate nerve cells externally with the help of electronics has been taken by researchers at Linköping University and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

24 May 2010

High family medical bills appear to reduce use of expensive medications: Study

People with rheumatoid arthritis whose health insurance requires them to pay a higher share of the cost are less likely to use biotech drugs than those with coverage that is more generous. High family medical bills also appear to reduce the use of these powerful but expensive medications, according to a new study in Health Services Research.

21 May 2010

PDGFRA gene may lead to effective treatments for paediatric high grade glioma: Study

Scientists have discovered a gene that could lead to more effective treatments for a form of childhood brain cancer called paediatric high grade glioma.

21 May 2010

African-Americans, Hispanics less likely to meet MTM eligibility requirements: Study

Medicare's Part D prescription medication management program, also known as Medication Therapy Management, could be off limits to some of the patients who need it most — older African-Americans and Hispanics — a new study finds.

21 May 2010

Drug and alcohol experts to take part in T2010 conference

In August 2010, researchers and experts on drugs, alcohol and medicines will take part in the T2010 conference, the tri-annual meeting of the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (ICADTS). This year's meeting is being hosted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

21 May 2010

European researchers define research priorities in biogerontology

The quality of the medical care for geriatric patients is a major investment for society and must imperatively be a research priority in Europe. This is why 50 European researchers, met on May 17 - 19 in Brussels, to define the research priorities in the field of biogerontology for the next 10 to 15 years.

21 May 2010

Study explores genetic imbalances that give rise to childhood brain tumors

The most comprehensive analysis yet of the genetic imbalances at the heart of childhood brain tumors known as high-grade gliomas (HGGs) identified a cancer gene that is unusually active in some tumors and is now the focus of a St. Jude Children's Research Hospital clinical trial.

21 May 2010

Cancer Institute of New Jersey investigators target autophagy

In an effort to improve current anticancer treatments, investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) have been targeting a process known as autophagy, in which cancer cells eat themselves as a measure of self preservation under chemotherapy and radiation stress, thus prolonging tumor cell survival and inducing resistance to therapy.

21 May 2010

New drug testing technique is safe and effective

A new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet presents a new technique that makes drug testing possible through exhaled air for the first time.

21 May 2010

Influenza antiviral drugs not hoarded during recent H1N1 flu season, says Prime Therapeutics

Despite concerns from public health officials, influenza antiviral drugs were not hoarded during the recent H1N1 flu season, according to a new analysis presented recently at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy's 22nd Annual Meeting in San Diego by Prime Therapeutics (Prime), a thought leader in pharmacy benefit management.

21 May 2010