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Regulatory agencies offer marketing approval for new products to treat neglected diseases

New products to treat neglected diseases have received marketing approval from regulatory agencies at a steadily increasing rate in recent years as R&D funding for those diseases has increased, according to a recently completed study by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development.

18 Nov 2009

New study reveals certain prescription drugs can be harmful to fetus

More than six percent of expectant mothers in Quebec consume prescription drugs that are known to be harmful to their fetuses, according to a Universit- de Montr-al investigation published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

18 Nov 2009

Third patent application for COPD stem cell therapy filed by Entest BioMedical

Entest BioMedical Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ENTB) announced today the filing of a third patent application relating to the area of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a condition that affects more than 5 million patients in the United States, resulting in more than 120,000 deaths per year. The application covers an implantable medical device useful in re-directing the immune system to stop tissue inflammation.

18 Nov 2009

Press conference highlights emerging treatments in pancreatic cancer

As part of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, Thompson will moderate a press conference on emerging treatments in pancreatic cancer on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, in Room 202 of the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Mass., from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET.

18 Nov 2009

CTSA institutions receive NIH grants to study drug safety and efficacy in children

Studying drugs in pediatric populations is challenging because drugs often affect children differently than they do adults. The scarcity of pediatric studies limits the ability of doctors and scientists to predict drug dosing, safety and efficacy in children. To address this gap, the National Institutes of Health announced today 18 grants to help determine outcome measures and increase the likelihood of success of future trials of treatments for children.

18 Nov 2009

PolyMedix completes public offering of units for aggregate gross proceeds of $20.7 million

PolyMedix Inc. (http://polymedix.com), an emerging biotechnology company developing acute care therapeutic drug products for infectious diseases and cardiovascular disorders, announced today that it has completed a public offering of units for aggregate gross proceeds of $20.7 million.

18 Nov 2009

New encapsulated system may enable doctors to deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to tumors

An encapsulation breakthrough by researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology may enable doctors to deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to tumors over extended periods of time, while preventing the systemic side effects of chemotherapy and other current cancer treatments.

18 Nov 2009

Tel Aviv University develops new wound dressing packed with infection-fighting antibiotics

Despite advances in treatment regimens and the best efforts of nurses and doctors, about 70% of all people with severe burns die from related infections. But a revolutionary new wound dressing developed at Tel Aviv University could cut that number dramatically.

18 Nov 2009

Drug therapy offers substantial cost savings than angioplasty

Many patients with diabetes should forego angioplasties for heart disease and just take medicine instead, according to a new National Institutes of Health study led by Stanford University School of Medicine researcher Mark Hlatky, MD.

18 Nov 2009

FDA, Everyday Health expand public health information initiative

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Everyday Health today announced a collaboration that will expand the delivery of the agency's vital consumer health information to the 30 million unique users who visit Everyday Health each month. This joint effort reflects FDA's emphasis on using innovative, technology-based strategies to carry out its mission of protecting and promoting the public health.

18 Nov 2009

Tips on how to prevent household members from getting sick during flu season

someone at home who has H1N1 (swine) flu, it is important for you to prevent other people in the house from getting sick, according to Gary Kalkut, MD, MPH, Senior Vice-President, Chief Medical Officer of Montefiore Medical Center.

18 Nov 2009

China, WHO to collaborate on flu research center

Chinese and WHO officials last week agreed to open a flu research center in Beijing, Bloomberg reports. "The new collaborating center for reference and research on influenza will join a network of WHO-affiliated labs in Atlanta, London, Tokyo and Melbourne that monitor flu strains and make recommendations on vaccines to fight the virus," the news service writes

17 Nov 2009

KHN column: Is fear of flu shifting the goal posts?

"If any public health message has alarmed Americans in recent weeks, it is the repeated claim in the media that healthy young people are dying of 2009 H1N1, or swine flu. ... The response has been predictable: frantic parents clogging waiting rooms in pediatricians' offices, lining up for hours to get their kids vaccinated, and rushing to fill prescriptions for anti-viral drugs before the local pharmacy runs out" (11/17).

17 Nov 2009

White House deal with drug makers may be unraveling

"Congressional Democrats' intensifying efforts to pay for their healthcare overhaul and provide more relief for consumers are threatening to unravel a White House deal with the pharmaceutical industry and turn one of Washington's most powerful lobbies against the legislation," the Los Angeles Times reports.

17 Nov 2009

Capsugel to have exclusive rights to Appian Labs' AppiForm Modular Release System technology

Appian Labs, LLC, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in advanced therapeutic design and delivery, has announced an exclusive Development and Commercial License Agreement for the company’s AppiForm™ Modular Release System with Capsugel, the world's leading provider of dosage form solutions to the pharmaceutical and related healthcare industries. The agreement provides for Capsugel to utilize the AppiForm Modular Release System for customizable drug delivery profiles.

17 Nov 2009

Alkermes commences phase 2 study of ALKS 33 in patients with alcohol dependence

Alkermes, Inc. today announced the initiation of a phase 2 clinical study of ALKS 33, an investigational oral opioid modulator for the potential treatment of alcohol dependence and other central nervous system disorders. The study will assess the safety and efficacy of multiple doses of ALKS 33 in patients with alcohol dependence and is designed to further define the clinical profile of ALKS 33.

17 Nov 2009

China Sky One Medical reports financial results for third-quarter 2009

China Sky One Medical, Inc., a leading fully integrated pharmaceutical company in the People's Republic of China ("PRC"), today announced record financial results for the third quarter of 2009.

17 Nov 2009

IntelGenx completes first successful human study of an anti-migraine film

IntelGenx Corp. is pleased to announce the results of a clinical pilot study that suggests IntelGenx has successfully developed a product that is bioequivalent to a leading branded anti-migraine therapy. The product (INT008) has been developed using IntelGenx's proprietary immediate release film "VersaFilm" drug delivery technology. VersaFilm provides a patent-protected method of formulating in a convenient and discrete dosage form.

17 Nov 2009

Th22 cell to control inflammation in body to help fight off infection discovered

A new type of immune cell that can be out of control in certain chronic inflammatory diseases, worsening the symptoms of conditions like psoriasis and asthma, is described for the first time in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

17 Nov 2009

Researchers study different plant substances to "awaken" the latent HIV-1 virus

Researchers from the University of Cadiz and the University of Cordoba study different plant substances to "awaken" the latent HIV-1 virus, immune to the current therapy, and to obtain more effective treatments in the future.

17 Nov 2009