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Galderma to acquire CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals

Galderma Pharma S.A., a global specialty pharmaceutical company focused on dermatology, and CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced a definitive agreement pursuant to which Galderma's U.S. holding company, Galderma Laboratories, Inc., will acquire all of the outstanding shares of CollaGenex at a price of $16.60 per share in cash, representing approximately $420 million for the equity of CollaGenex.

27 Feb 2008

Faster chemo technique increases survival in children with neuroblastoma

Chemotherapy given with shorter intervals between treatments than conventional chemotherapy increases survival rates by two thirds in children with high-risk neuroblastoma , according to a study published in the Lancet Oncology * today (Tuesday).

27 Feb 2008

Adult stem cells may be beneficial for certain cardiovascular disorders and autoimmune diseases

A review of previously published research suggests that stem cells harvested from an adult's blood or marrow may provide treatment benefit to select patients for some autoimmune diseases and cardiovascular disorders, according to an article in the February 27 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

27 Feb 2008

Adding therapy helps adolescents with depression not responding to SSRIs

For adolescents with depression not responding to an initial treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI; a class of antidepressant drugs), switching medications and adding cognitive behavioral therapy resulted in an improvement in symptoms, compared to just changing medications, according to a study in the February 27 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

27 Feb 2008

Leptin which suppresses hunger could be the way to beat obesity

Australian scientists say a hormone that suppresses hunger may be far more powerful when it comes to weight loss than first thought.

26 Feb 2008

Hormone therapy increases frequency of abnormal mammograms, breast biopsies

Combined hormone therapy appears to increase the risk that women will have abnormal mammograms and breast biopsies, and it may decrease the effectiveness of both methods for detecting breast cancer, according to a report in the Feb. 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

26 Feb 2008

Early and intensive lowering of high blood pressure improves stroke outcomes

Early and intensive lowering of high blood pressure has shown promising effects in stroke patients, according to results of a new stroke study by The George Institute for International Health.

26 Feb 2008

Questions over use of antibiotics in 'end of life' care

Antibiotics appear to be frequently prescribed to individuals with advanced dementia in nursing homes, especially in the two weeks before death, according to a report in the February 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

26 Feb 2008

Abbott receives approval for HUMIRA (Adalimumab) for polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Abbott has announced that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to market HUMIRA (adalimumab) as a treatment to reduce signs and symptoms of moderately to severely active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in patients four years of age and older.

26 Feb 2008

Surgery for spinal stenosis yields greater benefits over nonsurgical treatments

A research study by orthopedic spine, back and neck surgeon at Rush University Medical Center Dr. Howard An and colleagues found that patients who underwent surgery for spinal stenosis showed significantly more improvement in all primary outcomes than did patients who were treated nonsurgically.

26 Feb 2008

Smoking and pre-eclampsia

Pregnant women who suffer from the high risk condition pre-eclampsia which leads to the death of hundreds of babies every year are putting the lives of their unborn children at significantly increased risk if they continue to smoke during pregnancy.

26 Feb 2008

Small protein discovered that specifically recognizes tumors responding to chemotherapy

A technique that specifically "tags" tumors responding to chemotherapy may offer a new strategy for determining a cancer treatment's effectiveness within days of starting treatment, according to a new study by Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators.

26 Feb 2008

Quality of care for inflammatory bowel disease patients can be improved

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic recurrent gastrointestinal disease.

26 Feb 2008

Cytori Therapeutics receives positive news on breast reconstruction study

Cytori Therapeutics was informed that positive longer-term follow-up data were presented from an independent, investigator-sponsored breast reconstruction study in Japan.

26 Feb 2008

Unusual case of upper obstructive syndrome

Aorto-duodenal fistulae (ADF) are the most frequent aorto-enteric fistulae (80%) and the most frequent presenting sign of ADF is upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGI).

25 Feb 2008

Technology to defeat bacterial infections shows positive results

The use of natural controls against serious bacterial infection and superbugs is being led by a UK company. Scientists at Biocontrol Ltd have presented at the Bacteriophage 2008 meeting in Hertfordshire a first look at the results of their initial Phase II clinical trial.

25 Feb 2008

XYNTHA approved for teatment of hemophilia A by FDA

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth ( NYSE:WYE) , announced today that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for XYNTHA(TM) (Antihemophilic Factor [Recombinant], Plasma/Albumin-Free), a recombinant factor VIII product, for patients with hemophilia A for both the control and prevention of bleeding episodes and surgical prophylaxis.

22 Feb 2008

Alternative treatment method offers effective way to treat Crohn's disease

An international research study, published in The Lancet, has thrown into question the current method of treating Crohn's disease - opening the door to a safer and more effective treatment option for sufferers of the chronic disease.

22 Feb 2008

New proof-of-principle findings that thymic involution can be reversed in humans

Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology (GIVI) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have found that therapy can be used to stimulate the production of vital immune cells, called "T- cells," in adults with HIV infection.

21 Feb 2008

Genetic defect causes immune deficiency and balance disorder

A genetic defect that causes a severe immune deficiency in humans may also produce balance disorders, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Iowa, The Jackson Laboratory and East Carolina University.

21 Feb 2008