Asthma News and Research

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Asthma is a common inflammatory disease affecting the airways that leads to shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing. Symptoms range from mild to severe but are generally manageable with appropriate treatment.

Anaphylatoxin C5a may be responsible for devastating effects of atherosclerosis

For decades, doctors have looked at fitness levels, weight, and overall health risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Now, they may soon add a new risk factor to the list: activation of the complement system. The complement system is usually implicated in immune responses, but now there's a role for it in cardiovascular disease.

5 Jan 2011

Chest: January news briefs

New research suggests that subcutaneous omalizumab is safe and effective an add-on treatment to corticosteroids for moderate to severe asthma in children and adults. Researchers from Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile performed a meta-analysis on eight trials where 1,883 patients received omalizumab and 1,546 received a placebo.

4 Jan 2011

Vitamin D deficiency could be linked to development of certain autoimmune lung diseases

A new study shows that vitamin D deficiency could be linked to the development and severity of certain autoimmune lung diseases.

4 Jan 2011

Flu worries continue

As number of cases of flu rise in the UK, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley is under pressure to strengthen the flu vaccination campaign. He reinstated a public health “Catch It, Bin It, Kill It” advertising campaign after he was warned by government advisers of the need to improve immunization rates which are at their lowest this winter for many years. It had been discontinued despite helping educate the public to adopt good hygiene habits during last year’s H1N1 swine flu epidemic at a cost of just £609,000. There were 12 more deaths in the last week from flu, bringing the total this winter to 39, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said today. Thirty-six were killed by H1N1 swine flu, which is the most virulent of the two main flu strains currently circulating. The others died after contracting Influenza B, the other strain. All except one of the 39 were under 65 and four were under five.

2 Jan 2011

Tips to avoid allergy and asthma triggers at the gym

A New Year's resolution to get in shape is good news for your health. But if you have allergies or asthma, the hidden triggers at the gym may be bad for your condition.

30 Dec 2010

Florida Hospital, Sanford-Burnham and Takeda enter obesity research collaboration

Florida Hospital, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda)(TSE: 4502), announced today that they have signed a research agreement to form a collaboration to discover and evaluate new therapeutic approaches to obesity, a growing worldwide health problem. The partnership aligns complementary strengths in biomedical research, clinical research and drug development to identify and validate obesity- related biomarkers and new peripheral molecular targets of mutual interest.

29 Dec 2010

Vitamin D levels of newborns appear to predict their risk of respiratory infections

The vitamin D levels of newborn babies appear to predict their risk of respiratory infections during infancy and the occurrence of wheezing during early childhood, but not the risk of developing asthma. Results of a study in the January 2011 issue of Pediatrics support the theory that widespread vitamin D deficiency contributes to risk of infections.

27 Dec 2010

Pfizer's sublicensing of Tanaproget triggers $1 million upfront payment to Ligand

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today that its partner Pfizer, Inc. has granted a sublicense to a multi-national pharmaceutical company for Tanaproget, also known as NSP-989. As a result, Ligand will receive an upfront payment of $1 million from Pfizer. Ligand is entitled to clinical and regulatory milestone payments from Pfizer as Tanaproget advances through the development process, as well as tiered royalties on net sales.

23 Dec 2010

Santen files IND for Clinical Data's ATL313 for primary open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension

Clinical Data, Inc., today announced that Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., has filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Clinical Data's highly selective adenosine A2A agonist, ATL313, for the indication of primary open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension.

From Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. 23 Dec 2010

Immunization with VLP vaccine results in functional, protective immune responses against RSV

Novavax, and scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, led by Dr. Trudy Morrison, published in the January 2011 issue of The Journal of Virology, a report indicating that a novel virus-like particle vaccine candidate against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) protects mice from a live virus challenge.

23 Dec 2010

Obese people more likely to report exercise as a trigger for asthma

Obese people are more likely to report exercise as a trigger for asthma. Of 673 people evaluated in a new study whose results are published in the journal The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 71 percent of participants reported exercise-induced asthma (ETA).

23 Dec 2010

Merck announces FDA approval for GARDASIL against HPV-related anal cancer

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved GARDASIL® [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16, and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant] for the prevention of anal cancer caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 and for the prevention of anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) grades 1, 2 and 3 (anal dysplasias and precancerous lesions) caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18, in males and females 9 through 26 years of age.

23 Dec 2010

FDA approves Novartis' Amturnide for treatment of high blood pressure

Today Novartis announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Amturnide (aliskiren, amlodipine and hydrochlorothiazide) tablets for the treatment of high blood pressure. Amturnide combines the only approved direct renin inhibitor worldwide, Tekturna (aliskiren), with the widely used calcium channel blocker amlodipine and the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ).

23 Dec 2010

Antares Pharma submits NDA for Anturol Gel in patients with overactive bladder

Antares Pharma, today announced the filing of a New Drug Application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Anturol Gel in patients with overactive bladder.

22 Dec 2010

FDA issues CRL to Cumberland's Acetadote sNDA for non-acetaminophen acute liver failure

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today that it has received a Complete Response Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding its supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for Acetadote® (acetylcysteine) Injection to treat patients with non-acetaminophen induced acute liver failure.

22 Dec 2010

Wellcome Trust awards additional £390,000 for investigation of Allergen Delivery Inhibitors

Scientists at St George's, University of London and the University of Manchester have received an additional Seeding Drug Discovery award of £390,000 from the Wellcome Trust to explore a new class of experimental drugs that block the trigger of allergic reactions before symptoms show.

21 Dec 2010

Researchers develop new lung imaging technique that causes minimum tissue disruption

Fast-moving objects create blurry images in photography, and the same challenge exists when scientists observe cellular interactions within tissues constantly in motion, such as the breathing lung. In a recent UCSF-led study in mice, researchers developed a method to stabilize living lung tissue for imaging without disrupting the normal function of the organ.

21 Dec 2010

'CART' treatment better than traditional cognitive therapy at altering hyperventilation and panic symptoms

A new treatment program teaches people who suffer from panic disorder how to reduce the terrorizing symptoms by normalizing their breathing.

21 Dec 2010

Study reveals nasal congestion can be a sign of severe asthma

Nasal congestion can be a sign of severe asthma, which means that healthcare professionals should be extra vigilant when it comes to nasal complaints. Furthermore, more severe asthma appears to be more common than previously thought, reveals a study from the Sahlgrenska Academy's Krefting Research Centre.

21 Dec 2010

Take charge of your medical tests

Whether you're healthy or ill, there are a variety of medical tests your health care team might recommend for you. A yearly checkup often includes routine tests such as blood sugar and cholesterol levels, vision and hearing assessments, tests for heart functioning and others used to monitor a chronic condition—such as a lung function test for those with asthma.

20 Dec 2010

Asthma News and Research

Further Reading

Anaphylatoxin C5a may be responsible for devastating effects of atherosclerosis

Chest: January news briefs

Vitamin D deficiency could be linked to development of certain autoimmune lung diseases

Flu worries continue

Tips to avoid allergy and asthma triggers at the gym

Florida Hospital, Sanford-Burnham and Takeda enter obesity research collaboration

Vitamin D levels of newborns appear to predict their risk of respiratory infections

Pfizer's sublicensing of Tanaproget triggers $1 million upfront payment to Ligand

Santen files IND for Clinical Data's ATL313 for primary open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension

Immunization with VLP vaccine results in functional, protective immune responses against RSV

Obese people more likely to report exercise as a trigger for asthma

Merck announces FDA approval for GARDASIL against HPV-related anal cancer

FDA approves Novartis' Amturnide for treatment of high blood pressure

Antares Pharma submits NDA for Anturol Gel in patients with overactive bladder

FDA issues CRL to Cumberland's Acetadote sNDA for non-acetaminophen acute liver failure

Wellcome Trust awards additional £390,000 for investigation of Allergen Delivery Inhibitors

Researchers develop new lung imaging technique that causes minimum tissue disruption

'CART' treatment better than traditional cognitive therapy at altering hyperventilation and panic symptoms

Study reveals nasal congestion can be a sign of severe asthma

Take charge of your medical tests

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