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.

Bioactive lipid LPA mediates fibrogenesis in bleomycin mouse model of scleroderma

Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that their collaborators, Andrew Tager, M.D. and Flavia V. Castelino, M.D. of Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, will present a preclinical proof-of-concept study which demonstrates that the bioactive lipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), through its high affinity LPA1 receptor, is an important mediator of fibrogenesis in the bleomycin mouse model of scleroderma. Data will be presented as part of a poster session for the 1st Systemic Sclerosis World Congress to be held in Florence, Italy, February 11 to 13, 2010.

11 Feb 2010

Trimel BioPharma Holdings updates business developments

Trimel BioPharma Holdings Inc. is today providing an update on a number of operational items that have contributed significantly to advancing the Company and achieving its initial objectives.

10 Feb 2010

sanofi-aventis reports 2009 fourth-quarter and full-year net earnings

Commenting on the Group's 2009 performance, sanofi-aventis Chief Executive Officer Christopher A. Viehbacher said, "2009 was the first year of implementation of our new strategy. Major steps have already been achieved in strengthening our growth platforms and reinforcing our R&D pipeline while delivering a double-digit EPS(1) growth".

10 Feb 2010

Report shows 3.4% of adult Minnesotans suffer from COPD

The nation's fourth leading cause of death, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is now being measured by the Minnesota Department of Health's Environmental Public Health Tracking Program. The program focuses on three major causes of hospitalizations in Minnesota that can be triggered or made worse by environmental factors such as secondhand smoke or outdoor air pollution — asthma, heart attacks and COPD.

10 Feb 2010

Acupuncture: An effective pain management therapy for pediatric patients

Doctors at Rush University Medical Center are offering pediatric patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses acupuncture therapy to help ease the pain and negative side effects like nausea, fatigue, and vomiting caused by chronic health conditions and intensive treatments.

10 Feb 2010

GA²LEN and EAACI warn: Older antihistamines in OTC allergy medications may be hazardous

A joint GA²LEN /EAACI report to be published in "Allergy" and available online on 8 February reviews new data on the treatment of allergies with older antihistamines compared with newer, second-generation H1-antihistamines. The research was funded by GA²LEN, an EU-funded Network of Excellence.

10 Feb 2010

Survey reveals need for better access to levalbuterol for asthma patients

A recent electronic survey of US asthma experts demonstrated the need for better access to levalbuterol, the fast-acting medicine used to treat the narrowing of airways (bronchospasm) caused by asthma, for selected patients.

9 Feb 2010

Merck's asthma drug formoterol/mometasone to garner global peak year sales of more than $250M

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, following its expected launch this year for the treatment of asthma, Merck's formoterol/mometasone will garner peak year sales of more than $250 million in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.

9 Feb 2010

FDA approves Lupin Pharmaceuticals' Amlodipine/Benazepril capsules

Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) has granted final approval for its Amlodipine/Benazepril 2.5mg/10mg, 5mg/10mg, 5mg/20mg and 10mg/20mg capsules. Commercial shipments of the product have already commenced.

9 Feb 2010

FDA approves Sagent Pharmaceuticals' labetalol HCl injection for severe hypertension

Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that it has received FDA approval of labetalol hydrochloride (HCl) injection, USP, commonly used to control severe hypertension. The product will be available in two vial sizes – 100 mg per 20 mL and 200 mg per 40 mL, multi-dose vials.

9 Feb 2010

Women using oestrogen-only HRT at increased risk of asthma after menopause

Oestrogen-only hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may increase the risk of developing asthma after the menopause, suggests a large scale study published ahead of print in the journal Thorax.

7 Feb 2010

Strengthening NAAQS for ozone pollution would reduce premature death, asthma

Environmental Defense Fund testified today that strengthening the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ozone pollution from 75 to 60 parts per billion (ppb) would reduce premature death rates by 60-fold and reduce asthma cases 50-fold, according to analyses by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

5 Feb 2010

Anthem Blue Cross introduces DailyMed Pharmacy program for Medi-Cal members

Imagine having to face the daily struggle of taking six or more different medications a day to manage a chronic health condition; add to this the worry of missing or taking a dose incorrectly. For Anthem Blue Cross (Anthem) Medi-Cal members, that daily struggle will now be simplified to help increase medication adherence and reduce medication errors.

5 Feb 2010

Children exposed to acetaminophen prenatally more likely to have asthma symptoms at age five

Children who were exposed to acetaminophen prenatally were more likely to have asthma symptoms at age five in a study of 300 African-American and Dominican Republic children living in New York City.

5 Feb 2010

Mike Critelli introduces Allviant’s CarePass technology at CHVI event

Dossia Chairman Mike Critelli, a recognized innovator in health benefits and workforce wellness, introduced Allviant Corporation’s CarePass™ technology at the Center for Health Value Innovation (CHVI) event on February 2 in Washington, D.C.

4 Feb 2010

New program to help the U.S. health care sector switch to cleaner, renewable energy sources

In recent months, three U.S. hospitals signed energy contracts that will save over $1.7 million in energy costs, provide them with up to 10 percent clean energy. The green energy will avoid 11,829 metric tons of CO2 being released to our atmosphere, which is equivalent to taking 2,052 cars off the road or not burning 56 railcars' worth of coal.

4 Feb 2010

Guns in homes can increase risk of death and firearm-related violence

Having a gun at home not only increases the risk of harm to one's self and family, but also carries high costs to society, concludes an article in the February Southern Medical Journal, official journal of the Southern Medical Association.

4 Feb 2010

Mandatory flu shot program increases vaccination rate to more than 98% in BJC HealthCare

Making flu shots mandatory in 2008 dramatically increased the vaccination rate among St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare's nearly 26,000 employees to more than 98 percent, according to a report now online in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

4 Feb 2010

UTMB: Mother's exposure to BPA increases risks of asthma in her children

For years, scientists have warned of the possible negative health effects of bisphenol A, a chemical used to make everything from plastic water bottles and food packaging to sunglasses and CDs.

4 Feb 2010

Innovative discharge program reduces congestive heart failure readmissions

An innovative discharge program developed by Saddleback Memorial Medical Center combining coordination of hospital and community resources, strong patient education and the IDEAL LIFE Bluetooth-enabled wireless remote health monitoring system has helped to reduce congestive heart failure (CHF) readmissions by 50 percent

3 Feb 2010