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Cardiac rehabilitation improves survival rate in heart attack patients

Medicare beneficiaries with heart disease who attended more cardiac rehabilitation sessions had fewer heart attacks and were less likely to die within four years than those who went to rehab less, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

23 Dec 2009

QLT Ophthalmics to distribute Visudyne in the U.S. market

QLT Inc. ("QLT" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the establishment of its commercial presence in the United States through a newly formed U.S. subsidiary, QLT Ophthalmics, Inc. ("QOI"). QOI will take on the sales and marketing of Visudyne(R) in the U.S.

22 Dec 2009

Cell Medica receives second grant for development of adenovirus infection therapy

Cell Medica, a clinical stage cellular therapeutics company engaged in the development and delivery of cellular immunotherapy treatment strategies for infectious disease and cancer, has announced that is has appointed four key staff to drive forwards the Company’s activities in the commercialisation of cell therapy treatments.

22 Dec 2009

Discovery suggests how toxin-filtering cells go awry

Researchers from Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital have identified an important genetic cause of a devastating kidney disease that is the second leading cause of kidney failure in children, according to The NephCure Foundation.

22 Dec 2009

SynergEyes wins the 22nd annual Most Innovative New Product Award for 2009

CONNECT(R), one of the nation's most successful organizations dedicated to creating and sustaining the growth of innovative technology and life science businesses, announced SynergEyes, Inc., the high Dk hybrid contact lens manufacturer, as the winner of its 22nd annual Most Innovative New Product (MIP) Award for 2009.

22 Dec 2009

Heart transplant patients face increased risk for skin cancers

Many heart transplant patients develop multiple skin cancers, with increased risk for some skin cancers among patients with other cancers and with increasing age, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

22 Dec 2009

U.S. Census Bureau highlights pioneering transplant procedures

The first successful organ transplant in the U.S. was performed this week in 1954 in Boston by Harvard Dr. Joseph Murray. He transplanted a kidney from one identical twin to another, who lived just over eight years. For his pioneering work on organ transplants, Dr. Murray received the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1990.

21 Dec 2009

Tackle Cancer Foundation calls attention to REVLIMID for myeloma patients

The TACKLE CANCER FOUNDATION wants to call attention to important news for patients with the blood cancer multiple myeloma. A new study shows patients benefit from daily medical treatments to keep their cancer in check after they have had a stem cell (bone marrow) transplant. The current standard of care is to give patients the transplant and then hold off on additional treatment until they relapse. The new study shows continuous treatment with the oral drug REVLIMID following the transplant significantly prolongs remission, increasing time to disease progression.

18 Dec 2009

Initial data from REVLIMID Phase III trial in multiple myeloma patients announced

Celgene Corporation today announced the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a part of the National Institutes of Health, reported initial data from a Phase III, randomized, double-blind, multi-center clinical study led by the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB).

18 Dec 2009

Safe living guidelines for transplant recipients

Keeping pets healthy can reduce infection risks for people who have received solid organ transplants and veterinarians should be seen as an integral part of the healthcare team. That's just one of the key pieces of advice from a safe living article published in an infectious diseases supplement in the American Journal of Transplantation.

18 Dec 2009

Ambit Biosciences and Astellas Pharma to jointly develop and commercialize FLT3 kinase inhibitors

Ambit Biosciences Corporation and Astellas Pharma Inc. today announced that they have entered into a worldwide agreement to jointly develop and commercialize FLT3 kinase inhibitors in oncology and non-oncology indications.

18 Dec 2009

Cubist Pharmaceuticals acquires Calixa Therapeutics

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading acute care therapeutics company has completed its previously announced acquisition of Calixa Therapeutics Inc.,

17 Dec 2009

Walgreens offers H1N1 vaccine in 27 states

Walgreens, the nation’s largest drugstore chain and an industry leader with more than 17,000 certified or licensed immunizers, today announced it is offering H1N1 vaccine at more than 1,500 Walgreens pharmacies and select Take Care Clinics in 27 states, as well as the District of Columbia.

16 Dec 2009

Patient who received Total Artificial Heart and dual transplant celebrates Christmas

Last December, there were only two things 46-year-old Chuck Besen wanted for Christmas… a matching donor heart and kidney. This year, thanks to the SynCardia temporary CardioWest™ Total Artificial Heart and the dual transplant he received at University Medical Center (UMC) in March, Besen will celebrate his first Christmas at home with his 2-year-old son Dylan and his fiancée Jennifer Hokanson.

16 Dec 2009

New York Times highlights shortfalls in transplant patient immunosuppressive drug coverage

Today's New York Times article by Kevin Sack, "Plan for Kidney Drugs Spurs Division," illustrates an internal renal community reimbursement debate that may result in kidney patients continuing to be deprived of their life-saving immunosuppressive medications beyond the current 36-month Medicare program limit.

16 Dec 2009

Pancreas removal, and successful isolation and transplantation of insulin producing cells

A 21-year old Airman severely wounded in Afghanistan is recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center after several surgeries and an unprecedented transplant.

16 Dec 2009

Positive results from study comparing exenatide once weekly to BYETTA

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company and Alkermes, Inc. today announced positive results from a head-to-head study comparing exenatide once weekly, an investigational diabetes therapy, to BYETTA® (exenatide) injection taken twice daily, in patients with type 2 diabetes.

15 Dec 2009

Kidney drug plan divides transplant and dialysis supporters

The New York Times: "A Congressional proposal to help pay for drugs needed by transplant recipients to prevent rejection of donated kidneys has run into opposition from dialysis providers, drug companies and the National Kidney Foundation." The groups support extending Medicare drug coverage but say the measure would cut funding for dialysis

15 Dec 2009

First Edition: December 15, 2009

A glance at today's health policy headlines offers a common theme: Senate Democrats are likely to abandon the Medicare buy-in plan, which just last week was heralded as part of a compromise plan in that chamber's health bill.

15 Dec 2009

Enrolment for pivotal Phase II/III trial of C-Cure completed ahead of schedule

Cardio3 BioSciences, a leading Belgian biotechnology company specialising in cell-based therapies for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, announced today that it has completed, two months ahead of schedule, enrolment in the first stage of its pivotal Phase II/III trial of C-Cure, a unique stem cell therapy for heart failure.

15 Dec 2009