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Sebelius comes to IPAB's defense as others line up against it

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius penned an op-ed last week offering a strong defense of the health law's Independent Payment Advisory Board. Meanwhile, however, the American Medical Association has taken an official position against the panel, and 270 other health care organizations sent a letter to members of Congress expressing their opposition too.

28 Jun 2011

Amgen files sBLA for XGEVA with FDA to treat castrate-resistant prostate cancer

Amgen today announced the submission of a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand the indication for XGEVA (denosumab) to treat men with castrate-resistant prostate cancer to reduce the risk of developing bone metastases.

28 Jun 2011

Microbix renegotiates key terms of Hunan influenza vaccine joint venture

Microbix Biosystems Inc., a biotechnology company commercializing novel technologies for influenza vaccine manufacturing and biological products announced today that it is renegotiating key terms of the original joint venture agreement with their Joint Venture partner Hunan Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

28 Jun 2011

Circulation journal publishes Celladon's MYDICAR Phase 2 trial on advanced heart failure

Celladon Corp., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative treatments for cardiovascular diseases, announces that the data from its completed Phase 2 CUPID clinical study of MYDICAR for the treatment of advanced heart failure is being published today online in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal.

28 Jun 2011

Gene Codes releases Sequencher 5.0

Gene Codes Corporation announces the release of Sequencher 5.0. It incorporates new DNA sequence data alignment algorithms with SNP and methylation analysis for next-generation DNA sequence data. Performance for assembly and alignment of sequences and contigs is hundreds of times faster.

28 Jun 2011

Bdellovibrio safe and effective for treating Salmonella infection

Scientists have tested a predatory bacterium - Bdellovibrio - against Salmonella in the guts of live chickens. They found that it significantly reduced the numbers of Salmonella bacteria and, importantly, showed that Bdellovibrio are safe when ingested.

28 Jun 2011

Kindstar, Mayo Clinic enter multiyear agreement to offer specialized laboratory support

Mayo Clinic today announced that it has entered into a multiyear agreement with Wuhan Kindstar Globalgene Technology, Inc. (Kindstar) to provide specialized laboratory support based on provision of knowledge from Mayo Clinic's Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and its reference laboratory, Mayo Medical Laboratories.

28 Jun 2011

Luminex acquires EraGen Biosciences

Luminex Corporation today announced the completion of its acquisition of privately-held EraGen Biosciences, Inc., an innovator in molecular diagnostic testing technologies for infectious disease and genetic applications, for $34 million in cash.

From Luminex 28 Jun 2011

Australian Nobel Prize winner closer to delivering vaccines in food after positive first study in humans

The Australian scientist who won a Nobel Prize for identifying a cancer-causing stomach bacterium, today said a clinical trial had shown that some strains of the bacteria (Helicobacter pylori or H. pylori) were safe and well tolerated in humans.

27 Jun 2011

Mayo Clinic signs agreement with Kindstar

Mayo Clinic today announced that it has entered into a multiyear agreement with Wuhan Kindstar Globalgene Technology, Inc. (Kindstar) to provide specialized laboratory support based on provision of knowledge from Mayo Clinic’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and its reference laboratory, Mayo Medical Laboratories.

27 Jun 2011

Eating more soluble fiber and engagement in moderate activity reduces belly fat

All fat is not created equal. Unsightly as it is, subcutaneous fat, the fat right under the skin, is not as dangerous to overall health as visceral fat, the fat deep in the belly surrounding vital organs.

27 Jun 2011

EMA acceptance of brentuximab vedotin MAA triggers $5M milestone payment to Seattle Genetics

Seattle Genetics, Inc., today announced that it will receive a $5 million milestone payment under its brentuximab vedotin (ADCETRIS) collaboration with Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited.

27 Jun 2011

NovaSom completes $35M equity financing led by Safeguard Scientifics

NovaSom, Inc., the market leader in technology-driven, payer-aligned cost-saving solutions for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) management, today announced it has closed $35 million in equity financing.

27 Jun 2011

New 3D herpes infection model brings hope

Herpes infections on the lips, in the eyes or on the nose are painful, long-lasting and unpleasant. A new 3D herpes infection model brings hope: active ingredients and new treatments can be reliably tested with this model. Animal tests could soon be a thing of the past.

27 Jun 2011

Acorda to move corporate headquarters to Ardsley Park life science campus

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that it plans to relocate its corporate headquarters to the Ardsley Park life science campus in Ardsley, New York, which was acquired by BioMed Realty Trust, Inc..

27 Jun 2011

Flamel, Digna Biotech enter joint development agreement for multiple products

Flamel Technologies SA and Digna Biotech SL today announced that the two companies have entered into a joint development agreement for the pre-clinical and clinical development of multiple products.

27 Jun 2011

Former U.S. Surgeon General calls for intensive effort to promote child health

David Satcher, MD, PhD, former U.S. Surgeon General, describes childhood obesity as "one of the greatest threats to child and adult health that we are facing today," calling for an intensive effort to promote child health, in an editorial in the June issue of Childhood Obesity, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The editorial is available online.

27 Jun 2011

Matrix honors EP Vantage with European Mediscience 2011 Commentator of the Year award

EP Vantage, part of EvaluatePharma, was presented with the coveted Commentator of the Year Award at the European Mediscience Awards, sponsored by Matrix, on June 22, 2011.

27 Jun 2011

Diabetic patients can benefit from basal insulin analogs

Basal insulin analogs have revolutionized diabetes care, and especially the treatment of type 2 diabetes, enabling patients to achieve better control of blood glucose levels while reducing hypoglycemic episodes.

27 Jun 2011

FDA approves second anti-HIV drug from Rutgers-Janssen collaboration

Two decades after Rutgers scientists began working with Paul Janssen, a legendary drug developer and founder of Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceutica, to create new and potent drugs to fight AIDS, the FDA has approved the second anti-HIV drug that came from this collaboration.

24 Jun 2011