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Two experimental Ebola vaccines appear to be safe in PREVAIL clinical trial in Liberia

Two experimental Ebola vaccines appear to be safe based on evaluation in more than 600 people in Liberia who participated in the first stage of the Partnership for Research on Ebola Vaccines in Liberia (PREVAIL) Phase 2/3 clinical trial, according to interim findings from an independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board review.

30 Mar 2015

Study finds C. difficile infection increases hospital readmission rates

Patients with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) are twice as likely to be readmitted to the hospital as patients without the deadly diarrheal infection, according to a study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

30 Mar 2015

Promising clinical trial results for ebola vaccines

Interim findings from a clinical trial (PREVAIL) in which two experimental Ebola vaccines were given to more than 600 people in Liberia indicate that the vaccines are safe for use in humans. Based on these positive results, the vaccines may continue into the next stage of clinical evaluation; a phase 3 trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

27 Mar 2015

New Ebola vaccine shows promise in first phase 1 clinical trial

Results from the first phase 1 trial of an Ebola vaccine based on the current (2014) strain of the virus are today published in The Lancet. Until now, all tested Ebola virus vaccines have been based on the virus strain from the Zaire outbreak in 1976. The results suggest that the new vaccine is safe, and provokes an immune response in recipients, although further long-term testing will be needed to establish whether it can protect against the Ebola virus.

27 Mar 2015

Aridis Pharmaceuticals begins Aerucin Phase 1 clinical study for treatment of acute pneumonia

Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company applying proprietary technologies to produce novel therapies for infectious diseases, announced today the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical study of Aerucin, the Company's fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, which is being developed as an adjunctive treatment for acute pneumonia.

26 Mar 2015

Study: HBV exposure increases immune system maturation of infants

A Singapore led study has shown that Hepatitis B Virus Infection (HBV) exposure increases the immune system maturation of infants, which may give a better survival advantage to counteract bacterial infection during early life. These findings radically modify the way that HBV vertical infection of neonates (mother-to-child) is portrayed, and present a paradigm shift in the approach to treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B.

26 Mar 2015

FDA approves Quadracel vaccine to protect young children from life-threatening diseases

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved use of Quadracel (Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Absorbed and Inactivated Poliovirus; DTaP-IPV) vaccine for active immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and poliomyelitis in children 4 through 6 years of age.

25 Mar 2015

Researchers discover new way to attract, kill pregnant malaria-transmitting mosquitoes

The battle against malaria is also a battle against its natural host, the mosquito, which means disrupting the insect's lifecycle is every bit as important as putting nets over beds. Now, an international research team has discovered what attracts mosquitos to lay their eggs in specific places.

25 Mar 2015