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Updated U.S. prescribing information for Boehringer Ingelheim’s Pradaxa

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. prescribing information for Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate mesylate) capsules was updated to include a contraindication related to use in patients with mechanical prosthetic heart valve replacement.

21 Dec 2012

Addiction specialists co-edit new textbook to help Canadians stop smoking

Researchers from the University of Alberta are helping Canadian smokers butt out with a new textbook designed to give health professionals the right tools to treat tobacco addiction.

21 Dec 2012

Biotest receives FDA approval for BIVIGAM to treat primary humoral immunodeficiency

Biotest AG announced today that Biotest Pharmaceuticals Corporation received approval for BIVIGAM for the treatment of patients with Primary Humoral Immunodeficiency (PI) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

20 Dec 2012

Positive top-line results from Idera’s IMO-3100 Phase 2a trial on plaque psoriasis

Idera Pharmaceuticals today announced that 48% of patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (12 of 25) treated with IMO-3100, a selective antagonist of Toll-like Receptors (TLRs) 7 and 9, demonstrated improvements in Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) scores of 35% to 90% from baseline at the completion of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2a clinical trial of two dose levels of IMO-3100 administered for four weeks, with a four-week follow-up period.

20 Dec 2012

Long physical work does not greatly influence miscarriage risk

Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that fears about substantially increased miscarriage risks in women working shifts, long hours, and in jobs involving moderate-to-high physical workload may be largely unfounded.

19 Dec 2012

Tumor cells manipulate unfolded protein response

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that tumor cells use stress signals to subvert responding immune cells, exploiting them to actually boost conditions beneficial to cancer growth.

19 Dec 2012

Metallic probe can detect fibrils from misfolded proteins in real time

Rice University scientists have discovered a new way to look inside living cells and see the insoluble fibrillar deposits associated with Parkinson's disease.

19 Dec 2012

Roundup: Minn. court rules relatives deserve same pay for personal care attendant work; Colo. governor wants $18.5M for expanded mental health care

The state's effort to reduce pay for some personal care attendants has hit a snag. The Minnesota Appeals Court ruled Monday that the state's attempt to pay PCAs who care for relatives 20 percent less than other personal care attendants is unconstitutional. "They have the same training, they have the same experience, they're limited to the same number of maximum hours," said attorney David Bradley Olsen, who represents 11 agencies and several personal care assistants who sued over the matter.

19 Dec 2012

MiR-122 plays a critical role in the life cycle of hepatitis C virus

Hepatitis C virus has evolved to invade and hijack the basic machinery of the human liver cell to ensure its survival and spread. Researchers at the University of North have discovered how hepatitis C binds with and repurposes a basic component of cellular metabolism known as a microRNA to help protect and replicate the virus.

19 Dec 2012

Study: Half of the benefit of taking sleeping pills comes from the placebo effect

Half of the benefit of taking sleeping pills comes from the placebo effect, according to a major new study published in the British Medical Journal.

19 Dec 2012

Jagaricin and antifungal drugs: an interview with Prof Christian Hertweck

Most people have already experienced a fungal infection (mycosis) of the outer layer of the skin, athlete’s foot or ringworm. Whereas such infections may be cumbersome and often difficult to cure, usually they are not dangerous. However, in cases where a fungus causes a systemic infection, this is, it infects internal organs such as lungs or brain, the infection may turn into a life-threatening disease. Of course, only pathogenic fungi cause problems and the degree of virulence varies.

18 Dec 2012

Lexicon receives FDA Fast Track status for development of LX1033 for irritable bowel syndrome

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing breakthrough treatments for human disease, announced today that it has received "Fast Track" status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the development of LX1033, an orally-delivered small molecule drug candidate for diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-d).

17 Dec 2012

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, Bristol-Myers Squibb announce partnership

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) today announced that Bristol-Myers Squibb has joined the MMRF pre-competitive consortium (PCC) to discover and accelerate new approaches to treating multiple myeloma through the organization's Personalized Medicine Initiative (PMI).

15 Dec 2012

Endocyte picks Medidata Solutions cloud-based platform to support clinical trials

Biopharmaceutical company Endocyte has selected the Medidata Solutions cloud-based platform to support the execution of multiple ongoing clinical trials focused on the development of targeted therapies for cancer and other serious diseases.

15 Dec 2012

LCSB, AxoGlia receive Michael J. Fox Foundation grant for Parkinson's project

AxoGlia Therapeutics SA, a biopharmaceutical company which drives the development of innovative neural stem/progenitor cell differentiation and neuroprotective therapeutics, today announced that it has been awarded a Rapid Response Innovative Award from The Michael J. Fox Foundation, for a project that is performed in collaboration with the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB).

15 Dec 2012

AcelRx announces top-line data from Sufentanil NanoTab PCA System Phase 3 trial

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of acute and breakthrough pain, today announced that top-line data from its previously announced open-label, active-comparator study of its lead product candidate, the Sufentanil NanoTab PCA System, will be featured in poster presentations to be held at the 66th annual New York State Society of Anesthesiologists PostGraduate Assembly meeting in New York City to be held December 14-18, 2012.

15 Dec 2012

Patheon acquires Banner Pharmacaps

Patheon Inc., a leading provider of contract development and manufacturing services to the global pharmaceutical industry, today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Banner Pharmacaps, a specialty pharmaceutical business dedicated to the research, development and manufacturing of unique gelatin-based dosage forms.

15 Dec 2012

Cempra commences CEM-102 Phase 2 trial in prosthetic joint infections

Cempra, Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing antibiotics to meet critical medical needs in the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases, today announced the initiation of its Phase 2 clinical trial of CEM-102 in patients with prosthetic joint infections (PJIs).

15 Dec 2012

Bayer files radium-223 NDA with FDA for treatment of CRPC patients with bone metastases

Bayer HealthCare today announced that the company has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval for radium Ra 223 dichloride (radium-223), an investigational compound for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients with bone metastases.

15 Dec 2012

New finding likely to fuel cost-benefit debate over cancer care

A study published Thursday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute concluded that proton-beam therapy provided no long-term benefit over traditional radiation despite far higher costs.

15 Dec 2012