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Teenager smoking on the rise

A new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that only six months after Minnesota legislators eliminated the state's aggressive, successful "Target Market" youth anti-tobacco campaign, kids in Minnesota were at substantially greater risk of falling victim to tobacco addiction.

16 Apr 2004

FDA approves advanced malignant melanoma drug

Maxim Pharmaceuticals today announced that its treatment protocol to provide its investigational drug Ceplene(TM), in combination with interleukin-2 (IL-2), for the treatment of patients with advanced malignant melanoma, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

14 Apr 2004

Estrogen-alone hormone therapy had no effect on coronary heart disease risk

A large, multi-center heart disease prevention study, part of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), found that estrogen-alone hormone therapy had no effect on coronary heart disease risk but increased the risk of stroke for postmenopausal women.

13 Apr 2004

Spike TV launches men's health campaign with National Medical Association

As part of Spike TV's mission to make a difference in men's lives, the network announces the launch of "Check Up or Check Out," a national pro-social campaign directed at improving men's health. The campaign was launched today with Spike TV's "Check Up or Check Out" campaign with Randall W. Maxey, M.D., Ph.D,. President of the National Medical Association.

13 Apr 2004

FDA makes moves to block foreign drug imports

The Food and Drug Administration today announced a new partnership with the Virginia Pharmacists Association to distribute consumer educational materials outlining the risks of purchasing medicines outside of FDA’s regulatory scope. Over the past month, FDA has co-sponsored agreements with state pharmacists associations in Illinois, California, Texas, Maryland, New York, and Nebraska, and the Agency anticipates that additional agreements will be signed in the weeks ahead.

13 Apr 2004

Medicare to launch website showing comparative drug pricing

Medicare has announced it will be publishishing detailed information comparing the prices of most prescription drugs, which is set to shake up the pharmaceutical industry.

12 Apr 2004

Sponsors of Medicare-approved discount cards will begin marketing their cards

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) announced last week that 28 private sponsors will offer 49 different Medicare-sponsored drug discount cards, beginning June 1. Additionally, 43 private health plans have received CMS approval to offer Medicare drug discount cards to their members only.

11 Apr 2004

Study suggests ways to prevent prostate cancer

Current information on prostate cancer risk factors suggests that some cases might be prevented. One possible risk factor that can be changed is diet. You may be able to reduce your risk of prostate cancer by changing the way you eat.

11 Apr 2004

Launch of The Oxford Genetics Knowledge Park by Matt Ridley

The Oxford Genetics Knowledge Park is a partnership between Oxford University and the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, and is one of six such Parks nationally, funded by the Departments of Health and Trade and Industry. The aim of the Genetics Knowledge Parks (GKPs) is to translate advances in genetics research into clinical practice.

6 Apr 2004

Phase 3 study of drug teduglutide in patients with short bowel syndrome

Teduglutide is an analog of glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2), a naturally occurring hormone that regulates the growth, proliferation and maintenance of cells lining the gastrointestinal tract. Teduglutide has been shown in animal studies and previous human clinical trials to increase the size and number of these cells, thereby increasing the absorptive surface area of the intestines.

6 Apr 2004

£1.6m for research into a possible cure for muscular dystrophy

A consortium which includes Oxford researchers has won £1.6m in government funding for ground-breaking research into a possible cure for muscular dystrophy.

30 Mar 2004

First Canadian therapeutic HIV vaccine trial

Clinicians from the McGill University Health Centre and the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) are participating in the first Canadian therapeutic HIV vaccine trial. Funded by a number of public and private institutions, including the Canadian Network for Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics (CANVAC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, this project will begin in April.

30 Mar 2004

First large-scale clinical trial of chelation therapy, a controversial treatment for heart disease

NYU Medical Center has begun enrolling patients in the first large-scale clinical trial of chelation therapy, a controversial treatment for heart disease widely practiced by complementary and alternative medicine physicians. The new, government-funded nationwide study will determine whether the therapy benefits people with coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.

30 Mar 2004

IPM takes over Microbicide development to protect against sexual transmission of HIV

International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) today announced that it has reached a farsighted agreement with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals Ltd, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. The aim is to develop the promising compound TMC120 as a safe and effective microbicide to help protect women from infection with HIV. This agreement marks the first collaboration in the microbicide field between a major healthcare company and a public-private partnership such as IPM.

29 Mar 2004

Novel vaccine technology to suppress the growth of certain tumors

MedImmune, Inc. and Cerus Corporation have announced preclinical results demonstrating the effectiveness of a novel therapeutic vaccine technology in suppressing the growth of certain tumors.

From Baxter International Inc. 29 Mar 2004

Immunomodulator induces long-term anti-tumor activity

EntreMed, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutic candidates primarily for the treatment of cancer, today reported that three months following administration with ENMD 0996, preclinical animal models showed inhibition of metastases. Data presented demonstrated that ENMD 0996 specifically blocks the activity of basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), a naturally-occurring protein that stimulates angiogenesis, but had no effect on other angiogenesis stimulators.

29 Mar 2004

BHF anti-smoking adverts hit nerve with general public

An incredible 94% of smokers surveyed said they recognised at least one element of the 'Give Up Before You Clog Up' campaign, with the 'dripping fat cigarette' TV advert sticking in the memories of 90% of those surveyed. The survey was conducted by leading research agency, Hall and Partners, who say the statistics beat any other advertising campaign they have worked on.

29 Mar 2004

New patent to develop antibody therapies for cancer and other diseases

The University of Rochester Medical Center and Vaccinex, Inc. announced today the award of a key U.S. patent for a technology platform that can assist researchers in finding new treatments for cancer and other diseases. While the technology has many applications, one promising use is for the identification of certain proteins, called monoclonal antibodies, that are capable of seeking out and destroying harmful cells. Several companies have recently developed monoclonal antibodies as treatments for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and other conditions. Under an exclusive, worldwide license from the University of Rochester, Vaccinex is using the patented technology to discover and develop new monoclonal antibody therapies.

26 Mar 2004

Oral chemotherapy agent Orathecin™ (rubitecan) capsules accepted by FDA for filing

SuperGen Inc. announced today that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially accepted the Orathecin™ (rubitecan) capsules’ New Drug Application (NDA) for filing. Orathecin, an investigational anticancer compound, is an oral chemotherapy agent that has been investigated as a treatment for pancreatic cancer patients who have failed at least one prior chemotherapy.

26 Mar 2004

20% of worldwide population lack enough zinc in diet

Up to one-fifth of the world's people lack sufficient zinc in their diet, while an estimated one-third live in countries considered at high risk of zinc deficiency, warns a comprehensive new report by an international group of medical researchers.

23 Mar 2004