Anemia News and Research

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Anemia is a decrease in normal number of red blood cells (RBCs) or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin deficiency. The three main classes of anemia include excessive blood loss (acutely such as a hemorrhage or chronically through low-volume loss), excessive blood cell destruction (hemolysis) or deficient red blood cell production (ineffective hematopoiesis). Anemia is the most common disorder of the blood. There are several kinds of anemia, produced by a variety of underlying causes. Anemia can be classified in a variety of ways, based on the morphology of RBCs, underlying etiologic mechanisms, and discernible clinical spectra, to mention a few.

Acceleron commences ACE-536 phase 2 study in beta-thalassemia

Acceleron Pharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing protein therapeutics for cancer and orphan diseases, today announced the initiation of a phase 2 study of its novel, investigational protein therapeutic, ACE-536, to treat patients with beta-thalassemia, a genetic hematologic disorder causing chronic and life-threatening anemia and serious complications affecting the spleen, liver and heart.

7 Mar 2013

FDA accepts AMAG’s Feraheme sNDA for review

AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the company's supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for Feraheme (ferumoxytol) Injection for Intravenous (IV) use, which was submitted to the FDA in December 2012.

6 Mar 2013

Zinc protoporphyrin a marker for iron deficiency in low-income children

Researchers say that zinc protoporphyrin could be a useful measure for screening infants from low-income families for iron deficiency, as well as for monitoring response to therapy, especially among children with anemia.

6 Mar 2013

HIV infection may increase risk of acute myocardial infarction

A study that analyzed data from more than 82,000 veterans suggests that infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was associated with an increased risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI, heart attack) beyond what is explained by recognized risk factors, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

4 Mar 2013

The clock runs out on averting sequestration

Time ticked down to March 1 -- also known as sequestration D-day -- without the White House and lawmakers finding a way to avert the scheduled cuts.

3 Mar 2013

First Edition: March 1, 2013

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports: "David P. Blom is one of thousands of hospital executives across the country who are bracing for a reduction in Medicare payments as part of a series of federal spending cuts that begin Friday. Blom, 58, is president and chief executive officer of OhioHealth, a Columbus, Ohio, based not-for-profit health care system that includes 18 hospitals, 23 health and surgery centers, home-health providers and other facilities."

1 Mar 2013

Two antagonistic proteins help keep leukemia at bay

Two proteins that scientists once thought carried out the same functions are actually antagonists of each other, and keeping them in balance is key to preventing diseases such as cancer, according to new findings published in the February 25 issue of Developmental Cell by scientists at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

27 Feb 2013

Anemia medication recall could affect thousands of kidney-disease patients

The recall comes as a sharp blow to Affymax, a small biotechnology firm based in Palo Alto, Calif., that developed Omontys and has no other late-stage drugs in its pipeline.

26 Feb 2013

FDA alerts patients and health care providers of voluntary recall of Omontys by Affymax

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting health care providers and patients of a voluntary nationwide recall of all lots of Omontys Injection by Affymax, Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., and Takeda Pharmaceuticals Company Limited, of Deerfield, Ill.

25 Feb 2013

UCB seeks FDA and EMA marketing authorization for Cimzia to treat active psoriatic arthritis

UCB announced today two new regulatory filings with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to extend the marketing authorization for Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) for the treatment of adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and for adult patients with active axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).

20 Feb 2013

Consortium database model compares favorably for RCC prognosis

The International Metastatic Renal-Cell Carcinoma Database has been externally validated and is now ready for application, researchers report.

20 Feb 2013

Tranylcypromine may also hold promise in treating sickle cell disease

An antidepressant drug used since the 1960s may also hold promise for treating sickle cell disease, according to a surprising new finding made in mice and human red blood cells by a team from the University of Michigan Medical School.

19 Feb 2013

Findings add weight to WHO malaria pregnancy guidance

Pregnant women who receive three or more doses of malaria preventive therapy have higher birthweight babies than those who only receive two, conclude the authors of a meta-analysis.

18 Feb 2013

New approach could make gene therapy dramatically more effective for HIV patients

A research team from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has discovered an approach that could make gene therapy dramatically more effective for patients.

16 Feb 2013

FDA approves Novartis’ Zortress to prevent organ rejection after liver transplantation in adults

Novartis announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Zortress (everolimus) for the prophylaxis of organ rejection in adult patients receiving a liver transplant.

16 Feb 2013

Positive new data from Genzyme’s eliglustat tartrate Phase 3 studies on Gaucher disease type 1

Genzyme, a Sanofi company, today announced positive new data from the Phase 3 ENGAGE and ENCORE studies of eliglustat tartrate, its investigational oral therapy for Gaucher disease type 1.

15 Feb 2013

New progestogen-only treatment effective in stopping acute abnormal uterine bleeding

New research from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) found a progestogen-only treatment halted bleeding in women suffering from extremely heavy periods, according to the study published online by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

15 Feb 2013

Medgenics closes public offering of 5,600,000 shares of common stock and warrants

Medgenics, Inc., the developer of a novel platform technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins in patients using their own tissue, announces yesterday's closing of an underwritten public offering of 5,600,000 shares of common stock and Series 2013-A warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 2,800,000 shares of common stock.

14 Feb 2013

Diastolic hypotension key predictor of admission in pediatric asthma

Results from a large study show that diastolic hypotension is a consistent predictor of admission to hospital in all children with asthma.

12 Feb 2013

Selumetinib shows high response rate for patients with low-grade serous ovarian cancer

Low-grade serous ovarian cancer is less common and aggressive than the high-grade variety, yet exceptionally difficult to treat when frontline therapy fails.

11 Feb 2013