Allergy News and Research

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The term allergy encompasses a wide range of conditions; it is not a disease in itself. In 1906 Clemens von Pirquet was the first to describe allergies as a changed or altered reaction of the immune system in response to exposure to foreign proteins. These days the term allergy – medically termed hypersensitivity, signifies an exaggerated reaction to foreign substances.

4medica's IHR to be demonstrated at HIMSS conference

4medica, the leading independent provider of Web-based connectivity between physicians and clinical laboratories, today announced the launch of its Integrated Health Record (IHR™), which includes modular components designed to enable hospitals and eligible providers to demonstrate “meaningful use” and qualify for federal government incentives in 2011.

1 Mar 2010

Oral immunotherapy promising for egg allergies, SLIT for milk allergies

Children with egg allergies who consume increasingly higher doses of egg protein - the very nutrient they react to - appear to gradually overcome their allergies, tolerating eggs better over time and with milder symptoms, according to research conducted at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and elsewhere.

1 Mar 2010

JACI supplement supports the importance of small airways in asthma management

Increasing evidence supports the importance of small airways in the diagnosis and treatment of asthma; however, focused areas of discussion and critical review of this topic have been lacking. To foster a better understanding of the role of small airways in asthma management, Teva Respiratory, a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., will be providing reprints of a special supplement entitled "Small Airway Involvement: A Key to Asthma" from the December issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at their exhibit (Booth #724) at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting being held Feb. 26-March 2, 2010 in New Orleans, La.

1 Mar 2010

Aruba Networks, Motion Computing announce unified communications and data access healthcare solution

Aruba Networks, Inc., a global leader in 802.11n wireless LANs and secure mobility solutions, and Motion Computing, a leading provider of integrated mobile computing solutions, today announced a certified healthcare solution to reliably deliver unified communications services and data access at the point-of-care.

1 Mar 2010

Electronic prescribing decreases prescription errors

Should doctors around the country use e-prescribing to decrease prescription errors? A study led by physician-scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College found that health care providers using an electronic system to write prescriptions were seven times less likely to make errors than those writing their prescriptions by hand. The study appears today in the online edition of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

27 Feb 2010

Phadia AB plans to provide access for specialists to peanut allergen components

Today, at the 2010 Annual Meeting of The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) Phadia, the world leader in in vitro allergy diagnostics, announced plans to provide access for specialists to peanut allergen components. These plans support Phadia’s goal to expand collaboration with allergy and immunology specialists in order to advance the understanding of the clinical utility of allergen component test results.

27 Feb 2010

Gaucher disease: FDA approves VPRIV

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved velaglucerase alfa for injection (VPRIV) to treat children and adults with a form of the rare genetic disorder Gaucher disease.

26 Feb 2010

New strategy against Botulinum toxin

A study involving the world's deadliest substance has yielded a new strategy to clear toxins from the body-which may lead to more efficient strategies against toxins that may be used in a bioterrorist event, as well as snake bites, scorpion stings, and even some important chronic diseases.

26 Feb 2010

Mylan reports total revenues of $1.35 billion for fourth-quarter 2009

Mylan Inc. today announced its financial results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2009.

25 Feb 2010

FDA's warning over LABA medications for asthma: AANMA offers guidance

Today Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) offered guidance to help patients understand recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warnings about Advair ® (fluticasone and salmeterol), Foradil ® (formoterol), Severent ® (salmeterol) and Symbicort ® (budesonide and formoterol), daily inhaled medications containing a long-acting beta agonist (LABA, a 12-hour bronchodilator).

24 Feb 2010

FDA issues approval for Gileads's Cayston for respiratory symptoms in cystic fibrosis

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval for Cayston® (aztreonam for inhalation solution) as a treatment to improve respiratory symptoms in cystic fibrosis patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Cayston’s safety and efficacy have not been established in pediatric patients below the age of 7, patients with forced expiratory volume in one second of less than 25 percent or greater than 75 percent predicted, or patients colonized with Burkholderia cepacia.

23 Feb 2010

NIH awards Sanaria Phase II SBIR grant to develop genetically attenuated, whole parasite malaria vaccine

Sanaria Inc. has received additional support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health in the form of a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant. The three-year award totaling approximately $3 million will support collaborative research by investigators at Sanaria and Columbia University.

23 Feb 2010

AAAS meeting examines test-and-treat model's potential for fighting HIV spread, TB co-infection

Researchers speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting on Saturday, discussed how a strategy to promote universal voluntary HIV tests and early antiretroviral treatment for patients living in high-risk areas might "derail the spread of [HIV/]AIDS, a battle where a successful vaccine remains elusive," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports

23 Feb 2010

Axolotl has the most live HIE clients in acute-to-acute space, KLAS reports

Axolotl Corp. was identified as one of the early leading Health Information Exchange (HIE) solution providers with a fast-growing client base in the new KLAS report “Health Information Exchanges: The Reality of HIE Adoption.”

22 Feb 2010

Genetics associated with DILI and SSR: FDA and SAEC complete third release of data

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the International Serious Adverse Event Consortium (SAEC) today announced the third release of data on the genetic basis of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and serious skin reactions (SSRs).

22 Feb 2010

New guidance document to prevent food allergies

For the first time, national authorities carrying out official food allergen controls have a common basis for accepting validated testing methods. Consumers allergic to certain food ingredients will benefit from an increased level of protection by the availability of harmonised and reliable testing methods, and international trade will be facilitated by applying mutually-agreed testing protocols.

19 Feb 2010

Asthma: LABAs should not be used alone

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that drugs in the class of long-acting beta agonists (LABAs) should never be used alone in the treatment of asthma in children or adults. Manufacturers will be required to include this warning in the product labels of these drugs, along with taking other steps to reduce the overall use of these medications.

19 Feb 2010

Rituxan, intended for patients with CLL receives FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Rituxan (rituximab) to treat certain patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a slowly progressing blood and bone marrow cancer.

18 Feb 2010

Acute sinus infections always begin as cold

Have a cold that just won't go away or is getting worse? Chances are your cold has developed into a sinus infection - a common problem this time of year, says Alan Wild, M.D., assistant professor of otolaryngology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

18 Feb 2010

AAFA launches national PSA on "Two Main Causes of Asthma"

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is launching a national public service announcement (PSA) supported by GlaxoSmithKline titled "Two Main Causes of Asthma." The PSA goal is to communicate an important message to the millions of Americans with asthma: that treating the two main causes of asthma symptoms may help prevent symptoms before they begin. Asthma symptoms include coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing and chest tightness.

17 Feb 2010