Becker News and Research

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Cardiologist receives grant to study impact of erectile dysfunction drugs on muscular dystrophy patients

A Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute cardiologist has been awarded a three-year, nearly $1 million grant from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) to study whether drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction could also be used to improve muscle blood flow and reduce fatigue in muscular dystrophy patients.

25 Mar 2010

MiddleBrook Pharmaceuticals, DoctorDirectory.com enter into agreement to expand IncreaseRx promotion program

MiddleBrook Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has entered into an agreement with DoctorDirectory.com Inc., the Company’s promotion partner for MOXATAG (amoxicillin extended-release) Tablets, 775 mg, to expand its previously announced IncreaseRx® promotion program.

17 Mar 2010

MiddleBrook Pharmaceuticals full-year 2009 revenues rise 67.7%

MiddleBrook Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced its 2009 fourth quarter and full-year results, that it is further restructuring to reduce expenses, and that it is evaluating strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value.

12 Mar 2010

PIA hails the elimination of medical malpractice insurers from draft of bill

The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents is hailing the elimination of medical malpractice insurers from the draft of a bill restricting the limited federal insurance antitrust exemption under the McCarran-Ferguson Act.

24 Feb 2010

ICAP Ocean Tomo offers Medcanica's patent portfolio for sale

ICAP Ocean Tomo, the intellectual property brokerage division of ICAP plc (IAP.L), is offering for sale a patent portfolio relating to a cardiothoracic surgery system owned by Medcanica, LLC. The portfolio consists of 14 U.S. issued patents, 4 non-U.S. patents, and 1 U.S. patent application.

17 Feb 2010

Penn Medicine experts available to offer medical insight and commentary during 2010 Winter Olympics

Experts from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are available to offer expert medical insight and commentary during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver on issues ranging from the effects of performance enhancing drugs to concerns about the spread of novel H1N1, head trauma and more.

3 Feb 2010

USP develops revised quality guidelines for pharmacists who prepare life-saving drugs

To further protect the safety of patients taking individually prepared medications, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) has developed new and revised quality guidelines for pharmacists who compound-or individually prepare-these life-saving drugs.

30 Jan 2010

World’s largest repository of correlated genetic genealogical information under creation in Mali

The Utah Arts Council today announced it has selected Faces of Mali, an exhibit of photographs of village life in western Africa, for its 2010 traveling art program. The show, sponsored by Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF) and Mali Rising—two Utah-based non-profit organizations—and the Embassy of Mali, opens a window for viewers into a region with a 600-year history as a center for scholarship and trade. The first traveling exhibit is scheduled for Canyon Community Center in Springdale beginning Feb. 4.

25 Jan 2010

PTC Therapeutics initiates additional clinical trial of ataluren in boys and young men with nmDBMD

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (PTC) today announced the initiation of an additional clinical trial of ataluren (PTC124®) in boys and young men with nonsense mutation Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy (nmDBMD) who have permanently lost the ability to walk independently.

20 Jan 2010

Link between dystrophin gene and age of cardiac disease onset in BMD patients identified

Investigators in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital have identified a link between specific modifications of the dystrophin gene and the age of cardiac disease onset in patients with Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). This information could help clinicians provide early cardiac intervention for BMD patients based on genetic testing results performed on a blood sample. These findings are a result of analysis of the largest number of BMD patients to date and are published in the December issue of the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics.

18 Jan 2010

Medicare begins to reimburse for HIV screening

The Hartford Courant reports that "testing for the virus among those 65 and older lags far behind testing of other Americans, and experts say they worry that HIV cases in older adults go undiagnosed — some because of the stigma that the disease still carries, some because patients might dismiss the symptoms of the virus as signs of other conditions more frequently associated with aging and some because doctors can be hesitant to talk to older patients about sex or link their symptoms with HIV."

6 Jan 2010

Number of new medicines in development to fight diabetes, reports Nabe News in Brooklyn

Nabe News in Brooklyn, New York recently reported that 183 new medicines are in development to fight diabetes. The report details a record number of drugs for this chronic disease currently in human clinical trials and awaiting approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

13 Dec 2009

Easy and affordable genetic test from Pathway Genomics

Pathway Genomics™ (www.PATHWAY.com), a privately held, venture-backed company, today announced an exclusive agreement to partner with OptumHealthSM Allies and offer the organization’s 15 million members a 20% discount on Pathway’s Health and Ancestry genetic test.

13 Nov 2009

SBA provision, antitrust exemption and FTC involvement need to be addressed in Senate, says PIA

Inclusion of a provision in the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) allowing insurance agents to sell health policies offered by health insurance exchanges is positive, but other issues remain to be addressed in the Senate, according to the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA).

10 Nov 2009

Phase 2a clinical trial in nonsense mutation hemophilia A and hemophilia B initiated

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (PTC) today announced it is expanding the development of ataluren, an investigational new drug, to a third indication with the initiation of a Phase 2a clinical trial in nonsense mutation hemophilia A (nmHA) and hemophilia B (nmHB).

26 Oct 2009

Congress reauthorizes Ryan White Care Act - funding for HIV/AIDS

The New York Times: "The House on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed legislation allocating billions of dollars in federal money for the treatment of HIV and AIDS. By a vote of 408-9, the House reauthorized the Ryan White Care Act, first enacted in 1990 and named for the Indiana teenager who died of AIDS. The Senate has already passed the bill by unanimous consent."

24 Oct 2009

Data on ULORIC treatment for gout flares presented at the 73rd American College of Rheumatology meeting

Data presented at the 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology highlight effects of baseline characteristics on achievement of serum uric acid (sUA) levels to <6.0 mg/dL and the frequency of flares with ULORIC- (febuxostat) treatment.

20 Oct 2009

CONFIRMS trial demonstrates efficacy of ULORIC for treating hyperuricemia in patients with gout

19 Oct 2009

NIH awards UNC researcher $507,000 for rotavirus vaccine study

A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher has been awarded a four-year, $507,000 grant from the National Institute of Health's Fogarty International Center to study the effectiveness of rotavirus vaccines in the Central American nation of Nicaragua.

14 Oct 2009

Grunenthal to distribute Labopharm's tramadol-acetaminophen formulation in EU market

Labopharm Inc. today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Labopharm Europe Limited, has completed a distribution and supply agreement with Grunenthal GmbH for its twice-daily tramadol acetaminophen formulation for a number of countries in Europe.

8 Oct 2009