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The Children's Hospital, UCH to jointly establish new center for advanced maternal fetal medicine

The Children's Hospital and the University of Colorado Hospital have finalized an agreement to jointly establish a center for advanced maternal fetal medicine offering state-of-the-art care for high-risk pregnant women and their babies. The two leading academic medical centers have individually provided such services for more than three decades, and by building on already existing adult and pediatric expertise, they together will be able to provide unparalleled care and treatment for the region's most at-risk moms and babies.

16 Jul 2010

Gene therapy represents safe alternative to current cures for blood disorder β-thalassemia

Italian scientists pioneering a new gene transfer treatment for the blood disorder β-thalassemia have successfully completed preclinical trials, claiming they can correct the lack of beta-globin (β-globin) in patients' blood cells which causes the disease. The research, published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, reveals how gene therapy may represent a safe alternative to current cures that are limited to a minority of patients.

14 Jul 2010

Qualaquin for treatment of night time leg cramps leads to serious side effects, FDA warns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned that the unapproved use of the malaria drug Qualaquin (quinine sulfate) to treat night time leg cramps has resulted in serious side effects and prompted the manufacturer to develop a risk management plan aimed at educating health care professionals and patients about the potential risks.

9 Jul 2010

Pennsylvania Department of Health announces new study on blood disorder Polycythemia vera

The Pennsylvania Department of Health today announced a new, federally-funded study on the blood disorder Polycythemia vera, or PV, in Bedford, Blair, Cambria and Somerset counties.

3 Jul 2010

Masimo granted FDA clearance for Pronto-7 noninvasive hemoglobin spot-check testing device

Masimo, the inventor of Masimo Rainbow Pulse CO-Oximetry™, Masimo Rainbow Acoustic Monitoring™, and Masimo SET® Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, today announced FDA 510(k) clearance for the Pronto-7™—a new handheld device designed for quick and easy noninvasive hemoglobin (SpHb®) spot-check testing, along with SpO2, pulse rate, and perfusion index, in virtually any environment.

28 Jun 2010

Masimo announces limited market release of Pronto-7 handheld hemoglobin spot-check testing device

Masimo, the inventor of Rainbow Pulse CO-Oximetry™, Rainbow Acoustic Monitoring™, and Masimo SET® Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, today announced the international limited market release of Masimo Pronto-7 -- a new handheld device designed for quick and easy noninvasive hemoglobin (SpHb®) spot-check testing in virtually any environment.

23 Jun 2010

Alexion's Soliris may benefit patients with thrombotic microangiopathy from uncontrolled complement activation

Researchers reported today that Soliris® (eculizumab), a first-in-class terminal complement inhibitor developed by Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., may provide clinical benefits to patients with thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) resulting from uncontrolled complement activation. TMA, the formation of blood clots in capillaries and small arteries, can lead to life-threatening damage in multiple organs including kidney failure, thrombocytopenia (abnormally low platelet count) and anemia.

15 Jun 2010

New research evaluating substantial disease burden of PNH presented at European Hematology Association

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced new research evaluating the substantial disease burden of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, an ultra-rare blood disorder, in patients worldwide. The International PNH Registry, involving 580 patients from 99 sites in 14 countries as of May 2010, found that the debilitating symptoms and life-threatening complications of PNH are similar across patient populations around the world.

14 Jun 2010

Alexion Pharmaceuticals plans to launch Soliris in Japan for patients with PNH

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Alexion Pharma International Sàrl today announced that the launch of Soliris (eculizumab) as a treatment for patients with PNH in Japan will begin in the third quarter of 2010, approximately three months earlier than previously expected.

2 Jun 2010

Americans who travel abroad could use extra health coverage

A report by The Associated Press describes the importance of travelers' insurance for those planning trips outside of the country. "Thousands of American travelers each year are flown home with medical assistance because of health emergencies. Car accidents and heart attacks are among the most common reasons.

11 May 2010

New study reinforces urgent need for life-saving vaccines in Africa

A new study released this week in The Lancet Infectious Diseases finds that African children who contract pneumococcus - a bacterial infection that causes pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis - are 36 times as likely to have sickle-cell disease, a blood disorder prevalent in African children that increases the risk for infectious diseases and early death.

29 Apr 2010

Study: Lower blood oxygen levels can lead to heart abnormalities in children with sickle cell disease

Children with sickle cell disease who also have lower blood oxygen levels while both asleep and awake are likely to have heart abnormalities, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and other institutions have found.

28 Apr 2010

Alexion Pharmaceuticals reports total revenues of $117.6M from net product sales of Soliris

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2010.

22 Apr 2010

Alexion Pharmaceuticals completes enrollment in Soliris clinical studies for aHUS

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has completed enrolling patients in all four previously announced prospective, open-label clinical studies investigating Soliris® (eculizumab) as a potential treatment for patients with atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS) being conducted in North America and multiple European countries.

21 Apr 2010

Alexion Pharmaceuticals' Soliris NDA for PNH receives approval in Japan

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Alexion Pharma International Sàrl today announced that Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has approved the Company's New Drug Application (NDA) for the use of Soliris® (eculizumab) as a treatment for patients in Japan with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH).

16 Apr 2010

Study provides benchmark data to evaluate quality of management of sickle cell disease

The largest study to date of the use of acute care medical services by people with sickle cell disease found four of every 10 had to return to the hospital within 30 days of a previous hospitalization or go to the emergency department for treatment of pain, according to a new study funded in part by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

7 Apr 2010

Sickle cell disease: Rehospitalization rates high

7 Apr 2010

Rebirth of the cursed drug Thalidomide

Thalidomide was once a dreaded name in the Pharmaceutical industry. It was initially marketed in some European countries nearly 5 decades back as a sedative and after millions of pregnant women took it for morning sickness it had devastating results on the babies. The babies were born with flippers instead of limbs a condition known as phocomelia. Since then it has been under strict control.

5 Apr 2010

Genetic instability in people with Fanconi anemia: New proteins in FA DNA repair pathway may help explain

Identification of two new proteins in the Fanconi anemia DNA repair pathway may help explain genetic instability in people with Fanconi anemia and how otherwise healthy people are susceptible to cancer from environmentally triggered DNA damage.

26 Mar 2010

Ligand Pharmaceuticals: GSK granted marketing authorization from EC for Revolade

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that GlaxoSmithKline was granted marketing authorization from the European Commission for Revolade® (eltrombopag) for the oral treatment of thrombocytopenia (reduced platelet count) in adults with the blood disorder chronic immune (idiopathic) thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).

15 Mar 2010