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Medicare drug spending varies by region, does not offset other medical costs

A study has found that Medicare spending on drugs varies significantly in different regions, and that increased drug spending isn't offset by lower spending on hospital care, doctors visits and other health services, HealthDay/Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

11 Jun 2010

Dems to seniors: The Medicare checks are in the mail

The Obama administration began mailing $250 checks Thursday to seniors who hit the Medicare prescription drug doughnut hole - a notorious gap in coverage - as part of the health overhaul, The Columbus Dispatch reports. "The tax-free, one-time rebate is the first tangible benefit of the new health-care law and the initial step toward phasing out the coverage gap for Medicare recipients with Part D drug coverage and who do not qualify for additional assistance" (Candisky, 6/11).

11 Jun 2010

Researchers demonstrate efficacy of routine psychotherapeutic treatment for depression

Depression is one of the most common forms of psychiatric disorder. It can occur at any time of life and it may affect children and adolescents as well as the elderly. However, depression can usually be suitably managed with the help of cognitive behavioral therapy. Researchers based at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have been able to demonstrate both the efficacy and the extent of the beneficial effect of routine psychotherapeutic treatment for depression.

11 Jun 2010

PharmaTrust to demonstrate MedCenter technology at Annual Healthcare Conference

PharmaTrust has been invited to participate in the Private Company forum of the Goldman Sachs 31st Annual Healthcare Conference in Los Angeles, June 14th to 17th. The company will demonstrate its revolutionary Healthcare…Everywhere MedCenter which will connect conference 'patients' in Los Angeles to PharmaTrust pharmacists in Toronto.

11 Jun 2010

Sundise to implement Medidata Rave as its EDC and CDM solution

Medidata Solutions, a leading global provider of SaaS-based clinical development solutions, today announced that Traditional Chinese Medicine company Sundise will implement Medidata Rave as its electronic data capture and clinical data management solution. Selected for its ability to offer a broad global reach with local in-country support, Medidata will work with Sundise to conduct its first U.S. trial for its TCM treatment for liver fibrosis and will play a key role in supporting the company's strategy to launch in the U.S.

11 Jun 2010

NeoPharm first-quarter net loss decreases to $1.4 million

NeoPharm, Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the research, development and commercialization of new and innovative therapeutic applications of drugs for cancer and other diseases, today announced its first quarter 2010 financial results.

11 Jun 2010

Otonomy completes $10 million Series A financing with Avalon Ventures

Otonomy, Inc. announced today that it has completed a $10 million Series A financing with Avalon Ventures. Proceeds from the financing will be used to support the ongoing clinical trial for OTO-104 in Meniere's disease, initiate IND-enabling studies for OTO-203, and continue early-stage development of a third program.

11 Jun 2010

Study results of genes regulated by ERB published in Journal of Biological Chemistry

Bionovo Inc. today announced the publication of results from a study demonstrating the three distinct classes of genes regulated by estrogen receptor beta. The results are published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. This is an important discovery for future development of selective drugs regulating this pathway.

11 Jun 2010

Eribulin mesylate drug may help extend lives of women with advanced breast cancer

A new drug, based on a natural extract from sea sponge, may help to extend the lives of women with advanced breast cancer, UK scientists have found. A research team at the University of Leeds and St James's Institute of Oncology led an international trial of the new chemotherapy drug, eribulin mesylate.

11 Jun 2010

Amorfix Life Sciences reports operational and year-end financial results for fiscal 2010

Amorfix Life Sciences, a company focused on the development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and diagnostics for the treatment of fatal neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, today announced its operational and financial results for the year ended March 31, 2010, as well as financial results for the fourth quarter.

11 Jun 2010

UNITAID approves plan: Solidarity levy to provide funding for health Millennium Development Goals

At a meeting which ended last night, the Executive Board of UNITAID approved a plan to step up efforts to enlist more countries to apply a solidarity levy on air tickets to provide additional funding for the health Millennium Development Goals. The Board approved a number of resolutions, among them the final phase of the establishment of a medicines patent pool, but a situation of depleting funds raises concerns for the many patients currently being treated by UNITAID.

11 Jun 2010

UK scientists discover cancer-blocking activity in Down's syndrome chromosome

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered cancer-blocking activity for genes carried on chromosome 21 - an extra copy of which is carried by people with Down's syndrome, reveals research published in Nature.

11 Jun 2010

ViroStatics, Vichem Chemie partner to discover new AV-HALT drugs

ViroStatics, srl, an Italian-US biopharmaceutical company today announced the formation of a strategic partnership with Vichem Chemie of Budapest, Hungary to identify, synthesize, screen, and develop the next generation of AntiViral-HyperActivation Limiting Therapeutics (AV-HALTs) for the treatment of HIV/AIDS and other chronic diseases.

11 Jun 2010

Children who attend youth clubs are less likely to engage in problem behaviors

When children belong to a youth club, they gain a stronger sense of who they are as a person, an Ohio State University study has revealed.

11 Jun 2010

Telomere length can act as stopwatch to predict progression of leukaemia: Research

Scientists have pinpointed key changes to the telomeres in the cells of leukaemia patients which could play a crucial role in the earliest stages of the disease, according to research published online in the journal Blood.

11 Jun 2010

Today's fathers play an active role in children's lives

Many of today's dads are more involved in the day-to-day lives of their children, says Heidi Sallee, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University.

11 Jun 2010

Research may lead to better treatments for depression and substance abuse

In what has been hailed as a breakthrough, scientists from Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical College have outlined the molecular mechanism of membrane transport. The research shows how a protein transforms its shape to transport substances across the cell membrane in order to regulate transmission of the brain's messages across the synaptic gap from one neuron to another.

11 Jun 2010

New book provides overview of paediatric drug development

Children in the developed world have never enjoyed better medical care: mortality has decreased and many fatal diseases of the past can today be prevented or even cured. However, the current practice of pharmacotherapy in children does not reflect existing scientific knowledge and has come under scrutiny by paediatricians, pharmacists and regulatory authorities. In order to advance the development of medicines tailored to paediatric needs, US and EU legislators have taken action, and the WHO has initiated a global paediatric campaign.

11 Jun 2010

Innovaro facilitates protein transduction technology licensing between Trojan Technologies, Trojantec

Innovaro, a comprehensive innovation solutions company, is pleased to announce that it has facilitated the completion of a licensing transaction between Trojan Technologies USA, a company recently formed by Verdant Ventures Advisors II, LLC, and Trojantec Ltd, a London and Cyprus based biopharmaceutical company.

11 Jun 2010

Hypertension linked to severity of bipolar disorders

Nearly half of patients hospitalized with bipolar disorder may suffer from hypertension, and the younger a person is diagnosed with the psychiatric condition the more likely they are to develop high blood pressure, according to a recent Michigan State University study.

11 Jun 2010