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There is little chance the U.S. will be able to manufacture enough vaccines to stop a bird flu pandemic

A group of medical experts who attended a national avian flu conference last fall believe there is little chance the United States will be able to manufacture and stockpile enough vaccine or antiviral medication to stop a bird flu pandemic should the virus mutate into a form that can be spread easily from human to human

23 Mar 2006

Avicena receives orphan drug designation for Huntington's disease

The Avicena Group has announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to HD-02, the company's proprietary drug candidate for the treatment of Huntington's disease.

23 Mar 2006

U.S. buys more Relenza and Tamiflu for future influenza pandemics

The United States Department of Health and Human Services has announced additional purchases of antiviral drugs that could be used in the event of a potential influenza pandemic.

23 Mar 2006

Latest diabetic medications more costly, but users have fewer hospital visits

Diabetics who were prescribed newer medications to control their illness were more likely to take these drugs as instructed than were other patients who were prescribed drugs that have been on the market for several decades.

22 Mar 2006

Jefferson neurosurgeons use innovative "Wingspan Stent System" to open clogged brain arteries

Neurosurgeons at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia are the first in the region and among the first in the nation to successfully use a new stent specifically designed to open potentially life-threatening clogged arteries in the brain, preventing a stroke.

22 Mar 2006

Angina is more dangerous for women than was previously thought

The collaborative study, led by UCL (University College London) and funded by the British Heart Foundation, found that angina in women is as common as it is in men, in contrast to heart attacks (myocardial infarction) which have a higher rate in men.

21 Mar 2006

Gene discovered that causes dry skin and leads to eczema and asthma

Experts, lead by the University of Dundee, have discovered the gene which causes genetic skin conditions affecting millions of people.

21 Mar 2006

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals receives U.S. orphan drug designation for Ceflatonin

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals has announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug status for the company's most advanced drug, Ceflatonin, for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

21 Mar 2006

Scientists develop new research mice to help understand "good" cholesterol

Scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues have developed new research mice to help them better understand how the body makes and uses "good" cholesterol to protect against heart attacks and strokes.

21 Mar 2006

Study identifies patients at risk for sudden cardiac death

Researchers have found a more accurate way to tell which children and teenagers are likely to be among the thousand or so who suddenly die each year in the United States from genetic heart conditions that cause arrhythmia

21 Mar 2006

A newly recognized type of immune cell may play an important role in causing asthma

...perhaps explaining why current therapies sometimes fail, report researchers from Children's Hospital Boston in the New England Journal of Medicine.

21 Mar 2006

High blood pressure declines and remains low after bariatric surgery

The prevalence of hypertension (high blood pressure) appears to decline and remain low after bariatric surgery, and blood pressure drops the most among patients who had untreated hypertension before the procedure, according to a study in the March issue of Archives of Surgery.

21 Mar 2006

University of Calgary researchers develop bioreactor procedures to grow pancreatic cells in their laboratory

Freedom from insulin injections and the myriad of health problems related to type 1 diabetes is closer to becoming reality, thanks to University of Calgary researchers who are developing the first bioreactor procedures to grow pancreatic cells in their laboratory.

21 Mar 2006

Discovery of basic defect in cystic fibrosis airway glands

Scientists at Stanford University have determined that the buildup of sticky mucus found in cystic fibrosis is caused by a loss in the epithelial cell's ability to secrete fluid.

21 Mar 2006

Donepezil (Aricept) helps cognitive function in brain tumor patients after radiation

A drug that is marketed to treat Alzheimer's disease also improves cognitive function, mood and quality of life in brain tumor patients following radiation therapy, according to a research team at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

21 Mar 2006

Genetic factors underlie alcohol consumption and may also contribute to nicotine addiction

Vulnerability to both alcohol and nicotine abuse may be influenced by the same genetic factor, according to a recent study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

20 Mar 2006

Early treatment with pharmacological therapy may reduce hypertension

Patients experiencing high normal blood pressure (HNBP), a precursor to hypertension, may benefit from early treatment with pharmacological therapy, according to new research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 55th Annual Scientific Session.

20 Mar 2006

Atorvastatin could prove an effective therapy for multiple sclerosis

Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco and Stanford University Medical Center are reporting compelling new evidence that the cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin could prove an effective therapy for preventing the progression of, and reversing the severity of, multiple sclerosis (MS).

20 Mar 2006

Researcher identifies the cellular receptor for botulinum neurotoxin A

Botulinum neurotoxin A can be either the greatest wrinkle remover or one of the world's most potent biological weapons. To perform either job, however, the toxin must first find a way to enter cells.

20 Mar 2006

Rutgers researchers discover obesity gene

Rutgers researchers have identified a gene - and the molecular function of its protein product - that provides an important clue to further understanding obesity and may point the way to new drugs to control fat metabolism.

20 Mar 2006