Dysphagia News and Research

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Dysphagia is the medical term for the symptom of difficulty in swallowing. Although classified under "symptoms and signs" in ICD-10, the term is sometimes used as a condition in its own right. Sufferers are sometimes unaware of their dysphagia.

Ferrer introduces citicoline oral solution medical food

Ferrer Therapeutics, the U.S. subsidiary of the international pharmaceutical group, Ferrer Grupo, is introducing CerAxon- Oral Solution to the U.S. market, the first and only oral solution medical food containing citicoline, a nutrient naturally produced by the body and found in the brain.

29 Nov 2011

Researchers discover more about function of muscle stem cells

An international team of researchers from Leeds, London and Berlin has discovered more about the function of muscle stem cells, thanks to next-generation DNA sequencing techniques.

20 Nov 2011

New computer-based tool enables early diagnosis of cancer

A computer-based tool could help GPs to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from two of the most common forms of cancer, potentially saving thousands of lives every year.

31 Oct 2011

Phagenesis closes Series B funding

Phagenesis Ltd, the global leader in the treatment of dysphagia (inability to swallow safely) today announced that it has closed a €7 million Series B funding round designed to accelerate the company's development plans.

4 Oct 2011

FDA approves Allergan's BOTOX to treat specific form of urinary incontinence

Allergan, Inc. today announced the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved BOTOX for injection for the treatment of urinary incontinence due to detrusor overactivity associated with a neurologic condition in adults who have an inadequate response to or are intolerant of an anticholinergic medication.

25 Aug 2011

Study helps clarify definition of gastroesophageal reflux disease

Modifying stomach acid levels may not be enough to treat symptoms in neonates suspected of having gastroesophageal reflux disease. According to a study from Nationwide Children's Hospital, this is the first study to classify reflux and its associated symptoms in neonates based on how and what is refluxed.

9 Aug 2011

FDA approves Merz Aesthetics' XEOMIN for temporary improvement of glabellar lines

Merz Aesthetics today announced that the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved XEOMIN for the temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe glabellar lines, or frown lines between the eyebrows, in adult patients.

22 Jul 2011

Prior GID diagnosis impacts health outcomes of patients with Parkinson's

A new study investigating the incidence and impact of gastrointestinal disorders (GID) among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) found that patients who received both a PD diagnosis and a prior GID diagnosis appeared to have worse health outcomes compared to patients who received a diagnosis for PD with no prior GID diagnosis.

16 Jun 2011

Non-invasive brain stimulation improves swallowing ability among stroke survivors

Stroke patients who received electrical brain stimulation coupled with swallowing exercises showed greater improvement in swallowing ability than patients who did not receive this stimulation, according to a pilot study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

25 Mar 2011

Study investigates risk of dysphagia after radiotherapy treatment for head & neck cancer

At the 3rd International Conference on innovative approaches in Head and Neck Oncology (ICHNO), Dr Hanna Rahbek Mortensen and colleagues at hospitals and institutes in Denmark presented results from a large prospective trial, the DAHANCA 6 & 7 study. The study, conducted across the country, investigated risk factors for developing dysphagia (swallowing dysfunction), after undergoing radiotherapy treatment for a head & neck cancer.

25 Feb 2011

EGS publishes three clinical studies on TIF procedure over past four months

EndoGastric Solutions, the leader in the emerging field of Natural Orifice Surgery (NOS), announced that three clinical studies on transoral fundoplication have been published over the past four months.

18 Feb 2011

Allergan receives FDA approval for expanded use of LAP-BAND System in obese adults

Allergan, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the expanded use of the LAP-BAND System, Allergan's gastric band, for adults with obesity who have failed more conservative weight reduction alternatives, such as diet and exercise and pharmacotherapy, and have a Body Mass Index of 30-40 and at least one obesity related comorbid condition.

16 Feb 2011

State court jury rules in favor of Merck in FOSAMAX trial

Merck & Co., Inc. today said a state court jury in New Jersey found in its favor in the Rosenberg v. Merck case, rejecting the claims of a woman who blamed her dental and jaw related problems on her FOSAMAX use.

15 Feb 2011

Valeant Pharmaceuticals subsidiary acquires Canadian rights to Cholestagel

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary, Biovail Laboratories International SRL, has acquired the Canadian rights to Cholestagel (colesevelam), an oral bile acid sequestrant for hypercholesterolemia, from Genzyme Corporation.

10 Feb 2011

Tonsillectomy increases risk of pediatric obesity

Tonsillectomy is the most common major surgical procedure performed in children. Children who undergo the surgical removal of their tonsils (tonsillectomy), with or without the removal of their adenoids (adenoidectomy), are at increased risk for becoming overweight after surgery, according to new research published in the February 2011 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

1 Feb 2011

Biovex announces OncoVEXGM-CSF Phase 3 study for head and neck cancer

BioVex Inc, a company developing next generation biologics for the treatment and prevention of cancer and infectious disease, announced today that a Phase 3 pivotal study with OncoVEXGM-CSF for the first line treatment of patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head & neck has commenced.

10 Dec 2010

Sunovion reports results of Latuda third phase 3 worldwide clinical trial for schizophrenia

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced the results of the PEARL 3 study, the third phase 3 worldwide clinical trial of Latuda® (lurasidone HCl) tablets, a once-daily atypical antipsychotic agent recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. In this six-week, placebo-controlled trial, both fixed doses of LATUDA 80 and 160 mg once-daily, demonstrated statistically significant improvement in symptoms of schizophrenia versus placebo across both primary and secondary efficacy measures.

9 Dec 2010

New analysis evaluates association between hemolysis, mortality in patients with PNH

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the presentation of an analysis from the National Data Registry in South Korea that evaluated the association between hemolysis and mortality in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

7 Dec 2010

FDA Advisory Committee votes in favor of expanded use of LAP-BAND gastric band

Allergan, Inc. (NYSE: AGN) today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Gastroenterology and Urology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee has recommended with an 8-2 vote that the FDA extend the currently approved use of the LAP-BAND® System, Allergan's gastric band, on the basis of a favorable benefit-risk profile for weight reduction in obese adults who have failed more conservative weight reduction alternatives and have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 35 or a BMI ≥30 and at least one comorbid condition.

4 Dec 2010

New experimental device could offer effective treatment option for people with swallowing disorders

In what might be one of the world's first medicinal body piercings, UC Davis Health System surgeons announced today that they have successfully implanted an experimental device in the throat of a man that will enable him to manually control his ability to swallow.

1 Dec 2010