Gastroenterology News and Research

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Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine where the digestive system and its disorders are studied.

Progenics presents preclinical data on novel monoclonal antibodies against toxins produced by C. difficile

Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the presentation of preclinical data on novel monoclonal antibodies against toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium difficile (C. difficile). The monoclonal antibodies effectively neutralized the cell-killing activities of the toxins in vitro and significantly improved survival in a stringent animal model of C. difficile infection. C. difficile is the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea in the United States and represents a growing global public health challenge.

28 May 2010

Salix Pharmaceuticals to sell $300 million of 2.75% convertible senior notes due 2015

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell $300 million aggregate principal amount of its 2.75% convertible senior notes due 2015. In addition, Salix has granted the underwriters an overallotment option to purchase up to an additional $45 million aggregate principal amount of notes on the same terms and conditions.

28 May 2010

Salix Pharmaceuticals announces $200 million convertible senior notes offering

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced that it intends to offer, subject to market and other conditions, $200 million aggregate principal amount of its convertible senior notes due 2015 under an automatically effective shelf registration statement on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Salix also expects to grant the underwriters an overallotment option to purchase up to an additional $30 million aggregate principal amount of notes on the same terms and conditions.

27 May 2010

Physician experts review current practices for pain management in cirrhotic patients

In the May issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, physician experts review current practices for pain management in cirrhotic patients. The physician experts reviewed all current literature available on PubMed and MEDLINE with no limits in the search to recommend a uniform and practical guide to approaching analgesia in the cirrhotic patients.

27 May 2010

Drug and dosage influence risk of GI bleeding

A study conducted at the Spanish Centre for Pharmacoepidemiological Research revealed that the risk of gastrointestinal complications due to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use varies by specific NSAID administered and by dosage. The study further determined that NSAIDs with a long half-life or slow-release formulation are associated with a greater risk of GI bleeding or perforation.

27 May 2010

Positive results reported from Phase IIa clinical trial of intranasal oxytocin for CDH

Trigemina, Inc., a Mountain View based privately-held biopharmaceutical company, reports positive results from a time-based interim analysis of its Phase IIa clinical trial in Chronic Daily Headache. The trial is a collaborative effort between Trigemina and Dr. Egilius Spierings of MedVadis Research Corporation located outside of Boston. The study compares intranasal oxytocin with placebo in patients suffering from CDH.

26 May 2010

$FDA warns on possible fracture risk with proton pump inhibitors use$

FDA warns on possible fracture risk with proton pump inhibitors use

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers and health care professionals about a possible increased risk of fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine with high doses or long-term use of a class of medications called proton pump inhibitors. The product labeling will be changed to describe this possible increased risk.

26 May 2010

Vertex reports 75% patients with HCV achieve viral cure with 12-week telaprevir-based combination regimen

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that 75% of people chronically infected with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) who had not previously been treated achieved a sustained viral response (SVR or viral cure) after receiving a 12-week telaprevir-based combination regimen, followed by treatment with pegylated-interferon and ribavirin alone, in the Phase 3 ADVANCE trial.

26 May 2010

Pro-Pharmaceuticals plans to submit Phase III trial design for DAVANAT to FDA

Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leading developer of therapeutics that target Galectin receptors to treat cancer and fibrosis, today announced plans to submit a Phase III trial design for DAVANAT to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration during the second half of 2010. The Company has added the talent of Peter G. Traber, M.D., to its FDA approval strategy and trial design team.

24 May 2010

Salix Pharmaceuticals announces availability of Xifaxan tablets for reducing risk of overt HE recurrence

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced the availability of Xifaxan (rifaximin) 550 mg tablets for the reduction in risk of overt hepatic encephalopathy recurrence in patients 18 years of age or older. Those HE patients may now fill their Xifaxan 550 mg prescriptions in U.S. pharmacies and should speak with their doctors about this important treatment option.

24 May 2010

Research team investigates infants with suspected GERD using combined pH/MII monitoring

Gastroesophageal reflux, defined as passage of gastric contents into the esophagus is a normal process that occurs in healthy infants, children and adults. When GER causes troublesome symptoms and/or complications it is referred to as gastroesophageal reflux disease. During infancy, GER is common and can manifest with specific symptoms as vomiting and non-specific symptoms as irritability and cough. Association of non-specific symptoms with GER is a main problem in the diagnosis of GERD.

21 May 2010

eGFR as valuable as Ccr as an indicator of preoperative renal function in gastric cancer patients: Study

The creatinine clearance (Ccr) test has been used as a gold standard for evaluation of preoperative renal function in patients with gastric cancer. However, it is known that Ccr is not strictly equivalent to glomerular filtration rate (GFR). It has been accepted that estimated GFR (eGFR) is equal to measured GFR in chronic kidney disease. However, there have been no studies regarding the reliability of eGFR as a preoperative renal function test in gastric cancer patients.

21 May 2010

Salix announces additional intellectual property protection for rifaximin in treatment of IBS

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 7,718,608. This patent provides protection until August 2019 for rifaximin, which Salix markets in the United States under the trade names XIFAXAN® (200mg) and XIFAXAN550™ (550mg).

21 May 2010

Narrow-band imaging could be novel tool for in vivo assessment of mucosal angiogenesis

Angiogenesis plays a crucial role in neoplastic and non-neoplastic chronic inflammatory disorders, including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Several reports have shown that blockade of angiogenesis in preclinical models of IBD is a promising new therapeutic approach. Visualize angiogenesis in vivo may represent the first step for such a therapeutic approach. Narrow-band imaging (NBI) is a new endoscopic technology that highlights mucosal surface structures and microcapillaries.

21 May 2010

Niacin fortification foods can cause obesity

Dietary factors have long been known to play a major role in the development of obesity. The global increasing prevalence of obesity suggests that there should be some common changes in diet worldwide.

21 May 2010

New book offers practical knowledge on celiac disease, gluten-related disorders

A new book from the American Gastroenterological Association offers broad and practical knowledge on celiac disease and gluten-related disorders, empowering those who are undiagnosed and those living with the disease to achieve the best possible health and well-being.

18 May 2010

FDA issues complete response letter for roflumilast NDA

Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Nycomed today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a complete response letter regarding the New Drug Application (NDA) for roflumilast. Roflumilast was reviewed as a potential treatment to reduce COPD exacerbations associated with chronic bronchitis in patients at risk for exacerbations.

18 May 2010

Most recurrences of HCC occur early after initial diagnosis and treatment: Research article

Hepatocellular carcinoma is an aggressive tumor with poor long-term prognosis. The reported 5-year recurrence rate ranges from 75% to 100%. Therefore, extrahepatic metastasis of HCC is uncommon due to the highly malignant nature of the primary tumor. However, with advances in different treatment modalities for HCC, the incidence of extrahepatic metastasis appears to be increasing.

17 May 2010

Mauna Kea Technologies' Cellvizio improves diagnosis of early forms of bile duct cancer

New data from a multi-centric international registry study show that cellular-level imaging with Mauna Kea Technologies' Cellvizio®, the world's smallest microscope, appears to significantly improve a physician's ability to diagnose or rule out early forms of bile duct cancer during a standard endoscopic diagnostic exam.

14 May 2010

Prometheus announces novel method for early detection of HACA during infliximab treatment

Prometheus Laboratories Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical and diagnostic company, announced a new method for detecting antibody levels in individual patients treated with infliximab, a biologic therapy that has been used to treat more than a million patients across a number of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

14 May 2010

Gastroenterology News and Research

Further Reading

Progenics presents preclinical data on novel monoclonal antibodies against toxins produced by C. difficile

Salix Pharmaceuticals to sell $300 million of 2.75% convertible senior notes due 2015

Salix Pharmaceuticals announces $200 million convertible senior notes offering

Physician experts review current practices for pain management in cirrhotic patients

Drug and dosage influence risk of GI bleeding

Positive results reported from Phase IIa clinical trial of intranasal oxytocin for CDH

FDA warns on possible fracture risk with proton pump inhibitors use

Vertex reports 75% patients with HCV achieve viral cure with 12-week telaprevir-based combination regimen

Pro-Pharmaceuticals plans to submit Phase III trial design for DAVANAT to FDA

Salix Pharmaceuticals announces availability of Xifaxan tablets for reducing risk of overt HE recurrence

Research team investigates infants with suspected GERD using combined pH/MII monitoring

eGFR as valuable as Ccr as an indicator of preoperative renal function in gastric cancer patients: Study

Salix announces additional intellectual property protection for rifaximin in treatment of IBS

Narrow-band imaging could be novel tool for in vivo assessment of mucosal angiogenesis

Niacin fortification foods can cause obesity

New book offers practical knowledge on celiac disease, gluten-related disorders

FDA issues complete response letter for roflumilast NDA

Most recurrences of HCC occur early after initial diagnosis and treatment: Research article

Mauna Kea Technologies' Cellvizio improves diagnosis of early forms of bile duct cancer

Prometheus announces novel method for early detection of HACA during infliximab treatment

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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