Gastrointestinal Tract News and Research

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ESMO conference on sarcoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumour

More should be done across Europe to ensure that people with rare forms of cancer are not denied access to the best possible treatment, say the organizers of a major European cancer conference to be held in Milan on 9 and 10 March 2010.

25 Feb 2010

ESMO Conference to address issues relating to sarcoma and GIST

25 Feb 2010

Phase III trial results of Osiris Therapeutics' Prochymal for GvHD to be presented at BMT Tandem Meeting

Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that results from the Phase III trial evaluating Prochymal for the treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft vs. host disease (GvHD) will be presented by Paul Martin, M.D., of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Paul Szabolcs, M.D., of Duke University Medical Center at the 2010 BMT Tandem Meeting. The meeting is being held February 24-28 in Orlando, Florida.

24 Feb 2010

Pathogen study could provide new insights on gene regulation

About 50 percent of the world's population carry Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in their gastrointestinal tract - 30 percent of the German population are infected. Besides cancer, these bacteria are linked to other chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease.

24 Feb 2010

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals reports positive results from Phase 2 clinical trials for IBS and type 2 diabetes

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing breakthrough treatments for human disease, today updated its drug development progress and reported financial results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2009.

23 Feb 2010

Role of behavioral health in pediatric IBD: NIHCD awards $500,000 grant to further study

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a two-year development grant to researchers with Hasbro Children's Hospital and the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center to better understand the role behavioral health plays in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a condition that causes chronic and painful inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract.

23 Feb 2010

Medical test for aging adults could be helpful in determining infants’ intestinal conditions

A medical test initially researched for aging adults also could be helpful for premature babies, according to scientists with Texas AgriLife Research.

23 Feb 2010

New Jersey Superior Court links Roche's Accutane to IBD

In another major courtroom verdict linking powerful acne medication Accutane with long-term inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a nine-person New Jersey jury has found that pharmaceutical maker Hoffman-La Roche Inc. failed to provide an adequate warning of the possible condition to Andrew McCarrell's prescribing physician, which then led to his development of chronic IBD. Mr. McCarrell, who was 23 at the time he took Accutane, developed a severe case of IBD and thereafter had his colon removed. The jury awarded compensatory damages of $25.16 million to Andy, now in his thirties.

19 Feb 2010

Report: Green tea catechins may protect against glaucoma and other common eye diseases

Scientists have confirmed that the healthful substances found in green tea - renowned for their powerful antioxidant and disease-fighting properties - do penetrate into tissues of the eye. Their new report, the first documenting how the lens, retina, and other eye tissues absorb these substances, raises the possibility that green tea may protect against glaucoma and other common eye diseases.

19 Feb 2010

Positive topline data from Alkermes' phase 1 clinical study of ALKS 37 announced

Alkermes, Inc. today announced positive topline data from a phase 1 clinical study of ALKS 37, an orally active, peripherally-restricted opioid antagonist with potential to block the effects of opioid agonists on gastrointestinal motility, commonly referred to as opioid-induced constipation (OIC).

16 Feb 2010

Health Canada approves first post-surgical treatment for patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumours

Patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) can now take action at an earlier stage of this rare form of cancer to reduce the risk of their disease returning following surgery. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada announced today that Gleevec* (imatinib mesylate) has received conditional approval by Health Canada for the adjuvant (post-surgical) treatment of adult patients who are at intermediate to high risk of disease recurrence following the surgical removal of GIST.

27 Jan 2010

Elan Drug Technologies issues statement on FDA approval of AMPYRA

Elan Drug Technologies, a business unit of Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE: ELN) today issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of AMPYRA™ (dalfampridine) as a treatment to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

25 Jan 2010

Depomed receives second $500,000 milestone payment from Covidien

Depomed, Inc. announced today that it has received a second $500,000 milestone payment under its worldwide license agreement with Covidien focusing on the exclusive development of four acetaminophen/opioid analgesic combination products utilizing Depomed’s Acuform® gastric retentive drug delivery technology. The most recent payment from Covidien, which was received in December 2009, relates to the development of a formulation for the second product candidate under the collaboration.

21 Jan 2010

Dr. Michel Kahaleh uses pCLE technique to diagnose and treat cancer

The world's smallest flexible microscope is diagnosing some big diseases and allowing physicians to treat patients on the spot. Dr. Michel Kahaleh, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Virginia Health System, is the only physician in Virginia currently using probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE).

18 Jan 2010

Autologous stem cell transplantation may benefit breast cancer patients

Compared to conventional chemotherapy, autologous stem cell transplantation can extend "event-free survival" for breast cancer patients. Clinical trials provide proof of this for breast cancer with and without distant metastases. However, there are indications that this type of stem cell transplantation can more frequently give rise to severe complications affecting almost all organ systems. This is the conclusion of the final report of the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) published on 16 December 2009.

13 Jan 2010

BDSI to discuss planned BEMA Granisetron IND with the FDA

BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. announced that the company has been granted a meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss the planned Investigational New Drug (IND) application for BDSI’s antiemetic (anti-nausea and vomiting) product candidate, BEMA Granisetron. The meeting will take place on March 17, 2010. The company will discuss with the FDA clinical development and regulatory plans for BEMA Granisetron, which is anticipated to enter Phase 1 studies in the second quarter of 2010.

13 Jan 2010

NeuroScience launches NEI Guided Nutrition Program

NeuroScience, Inc. has launched a comprehensive and customizable dietary program based on patients' food sensitivity test results. The NEI Guided Nutrition Program(TM) is the first offering through NeuroScience, Inc.'s new NEI Nutrition(TM) division.

12 Jan 2010

Cancer drug may provide an effective secondary treatment for gut tumor

A drug that is already an approved therapy for some cancers also might be an effective secondary treatment for a rare tumor of the gastrointestinal tract, according to a team led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI). The findings, based on experiments using cell cultures, were published in the Jan. 1 issue of Cancer Research.

12 Jan 2010

Biomarker may enable personalized GVHD treatment for bone marrow transplant patients

University of Michigan researchers have identified the first biomarker of graft-versus-host disease of the skin. The discovery makes possible a simple blood test that should solve a treatment dilemma facing doctors with patients who frequently develop rashes after bone marrow transplants.

9 Jan 2010

Scientists develop mucus-penetrating biodegradable nanoparticles to deliver drugs over time

Johns Hopkins University researchers have created biodegradable nanosized particles that can easily slip through the body's sticky and viscous mucus secretions to deliver a sustained-release medication cargo.

5 Jan 2010

Gastrointestinal Tract News and Research

ESMO conference on sarcoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumour

ESMO Conference to address issues relating to sarcoma and GIST

Phase III trial results of Osiris Therapeutics' Prochymal for GvHD to be presented at BMT Tandem Meeting

Pathogen study could provide new insights on gene regulation

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals reports positive results from Phase 2 clinical trials for IBS and type 2 diabetes

Role of behavioral health in pediatric IBD: NIHCD awards $500,000 grant to further study

Medical test for aging adults could be helpful in determining infants’ intestinal conditions

New Jersey Superior Court links Roche's Accutane to IBD

Report: Green tea catechins may protect against glaucoma and other common eye diseases

Positive topline data from Alkermes' phase 1 clinical study of ALKS 37 announced

Health Canada approves first post-surgical treatment for patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumours

Elan Drug Technologies issues statement on FDA approval of AMPYRA

Depomed receives second $500,000 milestone payment from Covidien

Dr. Michel Kahaleh uses pCLE technique to diagnose and treat cancer

Autologous stem cell transplantation may benefit breast cancer patients

BDSI to discuss planned BEMA Granisetron IND with the FDA

NeuroScience launches NEI Guided Nutrition Program

Cancer drug may provide an effective secondary treatment for gut tumor

Biomarker may enable personalized GVHD treatment for bone marrow transplant patients

Scientists develop mucus-penetrating biodegradable nanoparticles to deliver drugs over time

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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