Pancreatitis News and Research

RSS

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large gland behind the stomach and close to the duodenum—the first part of the small intestine. The pancreas secretes digestive juices, or enzymes, into the duodenum through a tube called the pancreatic duct. Pancreatic enzymes join with bile—a liquid produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder—to digest food. The pancreas also releases the hormones insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream. These hormones help the body regulate the glucose it takes from food for energy.

Normally, digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas do not become active until they reach the small intestine. But when the pancreas is inflamed, the enzymes inside it attack and damage the tissues that produce them.

Pancreatitis can be acute or chronic. Either form is serious and can lead to complications. In severe cases, bleeding, infection, and permanent tissue damage may occur.

HealthGrades recognizes America's 50 Best Hospitals for 2011

HealthGrades America's 50 Best Hospitals for 2011 were identified in a report issued today by the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. These hospitals demonstrated superior and sustained clinical quality over an eleven year time period, based on an analysis of more than 140 million Medicare patient records.

23 Feb 2011

Positive preliminary data from ongoing PSMA ADC phase 1 study against prostate cancer

Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported positive preliminary data from an ongoing phase 1 study of PSMA ADC, an antibody-drug conjugate designed to selectively deliver chemotherapy to cells that express prostate-specific membrane antigen.

17 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

Repligen third quarter total revenue increases 26% to $7,068,000

Repligen Corporation today reported results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2011, ended December 31, 2010. Total revenue for the quarter was $7,068,000 compared to total revenue of $5,617,000 for the third quarter of fiscal year 2010 ended December 31, 2009, an increase of $1,451,000 or 26%.

9 Feb 2011

Merck announces publication of GARDASIL pivotal Phase III study data in NEJM

Merck announced today that data from the pivotal Phase III study with GARDASIL in males were published in the February 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

3 Feb 2011

Baxter launches OLIMEL emulsion for parenteral nutrition

Baxter International today announced the launch of OLIMEL emulsion for infusion in Canada at the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition's Clinical Nutrition Week.

From Baxter International Inc. 31 Jan 2011

Phase III study shows tapentadol ER relieves chronic pain associated with DPN

New research has been published indicating that patients suffering from a painful complication of diabetes may experience a significant improvement in their pain as measured by a pain intensity scale when using an investigational pain medication.

29 Jan 2011

Immunomedics reports encouraging results from Y-90-labeled clivatuzumab tetraxetan study in pancreatic cancer

Immunomedics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on the development of monoclonal antibody-based products for the targeted treatment of cancer, autoimmune and other serious diseases, today announced that repeated therapy cycles of its proprietary antibody, clivatuzumab tetraxetan, labeled with yttrium-90 plus low-dose gemcitabine, extended median overall survival.

21 Jan 2011

Health Canada approves GORE VIABIL Biliary Endoprosthesis device

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. today announced it has received approval from Health Canada for the Removable GORE VIABIL Biliary Endoprosthesis.

17 Jan 2011

Research study to develop rapid, inexpensive blood screening test for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

A clinical research study to develop a rapid and inexpensive blood screening test for the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer has been launched by Henry Ford Health System and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.

14 Jan 2011

FDA Advisory Committee recommends non-approval of liprotamase for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

Eli Lilly and Company announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee voted today to recommend non-approval of liprotamase, a non-porcine pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), currently under FDA review for the treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI).

13 Jan 2011

Scientists find way to prevent early stage pancreatic cancer in research models

Cancer researchers at The Peggy and Charles Stephenson Oklahoma Cancer Center have found a way to stop early stage pancreatic cancer in research models - a result that has far-reaching implications in chemoprevention for high-risk patients.

12 Jan 2011

FDA accepts Merck's JANUMET extended-release formulation NDA for type 2 diabetes

Merck today announced that the New Drug Application (NDA) for the Company's investigational extended-release formulation of JANUMET for type 2 diabetes has been accepted for standard review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Company is also moving forward as planned with regulatory filings in countries outside the United States.

12 Jan 2011

Study finds combined treatments safe and effective for severe acute pancreatitis

The use of combined treatments for severe acute pancreatitis is safe and effective in managing the disease, resulting in shorter hospitalizations and fewer radiological procedures than standard therapy, according to a study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. In a related study, doctors found that patients with infected pancreatic necrosis were able to avoid surgery through primary conservative treatment, which is in-patient medical treatment.

7 Jan 2011

Merck announces FDA approval for GARDASIL against HPV-related anal cancer

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved GARDASIL® [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16, and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant] for the prevention of anal cancer caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 and for the prevention of anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) grades 1, 2 and 3 (anal dysplasias and precancerous lesions) caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18, in males and females 9 through 26 years of age.

23 Dec 2010

Amylin, Lilly submit BYETTA sNDA for type 2 diabetes

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company today announced that a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the expanded use of BYETTA® (exenatide) injection as an add-on therapy to basal insulin, with or without metformin and/or a thiazolidinedione (TZD) in conjunction with diet and exercise for adults with type 2 diabetes who are not achieving adequate glycemic control.

23 Dec 2010

Amylin submits metreleptin rolling submission BLA for treatment of rare forms of lipodystrophy

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has submitted the initial sections of a rolling submission for a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use of metreleptin to treat diabetes and/or hypertriglyceridemia (high levels of triglycerides in the bloodstream) in patients with rare forms of lipodystrophy.

21 Dec 2010

New drug appears to help patients with chronic myeloid leukemia

A new drug appears to help chronic myeloid leukemia patients who are out of treatment options after first- and second-line drugs have failed them or because their cancer cells have a mutation that makes them resistant from the start, researchers reported at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

7 Dec 2010

$Updated Phase 1 study data of ponatinib in patients with refractory CML, Ph+ ALL presented at ASH$

Updated Phase 1 study data of ponatinib in patients with refractory CML, Ph+ ALL presented at ASH

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced updated clinical data from a fully enrolled and ongoing Phase 1 study of its investigational pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor, ponatinib, in patients with resistant and refractory chronic myeloid leukemia and Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

6 Dec 2010

Omthera reaches agreement with FDA on SPA for Epanova Phase III trial in patients with very high triglycerides

Omthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held emerging specialty pharmaceuticals company, today announced that it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) for the design of its planned Phase III registration clinical trial of Epanova™, the Company's lead compound for the treatment of patients with very high triglycerides. Epanova is an Omega 3 fatty acid containing a novel formulation of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

22 Nov 2010