Respiratory News and Research

RSS

CSL Behring rIX-FP granted Orphan Drug Designation to treat hemophilia B

CSL Behring announced today that the company has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the United States Food and Drug Administration for its novel recombinant fusion protein linking coagulation factor IX with recombinant albumin (rIX-FP).

8 Jun 2012

Project aims to reduce transmission of infectious diseases on aircraft

A new study is expected to provide the first detailed information on how infectious diseases may be transmitted aboard commercial airliners. Sponsored by aircraft manufacturer Boeing, the research will document patterns of passenger movement inside aircraft cabins and inventory the microbes present in cabin air and on surfaces such as tray tables and lavatory fixtures.

8 Jun 2012

Study assesses impact of postoperative nHb and transfusion in patients with PAD

Vascular surgeons from Baylor College of Medicine and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans' Administration Medical Center in Houston, TX, have released a study about the impact of transfusion and postoperative nadir postoperative hemoglobin (nHb) on short- and long-term outcomes after interventions for peripheral arterial disease.

8 Jun 2012

Capnography ‘useful adjunct’ to colonoscopy care

Monitoring carbon dioxide levels improves detection of altered respiration and apnea in sedated patients undergoing colonoscopy, show ColCap Study results.

6 Jun 2012

Device to monitor gum disease

A team from North East England who designed a device which will help monitor gum disease have been awarded more than £1m of UK Government funding.

6 Jun 2012

STELARA effectively reduces signs and symptoms of active psoriatic arthritis

Patients with active psoriatic arthritis receiving the interleukin (IL)-12/23 inhibitor STELARA (ustekinumab) experienced significant improvements in signs and symptoms of the disease, according to new findings presented today from a Janssen Research & Development, LLC, (Janssen)-sponsored investigational study.

6 Jun 2012

Abbott announces results from HUMIRA Phase 3 study on axSpA

Abbott today announced results from the open-label extension of the Phase 3 ABILITY-1 investigational study of HUMIRA (adalimumab), which assessed the improvement in signs and symptoms of disease for patients with active axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) who have no X-ray evidence of structural damage.

6 Jun 2012

Abbott commences elagolix Phase 3 trial in endometriosis

Abbott, in cooperation with Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc., today announced the initiation of a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of elagolix in female patients with endometriosis.

6 Jun 2012

High pollution increases risk of repeated heart attacks by over 40%

Air pollution, a serious danger to the environment, is also a major health risk, associated with respiratory infections, lung cancer and heart disease. Now a Tel Aviv University researcher has concluded that not only does air pollution impact cardiac events such as heart attack and stroke, but it also causes repeated episodes over the long term.

6 Jun 2012

IRIN examines next steps in global fight against NCDs

IRIN examines the next steps in fighting non-communicable diseases (NCDs), "the leading cause of death worldwide," noting, "The World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO), aims to reduce preventable deaths from [NCDs] like diabetes, heart attacks and strokes, chronic respiratory diseases and cancers, by 25 percent by 2025."

5 Jun 2012

Alnylam announces results from ALN-VSP Phase I study on liver cancers

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced results today from its Phase I extension study with ALN-VSP, a systemically delivered RNAi therapeutic for the treatment of advanced solid tumors with liver involvement.

5 Jun 2012

High levels of antibody molecule linked to increased rates of death from all diseases

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified an immune system deficiency whose presence shows someone is up to four times likelier to die than a person without it. The glitch involves an antibody molecule called a free light chain; people whose immune systems produce too much of the molecule are far more likely to die of a life-threatening illness such as cancer, diabetes and cardiac and respiratory disease than those whose bodies make normal levels. The study is published in the June issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

4 Jun 2012

Data from several clinical trials of ADCETRIS to be presented at ASCO annual meeting

Seattle Genetics, Inc. today announced that data from several clinical trials of ADCETRIS (brentuximab vedotin) will be presented at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting being held June 1-5, 2012 in Chicago, IL.

4 Jun 2012

Results from Janssen's ZYTIGA plus prednisone Phase 3 study on mCRPC

Results observed from pre-specified interim analyses of the randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study, COU-AA-302, demonstrated that patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) treated with abiraterone acetate (ZYTIGA) plus prednisone showed a statistically significant improvement in radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) and all secondary endpoints compared to patients treated with placebo plus prednisone.

4 Jun 2012

Health effects of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on U.S. veterans

With the goal of preparing to manage the health concerns of returning U.S. veterans, the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), is devoting its June issue to the health effects of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

2 Jun 2012

Engineered proteins demonstrate flu-fighting potency

Computer-designed proteins are under construction to fight the flu. Researchers are demonstrating that proteins found in nature, but that do not normally bind the flu, can be engineered to act as broad-spectrum antiviral agents against a variety of flu virus strains, including H1N1 pandemic influenza.

2 Jun 2012

Smoke from cooking fires associated with cognitive deficits in children

Children exposed to open-fire cooking in developing countries experience difficulty with memory, problem-solving and social skills, according to researchers at the University of California, Riverside and Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif.

2 Jun 2012

EC launches world's first in-flight smoking cessation card

The European Commission today announced a new phase in its highly successful smoking cessation campaign, "Ex-Smokers are Unstoppable" on World No Tobacco Day by launching the world's first in-flight smoking cessation card.

1 Jun 2012

Inexpensive paper-based device warns about unhealthy levels of airborne metals

Scientists are reporting development of a new paper-based device that can warn workers that they are being exposed to potentially unhealthy levels of airborne metals almost immediately, instead of the weeks required with current technology. The report on the device, which costs about one cent to make and could prevent illness in the millions of people who work with metal, appears in ACS' journal Analytical Chemistry.

1 Jun 2012

Smoking during pregnancy affects weight of the newborns

Smoking during pregnancy has widely documented health repercussions both for mother and baby. A study at the University of Zaragoza on 1216 newly born babies confirms that those born to mothers who smoke weigh and measure less.

1 Jun 2012