Skin Infection News and Research

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Cubist Pharmaceuticals signs definitive agreement to acquire Calixa Therapeutics

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a leading acute care therapeutics company, announced today the signing of a definitive agreement under which Cubist has agreed to acquire privately held Calixa Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel antibiotics that address the expanding problem of multi-drug resistant Gram-negative pathogens.

14 Dec 2009

Positive results from DermaGen's Phase I/IIa AMP study of atopic dermatitis

DermaGen AB - part of the Karolinska Development dermatology and wound healing company "Pergamum" - announced that Dermagen AB has received promising results from a clinical Phase I/IIa study. DermaGen AB is developing a novel antimicrobial peptide (AMP) treatment for atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease where dry skin and the skin's weakened barrier function make patients susceptible to colonization by microorganisms, a triggering or exacerbating factor of the disease.

2 Dec 2009

Community-based program proves to be successful in reducing skin infections in Australian aboriginal children

A community-based program aimed at reducing the burden of skin disease across remote communities in Australia's Northern Territory has been successful according to a study published November 24 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

25 Nov 2009

Scientists identify compounds that hold promise for treating parasitic infection

Using an unconventional approach that they designed, University of Pittsburgh drug discoverers and their collaborators at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research have identified compounds that hold promise for treating leishmaniasis, a parasitic infection that many consider one of the world's most overlooked diseases.

4 Nov 2009

Patients who acquire SSTIs in healthcare settings may stay longer in hospitals to control the infection

Patients who acquire skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in a hospital or other healthcare setting may be more likely to receive inappropriate antibiotic therapy at the beginning of their treatment. As a result, they also may have significantly longer hospital stays to control the infection.

31 Oct 2009

Bacterial or viral skin infections continue to grow among high school and college athletes, survey reveals

A recent survey of nearly 650 athletic trainers across the U.S. revealed that in the past 12 months nearly 76 percent of the respondents' athletic programs, mostly high school- and college-based, bacterial or viral skin infections have developed.

30 Oct 2009

Keraderm raises $2.5 million from institutional investor

Keraderm Corp. announced the closing today of a $2.5 million dollar Series A investment by NewVa Capital Partners, LP. Currently starting clinical trials, the company's platform harnesses phototherapy technology to treat nail and skin infections. NewVa Capital Partners is a private equity and venture capital fund managed by Third Security, LLC and provides early stage investments in companies located or considering location in the NewVa region of southwest Virginia. This is Keraderm's first institutional investment round.

24 Oct 2009

Fero Industries to acquire Pyro Pharmaceuticals

Fero Industries, Inc. (the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into a Definitive Agreement to acquire Pyro Pharmaceuticals, Inc. of Irvine, California.

15 Oct 2009

Harvard researchers unite in fight against antibiotic resistance

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have awarded $5 million to an interdisciplinary group of Harvard researchers to launch the "Harvard-wide Program on Antibiotic Resistance."

14 Oct 2009

News outlets examines health impact of disasters in Indonesia, Samoa, Philippines

In Indonesia, "[r]escue workers called off the search Monday for life under the rubble left by a massive earthquake, focusing instead on bringing aid to survivors," the Agence France-Presse reports. "The United Nations has said at least 1,100 people were killed in the disaster, but estimates of the final toll range up to 5,000. The official toll stood at 650 dead and 672 missing, according to the health ministry," the news service writes (Belford, 10/5).

6 Oct 2009

Combined immunodeficiency results in severe health problems

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have identified a genetic mutation that accounts for a perplexing condition found in people with an inherited immunodeficiency. The disorder, called combined immunodeficiency, is characterized by a constellation of severe health problems, including persistent bacterial and viral skin infections, severe eczema, acute allergies and asthma, and cancer.

28 Sep 2009

Clinical data emphasizing on efficacy and potency of torezolid to be presented

Trius Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that 13 posters will be presented at the 49th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) supporting the potency, efficacy and safety of torezolid as a potential new antibiotic for the treatment of severe skin infections caused by gram positive bacteria including MRSA.

14 Sep 2009

NovaBay begins clinical studies for treating impetigo skin infection

NovaBay(R) Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE-Amex: NBY), (http://www.novabaypharma.com), a clinical stage company developing novel anti-infective compounds for the treatment or prevention of a wide range of bacterial, viral and fungal infections, announced today the start of a Phase 2a proof-of-concept study of its lead Aganocide(R) compound NVC-422 in impetigo.

10 Sep 2009

Giant Eagle offers generic prescription antibiotics for free at its in-store pharmacies

At a time when many families affected by a difficult economy are struggling with the costs of prescription medications, supermarket retailer Giant Eagle, Inc. is making ten broadly used generic prescription antibiotics in 46 common dosages available for free every day at all of its 210 in-store pharmacies.

4 Sep 2009

Sheller, P.C helps to settle the largest whistleblower complaint

Pfizer Inc. ignored a 2005 FDA Warning Letter to stop promoting its antibiotic Zyvox(R) as clinically superior to the significantly less expensive, generic vancomycin when its own FDA-approved label indicated otherwise. The drug giant also defrauded federal and state taxpayers by marketing Zyvox off-label, according to a qui tam whistleblower complaint filed by Philadelphia law firm Sheller, P.C. and other documents unsealed with today's $2.3 billion Pfizer settlement.

3 Sep 2009

Study reveals that antibiotics used to treat a variety of bacterial infections could cause double vision

Highlights of September's Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy), include a 2009 review by the Academy of the safety and efficacy of a widely used corneal transplant procedure and a warning about an unusual but serious reaction to systemic fluoroquinolones, a class of antibiotics used to treat a variety of bacterial infections.

2 Sep 2009

OHSU study reveals that fluoroquinolones may cause double vision

Highlights of September's Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy), include a 2009 review by the Academy of the safety and efficacy of a widely used corneal transplant procedure and a warning about an unusual but serious reaction to systemic fluroquinolones, a class of antibiotics used to treat a variety of bacterial infections.

1 Sep 2009

Scientists discover the vulnerability of old people to cancer and skin infections

Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have discovered why older people may be so vulnerable to cancer and infections in the skin. The team from UCL has shown in human volunteers that defective immunity in the skin is caused by an inability to mobilise essential defences that would otherwise recognise threats and clear them before irreparable damage is done.

28 Aug 2009

Research study highlights the biological importance of Vitamin D in humans and other primates

A new study has concluded that one key part of the immune system, the ability of vitamin D to regulate anti-bactericidal proteins, is so important that is has been conserved through almost 60 million years of evolution and is shared only by primates, including humans - but no other known animal species.

19 Aug 2009

Forest Labs and Astrazeneca to co-develop and commercialize ceftaroline

Forest Laboratories (NYSE:FRX) and AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) announced today they have entered into a definitive collaboration agreement to co-develop and commercialize ceftaroline in all markets outside the United States, Canada and Japan.

12 Aug 2009